Arrowtown and Queenstown

---

It's our last day in these southern lakes so we figured we'd better spend some time locally. Firstly we set off for the Chinese Village to view the old huts and read about the Chinese history. I can only say that they were treated very badly and discriminated against when all they wanted to do was to work hard and send money back to their impoverished families in China. The houses were tiny and the doors not much more than 1.5 metres. We could learn a thing or two about building cheap houses with what is available - rocks, clay, wood and scrap metal. That's all. Amazing, considering the cold miserable area it must have been by the river.

We then did our last daily pilgrimage to Provisions Cafe for coffee and take away picnic food. I can recommend their ham off the bone filled rolls which have everything in them. The muffins are real muffins - bran muffins as we know them with golden syrup and heaps of blue berries. Very yum.

Next was an 8km walk around Lake Hayes where we had our picnic on the far side. It seemed to take forever to get around and we were fairly tired when we got back. Each end has wetland areas and planting, and both sides are elevated with willows along the edges. There is access for the general public and many luxury houses line the lake. However, the downside is, it's noisy. The main road to Queenstown runs along one side. There are superb views to be had along the way of the surrounding mountains, hills and glacial features.

Next we headed in Queenstown for a well deserved icecream. This was from Patagonia near the foreshore and they are fabulous. We ate them while we watched people load up on Jet Boat Tours, paraponting on boats, some funny little shark speed boat, and people relaxing on the beach.

Lastly we took the Gondola to the top of the hill for the views. This place has surely changed over the years since our honeymoon. The gondola is modern and at the top are the usual souvenirs and food places. Outside is a luge and mountain biking facilities. But, we were there for the view which is fabulous. We took our photos and headed off down again.

Our impressions of the area? We were lucky. The weather has been fabulous which helps. We love Arrowtown but can see that it would have been tough for people from the past. It's all very charming and doing it's best to keep it's history intact. We like the Provisions Cafe. It's busy, friendly and has great food. Our Motel is homely, friendly and spacious which makes our last week enjoyable. The scenery of gorgeous trees, lakes and mountains is superb. So, a great place for a holiday and even more so if you want to fun and adrenaline rushing activities.

---

Photos

At Provisions Cafe
A great place to go