New Zealand 3 – Queenstown, lakes, mountains and adrenalin

View down Lake Wakatipu from
our apartment.

Our planned flight to Queenstown on the South Island was delayed, not by Air New Zealand, but by us turning up at the airport a day early. Mea culpa; I'd booked the wrong day so we had an extra, unexpected stay at an airport hotel in Auckland. We also had to shunt our itinerary on a day. CRETIN.

Jetboating along the Dart River; sadly
I missed it.

Queenstown is known as the adrenaline capital of NZ. From here thrill seekers can bungy jump, paraglide, hanglide, raft white water rapids, speedboat along narrow canyons, ride zip wires, cycle up and/or down mountains and much else besides. However, when we eventually got there, I'd had my fill even before landing. Our approach to the airport that day was along a zigzag valley with mountain ranges on both sides. As we descended along the valley, the plane was bounced around by turbulence and unpredictable gusts of wind. Dull it wasn't. 

Mountains everywhere. "Has anyone seen my bus?"

On landing we picked up our hire car and headed off to Queenstown. The drive into town along the northern shore of Lake Wakatipu was nothing less than jaw-droppingly beautiful. We both lost the ability to construct sentences and simply muttered a series of increasingly incredulous "wows". The Remarkables mountain range lined the eastern end of the lake and was reflected in deep, but clear, impossibly turquoise water. It's no wonder that Peter Jackson filmed so much of the Lord of the Rings around here. Indeed, there are even tours which allow you to dress up as Middle Earth characters, arm yourself with Orc or Elvish blades and visit sites where filming took place.

I will enjoy this jetboat ride!

Our apartment was situated about 600 metres east of town and had eye-catching mountain or lake views from every window. Three nights here was never going to be enough, especially as I had to waste the first full day hovering near a toilet. Orc diarrhoea is no more pleasant than Orc flu. Still, this was my first bout of the trots in four months of eating out on an almost daily basis, so I suppose I should count myself fortunate. Sadly it meant that I missed a jet boat ride up the Dart River, a tour of Glenorchy and a walk through a mountain-side forest to see some LOTR sites and memorabilia. 

"I'll have a G & T please."

Fo had a great time though, despite her tumble in the forest (perhaps I should have said "fall"). As long as I have known her she has preferred to walk through rather than around just about everything she meets.

SS Earsnslaw at Queenstown Quay

On day 2, much improved, we took a cruise across Lake Wakatipu to Walter Peak, on the Lady of the Lake, AKA the steam ferry SS Earnslaw. The steamer's interior had been opened out to give a fascinating view of what is alleged to be the oldest working coal-fired steamship in the southern hemisphere. Ashore we took a brief tour of Walter Peak High Country Farm which included the shearing of the biggest sheep (is there a singular form of this noun?) I have ever seen, as well as a sheep dog demonstration. It sounds corny but we both enjoyed it. 

SS Earnslaw on Lake Wakatipu.

From here we were marshalled to the Colonel's Homestead restaurant for a gourmet barbecue. I was disgruntled at being made to eat lunch at 11.45am, especially as we'd not long previously had breakfast. It was the price to pay for taking the first steamer crossing of the day.

Walters Peak Homestead - not a bad place to live.

Notwithstanding the hour, we tucked into some of the best barbecued lamb, chicken, sausages and beef that we have ever tasted. Suitability stuffed we took an early afternoon steamer back to Queenstown where Fo hit the quayside market which had appeared during our absence. I managed to divert her from buying clothes but we did buy some small Maori trinkets; a pair on NZ jade earrings for Fo and a carved bone whale fluke pendant for me. After this, we popped back to base for a cuppa and a snooze. 

Man with sheep growing from
crotch.

Later that evening we returned to town for a sun-downer on the quayside. Thankfully the bar provided blankets and outdoor heaters as, once the sun dropped behind the mountains, it became quite cold. More importantly it had plenty of Jamesons Irish whisky to ward off the chill.

Man with Shawn the Sheep.

We had planned an ascent of the mountain via a gondola lift for our final morning in Queenstown but the weather turned foul and it pussed down. Instead we met up with Julia Kaufmann, an old friend from the UK, who just happened to be in town. It was an amazing coincidence allowing us to spend a most enjoyable hour tucking into breakfast and catching up on each other's news. The demands of our respective itineraries eventually brought the reunion to a close; we drove down to Dunedin, Julia and her group journeyed to Christchurch for their flights home. 

Our drive out of the mountains in the pouring rain wasn't quite as exciting as our flight in, but it was a close second. Queenstown, an adrenaline junkie to the last.

In his hurry to get to the pub Shawn left
without his coat.