Looking for Wally

We had slept all night with an open window, as it was so warm; this meant that we were "lulled" all night by the sound of the creek flowing through the garden outside our window.
We rose early and had our morning tea outside by the stream.
Breakfast was at eight and was a substantial meal and we were joined by Rosie our hostess at the breakfast table; we talkked so much that we had to rush out for the excursion which she had booked for us.
We went down to the jetty and boarded the Ecotours boat for a trip across lake Wanaka to a small uninhabited Island on which a breeding colony of Buff Wekas had been established to save them from extinction.  The trip was quite bumpy with some fairly rough conditions owing to the 60 knot head wind blowing through the narrow part of the channel.
We reached Mou Waho after about 30 minutes and saw a woodpigeon in flight and a bell bird in a tree.  Mou Waho is unusual being an island within a glacial lake, itself containing a lake 30m deep 150 m above Lake Wanaka.

Seeing this view, it is difficult to imagine that this is a lake on a rock in a lake!

We climbed a little higher and then met Wally, the first Buff Weka to be introduced to the Island in 1994.  Buff Wekas, like Kiwi, are flightless birds and so very susceptible to predators, none of which are allowed to exist on the island, where there are extensive traps laid just in case a stoat or rat manages to swim across the lake.

Wally was very inquisitive and even tried to steal the biscuits which Chris our guide had brought for our morning refreshments!
On our way down we offset our carbon footprint by planting a lance tree; Chris does this on every visit.
We went back to the B&B for lunch and spent the afternoon sorting our photos and meeting some new guests who had arrived from Te Anau, where will be staying tomorow.
In the evening we visited Paradiso, the local cinema, with a diffence.  Inside there are two moris minors and numerous settes and armchairs.  We pre-ordered our interval snack, which we ate outside, but equally, some people took their food and drink into the audiorium!
We cried through Les Miserables, which was a great experience, especially in that location!
Wanaka has again been entirely different and enjoyable. Not even time to visit the shops, apart from the supermarket to buy our  food!