Queenstown

We arrived in Queenstown Friday, December 21^st 2012 after a magnificent drive through The Crown Pass. We checked into “The Queenstown Mews” a very nice two-bed timeshare just a short stroll from both the lake and the town. We did some shopping, barbequed some sausages and got ready for our friends coming the next day.

We picked Peter and Stephanie up from the airport around 1:30 pm and went back to the condo, had some tea, got settled in and reunited after 33 years since last seeing each other. After much catching up we had dinner in the condo and planned what to do the next day.

After a leisurely breakfast we took ourselves off to Arrowtown, a quaint little place nearby where we had tea/coffee and scones. After wandering round the shops we made our way towards the local wineries for a tour or two. On the way we were sidestepped to go and witness the Bungy-Jumping at the site of the worlds first-ever Bungy Jump in 1988 from the Wamarau Bridge over the Wamarau River. It is not for the faint of heart but an absolutely, beautiful location. It is considered one the most exhilarating things to do in Queenstown which is known locally as the adventure capital of the world. We decided not to partake!!!!!! From here we found our way, first to the Gibbston Valley Winery & Cheesery, where we had a tour and then a platter for lunch, followed by a tasting at the Mt. Rosa Winery, also in the Gibbston Valley. Jim was the designated driver. Later that evening we had a barbeque, lamb and pork with salad and fresh bread and did some more catching up.

On Christmas Eve, another glorious day we walked down to the lake and did an easy hike for several hours. We stopped at The Rees for coffee and mince pies and came back along the lakeside and through the Queenstown Gardens and Rose Gardens. Here we encountered a new sport to us “Frisbee Golf”, it looked like a lot of fun. We also visited with some folks at the Lawn Bowls Club and were invited to play by the President, but due to time constraints we had to decline!!!!! That was our excuse and we are sticking to it. We came back through town and picked up some bread at the bakery. See the photo of the exquisite Gingerbread House. That evening we had dinner at the restaurant at the top of the Gondola, which incidentally we could see from the condo. We had a magnificent view and a really nice meal. It was nice to be able to walk there and back after to help the digestion.

Christmas morning, Peter and Stephanie gave us a lovely Christmas tree ornament with all things Oz painted on it. Kangaroo, Koala, The Sydney Opera House including Jim’s famous substation (just kidding) and the Sydney Harbour Bridge. We had a lovely beakfast and then went on out. We headed to the Shotover River where we could partake in the World Famous Shotover Jetboat ride. UNFORTUNATELY, it was closed but as you can see they opened it up just for us!!!! After this hair-raising experience we drove up to Coronet Peak and took in the vistas from the ski hill area and then took Peter and Stephanie on the magical drive through Crown Pass, culminating in the picturesque valley of the Pisa Conservation Area. The valley and riverbed were alive with colour and we also saw a pair of oyster-catchers. These comical looking birds beaks are bright orange and look as though they have a large, pointy carrot stuck on their faces.

Christmas evening we left early for dinner as Peter and Stephanie treated us to Christmas Dinner at Walter Peak High Country Farm. We started by embarking on the T.S. Earnslaw steamship, celebrating its 100^th year in operation. We travelled down the lake on this intriguing vessel to the farm, had a wonderful Christmas Dinner, saw a sheep shearing exhibition, what everyone should do on Christmas day and then ROLLED back on to the Earnslaw, which I might add seemed a lot lower in the water on the return journey. We then had a very welcome walk back to the condo.

On Boxing Day, it was up before the crack of dawn to catch the bus to Milford Sound via Te Anua and on to our boat. We elected for a small vessel to get closer to the action. That being said we got soaked by the falls. All in a good days work. We had a great bus driver Aleck, a Maori, who imparted all of the Maori Legends on our outward journey. We were just worried that there would be a test on the way back but we managed to dodge it. Boy do they have some long names and only 17 letters in their alphabet????

The 27^thof December was our last full day together so we decided to drive along the other side of Lake Wakatipu to Glenorchy. This town was only accessible by boat until the 1960’s when the road was constructed. It was a very interesting little town where they operate the jet boats for the Dart River. It also has the shortest track of rail for the New Zealand Railway in the country as it came just from the lake to the station. See Photo. On our return journey we decided to stop for tea at The Paradise Gardens and Tearoom. It was a private operation and seemed quite expensive but we decided to give it a whirl anyway. What a wonderful experience. The owners have worked on this property for twenty years. They also operate it as a B&B. There are five acres in various gardens and they have all been done by the couple that own it. The property has beautiful vistas of Lake Wakatipu and the mountains beyond. There are creeks running to and from the various ponds, fountains, the sculptures are all concrete and the hair strands made from gravel. The statues portray various yoga positions. There are enormous trees, veggies planted in various spots, hundreds of different plants, trees and shrubs and three thousand roses. There are loads of wild birds, fish, ducks, Canada Geese, chickens, turkeys, peacocks, frogs and more. One pair of ducks live at the top of the hill and walk all the way to the bottom to the pond, have a drink and walk all the way back up. Everything is eco-friendly and the outside toilet is an amazing piece of engineering with plants growing inside the cubicle. The ducks and geese forage between the plants and essentially do the weeding. I must remember that one.

We returned back to Queenstown and went for a walk down to the beach at the lake. Stephanie went shopping and Peter, Jim and Barbara went to Underwater World to view the clear waters of the lake and the creatures that live there. There are large brown and rainbow trout, salmon and large eels. You can also watch the black diving teals (ducks) dive down for the fish food that drops from above when a patron inserts a one-dollar coin. The fish are mostly oblivious, as they have already eaten so much except for one very large and very ugly salmon who just floats there, opening his mouth as the pellets drop in. These creatures are not in captivity but live freely in the lake, but heh if there is a free meal why not hang around. The largest trout ever caught in Lake Wakatipu was caught at the other end of the lake near Glenorchy and weighed almost twenty-two pounds and was caught by a nine-year old boy. We went back to the condo after having a final ice cream at Patagonias Chocolate Shop. Exquisite but they don’t do low fat lettuce ones unfortunately. More pounds!!!!

The last supper was a barbecue of ribs, salad, potato bake, and asparagus, preceded by cheese, pate, sundried tomatoes and crackers and followed by a fruit crisp and more ice cream!!!!

The next morning we had to vacate our little nest with our friends and had a final coffee in the Remarkables Shopping Complex and then sadly our friends were taken from us by Qantas across the sea not to be seen again for another few weeks when we can resume our gourmet naughtiness. It was a truly amazing week of things we did and the ability to pick up where we left off as though the last thirty-three years were just a blink in time.

P.S. The Remarkables Shopping Complex is not reflective of the stores or wares but that it is situated below The Remarkables Mountain Range.