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Published: April 21st 2009
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Wanaka
The Rob Roy Glacier. The thrill seeking edition...!
17th April 2009
After waking from our second night in Neville, in Cromwell, we got back on the road and headed towards the infamous Queenstown - adrenaline capital of the world! Another scenic drive took us towards the Kawarau Bridge bungy jump (the worlds first). Finding it too hard not to stop in, we pulled over and watched, with butterflies in our stomachs, as people hurled themselves 43m down into the river below. As Hayley has a partially torn knee ligament we decided to consult the staff about whether she would be able to do a jump. It turned out that it would be unlikely she would be allowed to attempt the feet attaching style, but luckily (for Daniel!), set 400m above the centre of Queenstown is 'The Ledge' which is 47m high and has a waist harness. We booked it there and then, subsequently making this the longest day of our travels! Our advice would be
not to book a bungy jump 8 hours before you actually do it! From that point on, we wandered around quaint Queenstown, with the thought of jumping never far away. Later that afternoon we headed up to the Gondola
Queenstown
Us pre-jump... which would take us up to the jumping platform on Bob's Peak. Despite our nervousness, it couldn't detract from the amazing views that stood before us - a huge lake surrounded by high mountains and, neatly tucked in, the town. We checked in and then made our way out to the ledge. Danny had decided to go first out of the two of us and Hayley sat on the comfy little green sofa while he had to wave to the camera, look down at where he would be jumping and then prepare for his takeoff! He decided to go for the 'run and jump' option but had to settle for a stylish 'run and stumble' option instead. Hayley, who followed shortly after, adopted the 'Matrix' pose and pulled it off slightly more gracefully...before screaming like a girl! DVD's are available for an entertaining viewing! Shaky legged we made our way back down and decided to celebrate our 'bravery' with a Fergburger. Basically, these are the biggest burgers you are legally allowed to eat and only available here in Queenstown. Tremendous!
18th April 2009
Deciding that to stay in Queenstown was too risky (we might be tempted to try some
Queenstown
Daniel's verdict: Terrifying. other ridiculous sport!) we started up Neville and pointed him in the direction of Glenorchy. The road to Glenorchy is an incredibly scenic road that hugs Lake Wakatipu for 45km and then splits; one way is to the Routeburn walking track, the other is to Paradise. We went to Routeburn! This track can be done over a series of days, but we took on the first leg - a four hour return trek. This entailed passing through mossy, green forests, crisscrossing over clear, blue rivers and traversing a number of swing bridges. Lots of fun! We then headed back to Queenstown, surprisingly tired, and made ourselves the classic dinner of Spaghetti on cheese on toast! This was a nice relaxing day (comparatively).
19th April 2009
We were up and on the road by 10am, heading for the small township of Arrowtown. Arrowtown is how all small towns would be in an ideal world. Set amongst mountains and a small river, during autumn this serves as a multi-coloured backdrop to wooden buildings and tree lined streets. Unfortunately, everybody knows about just how beautiful this place is and we had to share it with many other people! We spent some time
Queenstown
Hayley's verdict: Brilliant! here enjoying a hot chocolate, before attempting the Crown Ranges drive which would take us to Wanaka. It turned out that to get to the peak of these ranges we would have to climb a fairly steep road, switching back on itself numerous times. It was so steep in fact that Neville needed a lengthy rest pause at the top....we were worried for a while but he made a full recovery and was speeding along the roads towards our next stop in no time. On arriving in Wanaka we checked out the DOC to find out about local treks and the weather, and then booked some cinema tickets for the locally famous 'Cinema Paradiso'. This is a cinema like no other, with sofas instead of seats, a half time interval with home made, warm cookies and even a car that you can choose to sit in to view the film. We enjoyed walking home later that night along the lake shore, as the skies were the clearest we had ever seen, with stars and stars and stars.
20th April 2009
We planned to be on the road early today as we wanted to get a four hour walk in
On The Road
From Queenstown to Glenorchy before heading out of town. We were heading for the Rob Roy Track which was only about 45km out of town, but for the last 30km we would be driving on an unsealed road, through innumerable fords and bumpy tracks. An hour and a half later we arrived at our destination and started the easy-paced climb up towards the lookout point. Passing through cow packed fields and across more swing bridges we made our way along the narrow track, scurrying underneath house-sized boulders precariously perched above us, never departing from the river roaring below us. We were heading for the spot from which we would see the Rob Roy glacier, which allowed itself to be seen from various spots along the route, but couldn't be seen in it's full glory until we were almost underneath it. This was the best spot for a picnic (if you can call an apple and a cookie a picnic) we have ever been to. We then made our way back down to Neville. The return drive was just as bone-jarring and slow as before. After a quick caffeine break back in Wanaka we headed north, dissecting Lakes Hawea and Wanaka before entering Mount Aspiring
The Routeburn Track
Scenery along the way. National Park - this National Park has been grouped with the likes of the Grand Canyon and Mount Everest. The views were incredible as the lakes appeared to go on forever, into the depths of the towering mountains, and we were the only people on the road for many a mile. We camped looking out over snow capped peaks, with a sky, unbelievably, clearer than the night before. We had our first camper cooked dinner and an early night!
We are having so much fun with our camper van (Neville) and would recommend it to anyone who is thinking of coming here.
We have also been speaking a lot about people at home and although we find it hard to believe that we'll be back within the month, we are excited about seeing everyone!
See you all then,
Love
H and D
xxx
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Steve
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Now that is my Utopia!!
Hey! I am uber envious right now, NZ just looks fantastic! If I could emigrate there tomorrow I would! The more I see and hear about it the better it looks and sounds! Really pleased to see all that you're doing and seeing, it's an absolute pleasure! Well done to you both on the bungy jump.........that does look a little scary!!! Hope your time goes slowly though, make the most of it guys, it is just such a brilliant opportunity to see and do so much.......did I mention me being envious....!? ;-) x