Happy U.S. Valentines Day in Queenstown

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Well, I forgot to mention that as I was driving down the road with the fishermen I offered to by them dinner because I was so greatful to be rescued. The guide said he'd love to but it was valentines day and he had to take his wife out. Great, I thought its Valentines Day and here I am having a miserable rain soaked day from hell. Then it dawned on me it was Valentines Day here but it was only the 13th in the US. I suddenly felt better. Tomorrow would be a better day.

It was. Talk about vast differences in cycling. Yesterday had been the worst riding day I've ever had. Today was one of the best days I've had riding in New Zealand. I almost had given up on riding but after the food and hot shower the day before and the break in the weather I decided I could venture out and give it another try. As long as it wasn't cloudy or raining I would ride to Queenstown and that would essentially finish up the bike touring portion of this adventure.

After a relatively leisurely morning I headed out in glorious sunshine and a quiet highway. No wind. What adventure or conditions awaited me was anyone's guess. I'd given up on trying to predict which way the wind would come. I rode 6 miles on relatively flat roadway when I saw a sign that said "Kingston Flyer". Hmmm, what's that, I thought. So I rode in to check it out. It is another Vintage Steam train ride that goes to Kingston. I asked how far it was to Kingston. The station attendant said 14 km. Hmmm, that would save me around 9 miles of riding. By this time I was loosing my enthusiasm for riding. Wonder why? So I bought a ticket and then had a nice relaxing wait in the sun til the train arrived. I could have ridden twice as far in the time I waited for the train and then the actual train ride but it was nice to do something different and it gave me the leisure to just enjoy the landscape and take photos. The train was all hardwood inside with a cafe car, a private car with the two seats and the privacy doors, a general car, and a baggage car that had my bike and trailer loaded in to it. One car had an outdoor walkway which was packed with train riders with video cameras and digital cameras. Everyone's grandparents had gone on holiday after the grand kids went back to school.

The ride didn't last long and I probably saved 9 miles of riding but the arrival in an old train to the beginning of the lake was priceless. I sat by the lake for a bit and then rode on. I had an incredible day. One of the best riding days so far. I cruised down the lake road. Giant sculpted mountains on the west side of the lake. Beautiful thick native bush in places. Small pullouts with beautiful lake views. Relaxing rolling terrain. Work up the hills and then coast downhill for a bit. Nothing too taxing. I took my time enjoying the warm weather and views. Very relaxing and a great way to spend an American Valentines Day.

Queenstown

I arrived in Frankton. The first town on the roadway before Queenstown. My first clue that I was nearing the adventure captial of New Zealand was the parasailers floating through the sky in the distance. The next clue was the "Jet Boat" flying by on the river as I crossed it. After the bridge I was able to ride a bike trail along the water. A beautiful lightly graveled trail right along the lake front that wove through large stands of tall trees and native bush and then back out to the lake. It was very relaxing. Two little girls, approx 7 years old were motoring on their small bikes in front of me. Future bike tourers.

I arrived in Queenstown to a beautiful park with a large pond, a gazebo, and a stone bridge over a creek. People were walking about. I dropped down to the waterfront and entered the main part of town.

It was like being thrown from a peaceful dream into a choatic nightmare. Suddenly my peaceful ride turned into a mad maze of adrenalinized tourists careening in their cars down the city streets. Not one stopped for pedestrians. You just had to make a mad dash across the street. The blocks were lined with all the adrenalin sports and shops you can imagine.

You can do anything in Queenstown. Bungy jump, sky dive, parasail, jet boat, river raft, canyon lugeing, mt. biking, horseback riding, steamboat touring, etc, etc. Adventure captial central. All roads to adventure lead out of Queenstown. It was circus central. I headed for the "i" info office that are in all the towns. There you can book your adventures, bus rides, sleeping accomodations, etc. I found that everyone and their brother had converged on QT and finding accomodations was going to be tough. I did finally find a room at the Motorcamp. It was a challenge getting down the streets without getting run over by a tourist. I think everyone was on adrenalin and they all seemed tense and in a hurry to get somewhere. Not a relaxing place.

My day however wound down with food and a nice quiet evening at the camp. My only stressful event was trying to shop at the local supermarket which was just as crowded and tense as downtown. After that I relaxed and planned my next adventure. Hmmm, mt. biking, caving? What would it be. I decided that I'd get out of QT and head to the end of the Lake to Kinlock Lodge and then go do a day hike on the Routeburn trail (site for more scenes from "Lord of the Rings").

The next day I caught the Tramping bus out to Glenorchy. My bike, trailer, and other's packpacks. They dropped me off at the dock and I caught the Kinloch boat across the lake to the lodge. Perfect.

The lodge in nestled at the end of the lake up against the bush. Its quiet and contemplative. They have backpackers rooms, a restaurant, courtyard, kitchen, and a hot tub with a view. Decadent. I unpacked and took a nap. After that I borrowed the owner's dogs and went for a walk out on the river delta at the end of the lake. The dogs were fun but they definitely lacked the personality of my pups. I definitely miss my furry friends. This place had good energy. A place where I can relax and meander. I decided this is my stopover point before my next leg of traveling up the West Coast.

I ended my day with a long soak in the hottub which is above the lodge. It has a great view of the lake. Too relaxing. I'm up this morning to watch the sunrise before heading out for a bike and hike day on the Greenstone track. Quite a change from two days ago.

More later

Backyard Adventure Girl

Lisa

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