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Published: January 26th 2018
Yacht Race
The view that greeted us as we walked out of our hotel on the first morning!Today we leave Queenstown and more importantly...........we leave New Zealand!! We have truly loved this country, its people and its way of life. Obviously, we have only seen this with a tourist's eye, obscuring the underlying problems and issues that all countries have, but even so, I can definitely see what attracts people to emigrate here. Having said this, it is a very long way from home and everything else that is going on in the world almost seems to be happening on a different planet......which, if the truth be known, is probably no bad thing! But, home (as they say) is where the heart is, so as good as NZ is, sorry folks, we'll be staying put in the UK peeps.
I've been thinking very hard about a title for this Episode of the Blog, trying to work around an amusing pun on the name Queenstown, or the fact that we did our fourth gondola ride while in Queenstown (including the Wellington cable car), or the fact that we stayed in our second Millennium hotel here or even something linked to the amazing views around here.........but, puns just wouldn't come and as I was still mulling this over in
Gondola 1
Our selfies are not really getting any better! bed at 1 am, I knew it was time to take a different tack!
So, here it is guys, as we leave the delights of New Zealand, something that we're all pretty sad to be doing, the one phrase that came to mind was from a Raymond Chandler book and a film of 1975 starring Robert Mitchum as private eye Philip Marlowe, the classic movie............Farewell My Lovely! The story is completely inappropriate to our stay, but the title says it all as far as we're concerned. So Farewell My Lovely.......farewell New Zealand.
BUT, enough of this sentimental tosh, what about our stay in Queenstown you must all be saying?! Well, after the long drive yesterday, we took the opportunity of a well earned lie in, meeting up about 9.30 am for a stroll down to town and breakfast - we were room only at this hotel and although we could have eaten there, we wanted to sample what the town had to offer. It was a shortish stroll done the hill to town, but a tougher climb uphill to come back. The hotel did have an hourly shuttle bus there and back, but never when we seemed to
Gondola 2
The stunning view of Queenstown from Bob's Peak.... need it!!
Queenstown is in a really beautiful location and the town is very lively with lots of shops, bars and restaurants. This is most definitely an outdoor sports activity area and primarily aimed at the younger market, but having said that, there is plenty for evryone here. It is a town that has a real zest for life, probably helped by the number of yougsters here (both local and from all corners of the world), and quite different to the gentler pace of life that we have seen in most other places in NZ. Coupled with the truly amazing scenery all around, this town should be on everyone's itinerary for a trip to New Zealand.
After a great breakfast at The Exchange in the centre of town (we had brekkie there each morning, bar one), we walked to the Gondola for a steep climb up Bob's Peak. This is our third Gondola of the trip (plus one cable car in Wellington) and we can recommend all of them. They are a great way of getting the best views of the city concerned, especially if the weather is good and today, the weather was amazing! 450 metres above
Gondola 3
......and more views... the town and you saw the full glory of the mountains around Queenstown. But this Gondola ride was a little different, because not only did we ride up to the top, we also had two goes each on The Luge!!
For those of you not familiar with this 'extreme sport', the Luge is basically sliding on, what is effectively, a plastic tray down an 800 metre track from the top of Bob's Peak and then being carted on a chair lift back up to the start to do it all again!! Before your first go, you're kitted out with a helmet, given a basic Luge Driving Test, have your hand stamped if you 'pass' and then you're off down the 'beginner's track', with survival ensuring that you are now 'experienced' and get to go down the 'advanced track' next time! This was an absolute blast and all four of us got down safely (twice), with Tim clearly being the fastest! When you get to the end of each track and the point where you get off, there are two lanes to choose from in which to pull up your Luge, with a concrete pillar separating them - for once
Gondola 4
.....and yet more, but this time looking in another direction. in her life, Sue was struck by complete indecision; should she take the left lane or should she take the right lane? In the end, she decided that hitting the concrete pillar saved her the trouble of favouring one lane or the other and obviously being the politically correct sort of person that she is, it could be said that Sue was simply being..........'lane neutral'!!
