Queenstown

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Set off early today for Queenstown, clouds were tumbling across Mount Sefton as we left. Drove out across vast brown plains surrounded by mountains. Through a couple of towns and then over a pass. Landscape was really barren here, just lumps of tussocky grass and the odd bush here and there. There were lots of birds of prey eating the road kill for breakfast, mainly possums. No sign of human habitation and very little traffic in either direction. Then into a valley with a few farms. Just before our next turnoff a farmer on a dune buggy was herding a flock of sheep along the road, he indicates to Al to drive through them. Ten minutes later we are still crawling along, cars coming the other way and these sheep are charging through gaps, up the side of the small bank and down again in front of the cars. Stupid animals is an understatement. Arrive in Wanaka, a small town on a big lake and stop for a break. Pass a golf club where the greens have been fenced off so the sheep can’t eat the grass. Next over the Cardrona pass a huge climb of over three thousand feet with spectacular views at the top towards Queenstown and Lake Wakatipu and the Gibbston valley to our right where I find out later there are a number of wineries. The drive down the other side of the pass is very steep and a bit hairy; the bottom is a long way down. Arrive at the apartments which look out over the lake. We decide to take a walk into town along a path by the lake, takes about 15/20 minutes. It is overcast and the wind is strong enough for white horses to form on top of the waves. Loads of shops here, mostly tourist tat though. We find a very nice wine shop that is holding a tasting for Penfolds so we stop to join in, nothing special.

Day 2 - Slept late and thought about taking a flight to Milford Sound another must see/do on the list. It is a beautiful day but really windy and the flights are full, phew. To drive or go by coach is a five hour trip each way plus a couple of hours on a boat. We are spending enough time in the car so this seems like the best option. If you coach one way and come back by plane it costs more than flying both ways, not sure how that works. Anyway we head off out and end up at Arthurs Point by the Shotover river. In a moment of madness I agree to go on one of these jet boat rides through the gorge. All decked out in our very fetching black PVC capes with matching red life jackets. I opt to sit in the middle of one of the rows, decided that it is the best place to stay dry. We tear off down this gorge only inches away from the cliffs, ducking round trees that are in the river and doing 360’s every now and again. The boat scuffs the rocks on the river bed every now and again. The woman in front of Al was by the side of the boat and screamed every time we went past a cliff on her side. We stop a couple of times to let other boats through and the bloke driving the boat told us a bit about the boats and the gorge itself. Apparently they have to do 120 hours training before they can take anyone out and then they have to build up the number of passengers so they know how the boat handles. He was very good, an adrenaline junkie for sure. Wasn’t too bad at all, would even go again. Then off to Arrowtown, this was an old mining town back in the late 1800’s. The buildings have all been restored and are tiny, the bank dates back to 1875. All the streets we saw are named after English counties. You can rent pans and spades and pan for gold in the Arrow River nearby, we didn’t. By the river there is the remnants of a Chinese Settlement. 1200 Chinese came to work the old claims and a few of their cottages have been restored. There are lots of information boards telling you the history. Many never went home. We then decided to go for a walk along the river, ended up doing about 4 miles. Really pretty, tree covered mountains on one side, the leaves are starting to change colour with the season. Willows and Poplars line the bank and there are loads of lupins. Al spotted some small trout in the river. Quick stop at Lake Hayes on the way back and then out for dinner in town.

Day 3 - We were supposed to go to Milford Sound today by light aircraft, but the flights were cancelled due to the weather, hopefully we will be able to go tomorrow. It is very overcast so we head off over the other side of the lake and visit the golf course which is surrounded on three sides by water, could prove interesting if Al gets a chance to play. Then as it has started to rain we decide to head off down the Gibbston valley to do some wine tasting. Usual scenery, huge mountains on either side, vineyards extending across the valley and a little way up them. We visit 4 vineyards here; one of the tasting rooms is in a little wooden church that has been deconsecrated. All very nice, we buy a couple of bottles and head off to Bannockburn via the Kawarau Gorge. End up at Mount Difficulty, whose wine we have drunk at home, for lunch. Tasting room and restaurant are perched high up on a hillside overlooking yet another huge valley. It’s a shame the weather isn’t nicer as we could have eaten outside but it is too cold. Off to another couple places, buy a couple more bottles and then we head back. Stop at a couple of viewing points where the river cuts through the gorge, this one has loads of water in it for a change and then pass a bridge where they do bungee jumping, definitely giving that a miss! Decide to eat in and drink some of this wine and type this lot up for you. At least I won’t have forgotten how to use a PC by the time I get back.

Day 4 - A beautiful day dawns which mean we will be able to fly to Milford Sound, 30 minutes flying time. Couldn’t have picked a better day if we tried. There is no wind at ground level and the forecast for the next few days at Milford Sound is rain which means they probably won’t fly because of the cloud level. Get to the airport and are taken to the plane. Six seats including the pilot, the smallest plane I have ever been in. There are a lot of firsts on this trip, take off down a grass runway (another first) and up over Arrowtown then turn to fly over the top of Lake Wakatipu at Glenorchy and the estuary of the River Dart. Then over a mountain range that seemed to go on forever especially when the pilot insisted on doing a fly past next to the highest peak, just prolonging the agony as far as I was concerned. A bit bumpy when we went through a gap in the mountains but otherwise have been on worse flights. Circled out over the sea and then flew the length of Milford Sound to land at the airport. Phew, dry land again, I would have been given wings if I was supposed to fly. Al loves as always and can’t understand what there is to be frightened about. One engine, plane was a bit old, still had ash trays, tiny doors to escape from if necessary. How many more reasons do you need? Onto the boat and we head up one side of the sound and back down the other. It is very green on this side of the mountains, sounds like it rains all the time as they have 20m of rain a year. They have had just under 2 ft in one day! The mountains tower above you and are the same depth beneath the water. They have tree avalanches here. Sounds like the trees are hanging on by the skin of their roots and when one goes it sets off an avalanche of trees. You can see these on the side of the mountains and it can take 150 years for them to grow back to the same size. There are a couple of reasonable size waterfalls, one of which they take you up close to, soaking everyone on deck, even Alan came inside at this point. Forgot to mention, had a Mandy moment and ended up tipping a cup of tea all over myself and the camera, fortunately no damage to either of us, but was rather wet, Al raising eyebrows to the heavens. Saw some fur seals including a baby sunning themselves on the rocks. All too soon it was over and back to another exhilarating flight back. A thin blanket of cloud was forming over the top of the peaks, some of which had some snow on. We took off over the Sound and then circled back, as it was clear we flew up the Arthur valley to see the Sutherland Falls, the highest in New Zealand and 5th highest in the world, then back across the Fiordland National Park and down Lake Wakatipu. A few more bumps on this bit but we made it down. As much as I don’t like flying it was far better than spending 10 hours on a round trip coach journey. Back to the apartment, a quick bite to eat and then we decided to take a drive up to Glenorchy. The road follows the lake north on what must be the most picturesque scenery we have seen to date. Lord of the Rings, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe amongst others were all filmed in this part of the country. It is also the start of one of the famous NZ long walks, The Routeburn which I intend to do one day. We are off to the Glaciers tomorrow, a long drive.

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