Puzzling World

We enjoyed a day of mind-bending fun at Puzzling World, an interesting and awesome local attraction that held our attention for the entire day. We started out in what is called "the world's first super maze." It is a wooden maze covering about a kilometer, though the sign claimed that most people actually walk about three kilometers trying to complete it. It took us a little over an hour to complete the challenge of finding the four corners and then making our way back to the finish, this last task definitely being the most difficult to complete. After that, we paid a visit to the special restroom. It was the first time someone has suggested to me that I make sure to take my camera with me to that particular room. When we had taken care of our business and taken a few photos, we moved inside to check out the super cool illusion rooms, where things were not at all what they seemed. We visited a tilted room, which made me dizzy; a hologram room; a room of concave heads of famous people, that appeared to be convex and also seemed to follow our every move; the Ames room; and another room full of different illusions. From there, we made our way to the cafe, where we had lunch and then camped out until closing time, playing with all manner of 3D brain teaser puzzles. As we were leaving, a couple of the kids asked if we could come back tomorrow, so I'm pretty sure everyone had a great time! If you ever find yourself in Wanaka, NZ, you absolutely must visit! 

Puzzling World

The Super Maze

We found the four corners!

Illusion Rooms
(including the special Roman bathroom, in the bottom right corner)

The Ames Room, where little brothers can be biggest and dads can be smallest

Puzzle Fun

The Leaning Tower of Wanaka, with a clock that runs backwards

"...And one set of steps going nowhere in particular."
(Our kids constantly misquote a line from a Fiddler on the Roof song
with the preceding words, so they were thrilled to find just such a set of stairs.)

Yesterday, Max and Clay offered to help the landlady
unload some firewood, for the sheer pleasure of the activity.
However, she wanted to pay them when the job was done.
Clay was so excited to get to buy a puzzle train
at Puzzling World's gift shop with his own money!