After the hazardous nature of that activity, we decided that ice cream was called for and then, refreshed, we headed down the Gondola and walked back up the hill to our hotel and to pick up the car. We were headed a few miles out of Queenstown to the old gold mining town of Arrowtown. This is a fascinating little place. On the edge of town are the remains of a number of buildings used by Chinese immigrant workers during the gold rush period in the 1869s, including an outside kharzi which came in quite handy for one of our party!
The main town is really pretty with a number of quaint shops (Sue bought a bracelet, Mandy bought some earrings) and restaurants and as we strolled down the street, a driver trying
Luge 1
The chairlift which takes you to the Luge start..... to park his car, got a bit too close to a shop and next thing we heard was a loud crash as he managed to knock the metal drainpipe off the shop. No lasting damage, although the shop owner gave up trying to put the 10 foot pipe back and simply took it inside the shop instead!!
We found a nice place off the main street to have a snack late lunch, including a bowl of amazing 'fried smashed potatoes', in essence lumps of broken roast potatoes, deep fried........incredible AND not fattening either!! After the girls had a wander around the shops and Tim and I enjoyed a couple of beers (there is a theme developing here!), we drove back to the hotel, got showered and changed and then went back down to town for a visit to a place recommended to us, called The Winery.
The Winery sells itself as the place to taste a wide variety of wines in one location! It offers over 80 different NZ wines, grouped into types such as Pinot Noir, Cab Sav, Sauvignon Blanc, etc., with each group station having the wines arranged in sort of optics which will serve either
Luge 2
......and people coming down the Luge track.... a 25ml, 75ml or 150ml measure; each measure having a different cost, depending on the wine. At the start of your visit, you place a credit card behind the bar and are then given a card (like a hotel keycard), which is linked to your credit card. You then place the keycard into the optic of the wine you want to try, select the measure/cost, dispense the wine into your glass and then drink! Each time you use the keycard, it shows the amount spent to date, so you can keep a tally on your spend........if, of course, you don't drink too much!! A really clever idea, and although it did offer a range of cheese/cold meat platters, it probably would have benefitted from a more substantive food option or maybe it's best to eat a proper meal beforehand, if you don't wish to get too tipsy!
Day two in Queenstown was extra special. Before we left the UK, we had found out about a drive north out of town along the shores of Lake Wakatipu to the small town of Glenorchy, about 30 miles away at the head of the lake and then a further 15 miles on
Luge 3
....and again (not us I should make clear). (along a part tarmac, part gravel road) across the Dart River valley and to the head of the lake on the other side, to a small hotel and restaurant called Kinloch Lodge, where the plan was to have a leisurely Sunday lunch.
This must be getting boring, but this was another absolutely incredible drive. The lake was beautifully blue, the mountains around were better than ever and when we reached the first lookout point and saw the snowcapped mountains to the north, mountains which featured in the Lord of the Rings films, it simply took your breath away! That view alone was worth the drive, but then we arrived in the small township of Glenorchy (population 220) and parked up by the lake and.......you just didn't know which way to point the camera. And here's the thing, it may have been a Sunday and a prime boating and family fun location, but the place really was pretty quiet. I guess it's a well kept secret.
After an hour or so in Glenorchy, we moved on to the Kinloch Lodge. The journey was straightforward, even on the gravel road (if a bit dusty!) and we pulled up at the
Arrowtown 1
Mandy decides to photobomb my street view... Lodge, a small quirky place in the middle of nowhere, serving good food which we ate outside on the terrace, with views to die for - just us and probably no more than 10 other people. What a great Sunday lunch!
On the way to Kinloch, we had noticed a turn off onto another gravel road, signposted 'Paradise' and which the road atlas referred to us one of the actual movie locations for Lord of the Rings. Our waitress said that the road was perfectly safe to drive and although there would be one or two fords to cross, the water would be low at this time of year. So after saying our fond farewells to Kinloch, off we trotted, with Mandy having offered to drive, to let the rest of us have a beer with lunch, an offer that she later very much regretted!
