Puzzling World and Cinema Paradiso

We took a gorgeous hour long drive today to reach two very popular area attractions in the nearby town of Wanaka. Puzzling World and Cinema Paradiso.

First up, Puzzling World. They claim it's unlike any other place in the world, I have no idea about that, but it was a pretty cool little place. The main draw is their maze, and I have to say it was quite difficult. We went round and round, and finally about an hour later, we reached our goal. Elle was pretty enthralled with the maze. Inside, there is a room full of puzzles for you to solve. One could spend all day in this room exhausting their brain in order to figure these things out, it really wasn't just for kids. Also in this area, a gift shop (of course), and Elle left the area with the classic kids puzzler, a Rubiks Cube. Still another area was full of illusions, from halograms to mirrors, to tilted floors, following faces and much more. After a few hours, our minds were spent and we headed to Cinema Paradiso.

Cinema Paradiso, like Puzzling World, draws people from all over the globe when in this part of the New Zealand. I heard a minimum of 5 different languages while we were there. It's a theater unlike any I've been to before. They show first run movies in an old-time building. The theater is full of cozy sofas, chairs, floor cushions and even an old Beetle that you can watch from. The cafe attached serves whole meals, they looked quite good, and home-made ice creams, cookies, and more. They serve beer, wine, and have a full coffee bar as well. It's quite a production. In fact, while we were there, a film crew from the US was there to film a segment for their travel show. I forget the name of it...

We went specifically to see Avatar and were looking forward to it. Liam turned 6 months today, and apparently it is around this time that you can no longer take a baby to a movie. He was not having it! Elle and Justin watched the movie and I sat outside with Liam. Luckily, it wasn't a bad place to hang out. We ate Passionfruit ice cream (they have amazing ice cream in this country) and talked to the people coming in and out. Elle decided about 20 minutes before the movie ended that she had had enough and dragged daddy outside. So, although the theater was great, seeing the movie was not a success. I guess we'll just have to try it sans children next time.

The drive home was even more spectacular than the drive there, if that is possible.

Tomorrow, Milford Sound. It's going to be a long day!