QUEENSTOWN ADVENTURES

---

What an adventure we had this morning! We all piled into a jet boat and went white water rafting up and down the river, through the rapids and doing 360 spins. Anne & I were screaming & squealing with laughter. A couple of times we screamed because we came within a foot of cliffs of the river canyon and thought we were going to crash. But the driver was experienced and she knew what she was doing.

Then it was time for lunch at The Stoaker Room. We were in an outside tent at a long banquet style table with birds flying around inside looking for handouts. The food is slow cooked/smoked in oak barrels and then served on long curved barrel staves. First we had fresh baked bread with olive oil and roasted red pepper spread. On the platter was salmon, pork belly, chicken, rare beef, salad, potatoes and roasted vegetables. We just reached and served ourselves off the platter. Dessert was a decadently rich brownie with raspberry purée and a heavy spice cake.

On to Gibbston Valley Winery for a tour of the vineyard and then to the Wine Cave for a tasting of some of their famous wines. Like many wineries these days, they have the vineyards, wine cave, restaurant, cheesery, deli, gift shop and outdoor dining.

We’re not done yet! Arrowtown is a charming gold rush village nestled beside the sparkling Arrow River and surrounded by magnificent peaks. The heritage main street buildings are all protected and preserved as they were during the gold rush days in the 1860’s. We have some time to meander through the unique and sometimes quirky shops full of tempting treasures. A whole new experience - a futuristic public toilet! Don’t laugh. When you push the button, the electric door quickly slides back, you step in & a man’s voice starts telling you what to do. You push a button to get tissue, the toilet flushes itself, then soap spurts onto your hands & the the water comes on to wash it off with a blast of air to dry. Oh and there’s a warning that the door automatically opens in ten minutes whether you’re done or not. Lastly you have to push a button to get the door to whiz open again. It’s like something out of a science fiction movie about the future.

On return to Queenstown, we wander down the (steep) hill to find a restaurant that serves seafood. We find the Pier that has scallops and enjoy views of the lake and the mountains while we enjoy our food. I forgot to mention yesterday that the hill back to our hotel is like some sort of inhuman torture. It is so steep that I have to stop at lease 4 times to catch my breath before struggling up the next portion.

Tomorrow we move on to next adventures. Stay tuned for more adventures of Marian, Jane & Anne……

---