We got to Paradise okay after about 5 miles of driving down this gravel track and although the road was a bit bumpy, it was a lovely setting (although, to be honest, probably not as good as we had seen already). The road atlas suggested that the end of the track was about
Arrowtown 2
.......the old post office.... a mile further on, so on we went.......and on......and on, for another 8 or 9 miles, with the road getting more and more challenging and needing to cross a few fords and even a shallow river at one point, but with the odd car coming in the opposite direction, making us believe we were on the right track, so to speak. Finally, we reached the end of the track, a small clearing in amongst lots of trees, which blocked the view of most of the mountains. There was a hiking trail into the mountains which probably reached the best views, but at 5-7 hours 'one way', we gave this up as a bad job and headed home. Poor old Mandy really drew the short straw, but coped admirably.
Despite this slightly unsatisfactory diversion, this was a fantastic day and we would highly recommend Glenorchy and Kinloch to anyone. Maybe give the Paradise Road a miss though! When we got back to Queenstown, Tim and I dropped off the rental car, which we wouldn't need anymore as we were on an organised trip the next day and then we retired to our hotel for wine, snacks and cards in the
Arrowtown 3
.....and an even older outside kharzi! lounge of one of our 'suites', don't you know!!
As a side issue, whilst driving the roads of New Zealand, we have seen a lot of VW size camper vans out and about with the 'Live Jucy' brand and some really clever logos on the side, including:
'Believe in love at first sight? Or shall I drive by again'
'The glass is half full......and the other half was delicious'
and
'Nothing in life is absoloute ..........except vodka'
Pretty much sums up the NZ approach to life!
Day three and we were off to Milford Sound in Fjordland on the east coast on an organised coach trip with Real Journeys. We woke up to rain in the morning and knew that the forecast was for rain all day at our destination, so this day could be a washout! As we got to reception, a coach was standing outside and I asked the hotel concierge if it was the Real Journeys' vehicle - 'Does it have Real Journeys on the side; no it doesn't, so it clearly it isn't their coach is it?!' I think he was joking, but I'm not sure; I think we
Camper Vans
One of the Live Jucy slogans! might have been told off again!
Kevin, our coach driver picked us up at 7.30 am and fortunately the coach was only about half full, so we had plenty of room to spread about. It was a decent coach with comfy seats tilting towards the windows and with a glass panoramic roof. However, we knew this was going to be another very long day, with a 4 hour drive to Milford, a 2.5 hour cruise and then a 4 hour drive home and all in the rain - the prospect was not that appealing! As we set off, Kevin gave us hope that the weather might improve, but as we drove along past The Remarkables (mountains) shrouded in cloud, we were pretty pessimistic. Incidentally, the Remarkables is one of the range of mountains surrounding Queenstown and believed to be named 'remarkable' because it is one of only two mountain ranges in the world that run precisely 'north to south'. Whether that is the real reason or not, who knows, but here is an early quiz question, can you name the only other mountain range in the world that also runs precisely north to south?
Kevin kept up a
Glenorchy 1
The amazing view on the way to Glenorchy... running commentary all the way and very good it was too and as we got further along the journey, the rain stopped and the cloud started to lift a bit. Hope returned. We had a half hour stop at Te Anau, nestled by a pretty lake, although it was still too cloudy to see much. We also had a few more picture stops as we entered Fjordland and drew closer to Milford and each time the weather improved a touch and the pictures started getting better. And then, we arrived at Milford Sound and whilst the weather hadn't cleared, it was a whole lot better than we could have hoped for.......and yet another fabulous setting.
The area is pretty unspoiled, with the coach taking us straight to the visitor centre by the small quayside, dropping you off to board your boat and then after the two hour cruise, we stepped back on the coach to come home. There is nothing much else in Milford and even the crew of the boat, sleep on board each night! But the one thing there is in Milford is beauty. Okay, it could have been brilliant sunshine, but with clouds hanging around the
Glenorchy 2
....why do people keep bombing my photos? mountain peaks and loads of extra waterfalls due to the rain, it was very atmospheric.
