It's a Puzzling World!

Saturday, January 14, 2012

Mt. Iron

Wanaka is a resort town sitting on the southern shore of Lake Wanaka.  Mountains ring the lake in all directions.  There is some farming, some winemaking and we found at least one herd of sheep just up the road from where we are staying.  We decided that today we needed to take a walk after eating fresh kiwi fruit for breakfast, answering some emails and browsing through some travel literature.

We headed out of town to Puzzling World (http://www.puzzlingworld.co.nz/index.html), a quirky little place with an interesting history.  It seems that one Stuart Landsborough designed and built a large maze back in 1973 on a piece of property he and his new bride purchased near Wanaka.  The maze became a tourist attraction and over the years since more buildings and rooms were added.  Eventually he retired and turned over the operation to his daughter, who runs it today.

Two on Top

But before we paid admission, we parked our rental car in the car park and went for a walk across the road.  New Zealand is well know for its "tracks" or trails and the one we chose led around and up Mt. Iron.  We met lots of other hikers and walkers and even some cyclists on the well marked and improved trail that took us to the top 45 minutes later.  The vista was wonderful.  Mountains, Lake Wanaka and the town bearing its name, Albertown and much more. Beauty in all directions.

Good job, Dan!

A Roman latrine in 3-D

Back at the bottom we enjoyed Sandra's homemade lunch in the car and then joined others in Puzzling World.  The big maze is still there and as challenging as ever.  Bridges, steps, ramps, and four towers on the four corners with signs saying the maze can be conquered in 1.5 km, but most people walk 3-5 km before hitting all four towers.  We gave up after getting to two of them.  Inside, we sat for a bit in the "puzzle cafe" where you sit at tables and work on one of the many puzzles Stuart either designed himself or brought in from others.  Most are made here in New Zealand and can be ordered online from the website.

Part of being Amazed at Puzzle Town

Most recently, he added some "illusion rooms" to the tour.  Fascinating holograms, optical illusions and even a tilted room make this a place where you can scratch your head and wonder about things.  We sure did.  But first we sat down and massaged our sore feet.  It was a great day for walking!  To conclude the day, we went looking for a church for tomorrow's activity and found ourselves also finding a flock of sheep.  Sheep population in New Zealand has declined from 23 to 1 down to 8 sheep for every human in the country.