Franz Josef to Queenland

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So, I'm finally getting around to posting yesterday. On March 20th we traveled bymotor coach from Franz Josef to Queenstown. What an incredible journey - the scenery was spectacular! We stopped at South Westland Salmon Farm for lunch and a break - the roads are still very windy and up and down. Also on the West Coast all the bridges are one lane, which adds character to the drive. Next stop was a drop off of passengers and break for us at Haast. Quaint little town, as they all seem to be! And made our way through the Haast Pass. We journeyed on the Makarora for lunch. Most of our journey was rivers, lakes, waterfalls and mountains. We past by Lake Wanuka and Lake Hawea, Roaring Billy Waterfall, Thunder Creek Falls (photo op stop) and Lake Waikatipu at Queenstown.

The cool thing about the motor coach transfer is it is just the regular scheduled bus that runs every day and these drivers narrate and point out or stop at the must see or learn about places.

Weather is perfect once again. Blue skies and sunshine. The weather is interesting here. We are in the fall right now - the equilivent of our late Sept or Oct. I think if you don't like the weather just wait a few minutes or move and it will change. So, if you are too hot move to the shade and lose 5 degrees in temp. We have not used air conditioning or heating yet in our hotels. All the restaurants, cafes and bars have outdoor seating and we have definitely taken advantage of it!

We arrived in Queenstown around 5pm! Checked into the Heartland Hotel and went to the fine dining restaurant, Wai. I tried the Skate tail. Can't really describe it, in a class of its own. I can say, I probably will not order again if given the chance. Sole appetizer, NZ wine and decadant dessert were superb.

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