PLACES+OF+THE+HEARTLAND

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Wanaka is my Place of the Heartland. My Grandparents live there, so it is a perfect place to spend in the holidays or long weekends, where we have free accommodation. We spend our days swimming, kayaking or boating in the beautiful lake, or walking and biking around the bush walks and bike tracks near the town.

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The truck revs into life, and we alsmost fall over when dad hits the accelerator a bit hard. Mum, dad, grandma and granddad are inside the truck and Millie, Stella and I are holding onto the crate for our dear life, while hoping the kayak isn't going to wobble out of place and knock us out.The chilly bin is full of delicious chicken, Camembert cheese and bap buns for a picnic lunch. We finally come to a halt at our favourite spot, Bremner Bay. The sun, perched in the middle of the sky, shines straight down onto us and it makes the lake sparkle as if it's alive, and ready to play with us.

Stella and I jump over the side of the crate and race for the water. There is a slight pause when we hit the water and shock waves ripple through us, but it is no colder than we expected, so we run out deeper and dive under the water. The water is very refreshing, but soon I realise it's colder than refreshing, and come straight back upagain. We play around for a long time, until our tummies start calling for the buns that are being made up on the grass. Up we run, being careful not to stand on any sharp rocks or sticks. The sun is blazing, so we all sit under a tree in the shade. While I am enjoying my lunch, I watch the happenings in the water. A family of ducks are on a mission to find their lunch, but there is a roar of an engine, and they scatter when around the corner flies a jet ski, followed by some screaming children bouncing along in a biscuit. When all is peaceful again, we hear the quiet splashing of a kayaker's oar, and the crickets humming, as if they too are pleased it is a beautiful day.

The mountains in the distance have a slight dusting of snow, in front of which there are a few hangliders, lazily gliding down towards the town. Out in the middle of the lake there is a still boat, undoubtedly a few fishermen hoping the fish down in the depths of the lake are as hungry as they are. Distantly, I can hear boats ripping around the lake. The smell of a summer BBQ lunch wafts around, coming from one of the lakeside houses. When suddenly there is a cool breeze upon us. It blows a cloud over the burning sun and everyone starts to feel a bit chilly. We decide to call it a day, so everyone pitches in to get all our belongings back into the truck. Finally, we hit the road and head back around the lake. On the way back to the house, I feel glad that I have a place like Wanaka that I can come to whenever I want to feel relaxed.