Wanaka: Take 1

The locals and books alike say Wanaka is a laid-back Queenstown without the tourist-induced commercialism. Although we've been saying that each successive day becomes our favorite, today was my absolute favorite. We arrived in Wanaka with enough time to climb Iron Mountain before lunch and Rocky Mountain after lunch. Rocky Mountain was particularly fun combining a trip around Diamond Lake with wet, rainforest-like slopes, with scrambling up slabs of rock, with a final ascent entailing battling the wind up grassy knolls. After a glass of a local pinot noir and a hearty bowl of a kiwi-fav, pumpkin soup, we contently retreated to our bargained for -- 40% off! -- room at Matterhorn South Hostel.