New Years Eve 🎉

31st December 

So.....to the last day of 2025. Funny to think my 2025 will have been shorter than all my other years on the planet. 

Felt kinda melancholy and had this song on my mind which made me cry when I listened to it. The words are from Shakespeare - Twelfth Night

I left the layby early and began by visiting some Waterfalls, after making coffee of course and trying to capture the beauty of the mountains.

Thunder Creek Falls

Took a selfie....dunno why

Fantail Falls

Then I stopped at The Mount Aspiring National Park. There they have 'Blue Pools' the water being blue, due to the glacial water.

I felt like a walk and I had such a lovely out & back walk, it felt 'heavenly', I enjoyed it so much.....and, of course, took way too many photos!

Geological history that shaped the valley during the last ice age, 20,000 years ago

And more recent history, how the roadways formed & it became an area for farming & recreation 

Ate my lunch in the carpark - using up cheese & crackers, over the road from Cameron Flat where there used to be a tearoom in the 1950s & campground.

Driving past the lakes towards Wanaka - namely Lake Wanaka & Lake Hawea - it was taking ages because I had to keep stopping to take photos......as others were doing. These lakes are filled with glacial melt water from the last ice age.

Reaching Albert Town,  just before Wanaka,  I spied a campsite & asked if they had space. They did & it was super chilled as they said 'Park anywhere' & 'you don't have to leave at 10, just leave when you like'......also, the woman didn't charge me! Nice. 

Cooked some tea & settled in for the night. I could see there would be some partying going on as there were lots of youngsters. I didn't mind the music & drifted off to sleep - woken by the Fireworks at Midnight to usher in 2026....one of the earliest places on the planet to do so.

Sent a few New Year wishes out before sleeping again.

Leaving with this song because I still Love it

.....and this later version 

we were there x