at the end of the month. Due to the positioning of the Southern Alps, I had to decided how I was going to travel. Do I take the more direct route up to Christchurch or swing around the west coast to see Milford Sound, the glaciers and Nelson? I decided on the first option and I'll save the latter for a seperate trip (you need more clothing and hiking gear to do it anyway). So I set off for a series of 1 day stops on my way to Christchurch, starting with Wanaka to see the Puzzling World center and the NZ Fighter Pilots Museum. I had to rent a bike to get to both locations, but it was a nice, sunny day so I didn't mind. 10km later I got to the Fighter Pilot Museum - ugh, I'm a bit out of shape!The museum had a very good history of NZ piloting during
wartime and it also had an impressive collection of aircraft actually used during WWII so that was neat. My Dad would have been in heaven. In another hanger they also had 3 aircraft on loan from Russia - very cool. They also had the gear used by pilots and some big guns too. As far as the pilots go, it went through the training of pilots to where they fought and how some died. They had an entire wall with all the NZ aces and their bios. Only a few made it to a ripe old age. It also listed their squadrons and missions too.I then pedaled back towards Wanaka to stop at Puzzling World, a tribute to puzzles, mazes, and optical illusion. It was pretty cool, especially the Amish quilt, but the best part was the maze out back that was really hard to navigate. After 45 minutes I let myself out via an emergency exit because I was getting so frustrated and I had to pee really bad! I started back for my hostel in Wanaka and stopped a few times for some pics of sheep and the scenery. Sheep are funny, as soon as they see you they stare at you like crazy! Very strange.
Back at the hostel, I made some dinner, curled up with some tea and put together a jigsaw puzzle (tried to anyway). My body was tired from the biking so I slept like a log that night :)
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