Lake Hawea - Wanaka - Glenorchy/Kinloch

Monday

I enjoyed another slow morning at the hostel, Katherina and I had a nice breakfast together and we chatted to some of the other backpackers for a bit before heading into Wanaka. 

Katherina wanted to see the Wanaka Tree in daylight having been there last night in the darkness to go stargazing. 

 

We grabbed a coffee and had a wee look round the shops looking for trinkets, but just both - as solo travelers - enjoying each theta company for a wee bit longer. Katherina was heading up to Fox Glacier and I was heading south.

We said our goodbyes and After filling he box up without fuel (again) I headed down the road to Glenorchy. I carried on past Glenorchy to the campsite I’d seen in a oamphlet which was out at Kinloch. I can’t get over how many Scottish place names there are over here! 

 

I had leftovers of yesterday’s dinner for my lunch today while looking out onto this lake! Pretty safe to say that I’m enjoying this nomadic life! 

  

Met Graham and Steph who helped me out my pegs into the solid ground... then invited me for drinks in their camper. From Christchurch 

Then later Asher arrived, a young medical student from Nelson. It turned out after a good few hours of chatting that his parents run/manage WWOOFnz. Throughout the evenig we had some great convos and from when he joined me while I made/ate my dinner till we both went to our tents about 10:30 we chatted about everything from uni, politics, religion, art, foreign culture, travelling.... and we even managed to pop up for a beer to the Kinloch lodge for a bit too. I think instances like this when you need some awesome kind and likeminded people is one of the most rewarding things about solo-traveling! 

Just before bed I went for a walk with my camera and he played his guitar - which I later tuned properly - and we continued chatting till the stars came out, and it got cold so we both went to our tents. 

The whole evening had me reflecting on the people I’ve met so far on this trip. Do we kind of know as soon as we meet someone that we are going o be friends or not? Obviously some of some of  these first instances in making a connection you can tell quite quickly if you like someone’s personality. Then after testing the waters with some banal small talk you can tell if they also wanna continue chatting with you... but how quickly can you gauge if someone is of similar mindsets you? And how common is it that almost everyone I’ve met between 19 and 30 have been roughly of a similar minded to me (I mean very generally of course). But is it a generational thing? Does it say something about those of us (of my generation and other) who are choosing to travel? I’m not sure if the answers to these questions yet but I’d be interested to hear your opinions on any of it.