We were aboard a lovely boat called The Mariner and the cruise was excellent, sailing down one side of the Sound to the Tasman Sea and then down the other side back again, including getting up close and personal with a couple of the bigger waterfalls. Wildlife was a bit sparse, save for a few seals and a couple of dolphins, but the mountains and waterfalls were brilliant! A great cruise, well worth the long coach trip and with a packed lunch and free tea and coffee thrown in.
Kevin intended to leg it home without any stops, but the best laid plans, as they say! First we had to stop, because two of our passengers had failed to get on the coach in time at Milford and we stopped while a car brought them along to catch us up. They boarded the bus a bit sheepishly! Then, a bit out of Te Anau on the return leg, we stopped again by another company's coach which had broken down,to take on board some of their passengers and spoiling our extra space! And these
Glenorchy 3
....the arty shot! stops were a shame because the weather was now beautiful and it would have been good to have stopped a few times to take some better snaps than on the way down.
Anyway, after a 13 hour day, we got back to our hotel at 8.30, had a meal and a couple of drinks in the bar and then fell into bed. We all slept very well! Our flight to Sydney the next day was at 15.20, so we had plenty of time to pack and checkout and then wander back into town for alast visit to The Exchange and a good brunch to set us up for the day. We had a couple of hundred bucks in cash left, so I shared this between the girls to do a bit of final retail theraphy. So off they trotted, as did Tim who went off to buy an old style, All Blacks rugby shirt - he'd agonised over the cost for a fews days, but finally took the plunge. While all this was going on, I stayed at The Exchange, grabbed another cup of tea and got on with the blogging! A blogger's work is never done!
We
Glenorchy 4
.....and another one! got back to the hotel and ordered a taxi and before we knew it we were sitting in the departure lounge waiting for our Qantas flight to Australia - the drive to the airport was only 15 minutes. Queenstown airport is quite small and rather than have 'Domestic' and 'International' departures, the 'International' bit simply says 'Australia'. But although it is small, everything went smoothly; we boarded on time, had an extra empty seat between and had a terrific flight. The scheduled three and a half hours, turned into under three and Qantas fed us with stacks of food during the flight. The only negative, was a very heavy landing in Sydney, with the pilot startling everybody with how hard the plane hit the runway! However, he shrugged it off with a cheery, 'Welcome to Sydney' and we had arrived and............we had completed our fourth flight and were now only 11 hours ahead of the UK.
We had to wait a liile while for our luggage, but getting through Customs into OZ was a lot easier than New Zealand and we were checked into our hotel, the Parkroyal Darling Harbour, by 5pm; after a quick sort out, we hit
Kinloch 1
The view from our restaurant table.... Darling Harbour itself (5 minute walk away) had a stroll round and grabbed some food - we went for the ribs option again, having seen an offer in the Waterfront Grill of 2 for 1 full rack of ribs for $41. Having had some food on the plane, we thought that offer would be perfect, i.e. half a rack each for effectively $10 per person. But no, that didn't turn out to be the case; although it was explained to us at least twice, we didn't really understand, although it seemed that for four people to use the offer, we had to order at least two other main meals, meaning the two eating ribs had a full rack each!! We were not the only ones, because a couple of other tables had to get a supervisor over to explain it to them, cos the waiter couldn't! But 'no worries' as they apparently say over here, we just ignored the offer and went for a half rack each; a bit more than $41, but so be it!
Then it was back to our hotel (which is very good and in an excellent location, although not on Circular Quay itself) and
Kinloch 2
......and from another angle. bed!
So, New Zealand is now but a memory and it's Australia's turn to wow us. It will have to work very hard, but early signs are good!
Now, for those quiz lovers amongst you (and there don't seem to be that many!), you have aleady had one question in this particular entry, so just the one more to close and that is:
* The Australian national airline is, of course, Qantas. But what does Qantas stand for?
That's it folks!
TTFN
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The Forbos
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Q1 Not sure, but could be the Rockies Q2 More confident on this one... Quickies Available Now 'n Toilet, Ask Stewardess (tho I always thought it was Quaintarse) Could 1 of your future Quiz ?'s be "how did I choose the title of this episode". On this I'd have gone for "Mandy's come to her senses" No offence m8y