New Zealand (nearly finished) – Queenstown!

26^th to 27^th February, 2020

We left Te Anau on what was to be another lovely sunny day and retraced our steps up SH94 and SH6 to Queenstown. Of course we did pass the usual outstanding views…

We were staying for two nights in Queenstown or more accurately in Jack’s Point, just south of the town (city?) proper in an AirBnB entitled Stargazing Loft. As we had to pass it before going in to Queenstown, we dropped off the luggage first and then headed for the activity centre of New Zealand.

Queenstown is renowned for every sort of activity available and the streets are therefore populated by very fit looking young people as they set about their trekking, cycling, mountaineering, bouldering, sailing, kayaking, paragliding, bungee jumping, hanggliding, etc. As you might have guessed, Val and I were not lining up with them or at least not straight away, but instead thought we would see the spectacular view from Queenstown Hill by means of the gondola ski lift. And VERY well worth it, it was, as you can see…

We then had a bit of an impulse purchase and decided to try three goes on the luge, which runs from the top to part way down the mountain side. Effectively it is a bit like go-karts, but without an engine and you go down the easier blue run to start with, though you can then try the faster and more exciting red run after that, which is what Val and I did. Great fun and we would probably have signed up for more runs as we sort of got the hang of it by the third run, but enough was enough. It is pretty straightforward as you push forward or back on the handlebars to control the speed/brake and after that gravity sorts everything else out other than steering and trying not to hit anyone else. We were suitably cautious to start and went so slowly that we actually stopped on a bend and had to get out to push off again. But the rest was terrific and I have some very dodgy video footage as I held the go-pro camera in my hand as I went careering down the track – inevitably there is some footage of my foot! And the inside of the luge when I dropped it, but some bits are not bad. I am trying a link to YouTube and apologies if it doesn’t work!

https://youtu.be/fcaU1JFu1_U

And just in case, here are some photos….

We had had enough excitement for a while, but decided that we could manage some more tomorrow, so we found out which places hired out tandems and booked ourselves on a shortish tour for the next morning.

It was then back to our accommodation for the night after finding somewhere to eat supper, which turned out to be the remarkably excellent, Bombay Palace. As you can see, the view was Remarkables!!

And then to bed and would you believe it – you could gaze on the stars through the skylight above the bed!

The next day, we drove into Queenstown nice and early to ensure we found some parking and then duly reported for action at the bike hire place. We were loaded into a bus and driven out to Arrowtown, which turned out to be a very nice-looking older town. However, we were driven to a field where we were given a safety chat (very sensible) and allowed a quick practice before setting off on the ride.

Now for those of you not familiar with tandems, there are some protocols I suggest you establish with your fellow rider before setting off. Most important is the designated foot, ie right or left, for stopping as I am sure you can imagine the chaos if we each chose alternate ones. Starting off is also a bit of a skill, but Val and I had ridden a tandem before, so we managed pretty well and it was off we went.

The track was off-road, which was good, but mostly gravel, which was not so good, but I am pleased to say we did not have any mishaps – just as well as the track did run perilously close to some ravines and gorges at times. We also had to walk it up some of the steeper inclines, but all-in-all a great experience.

One of the more interesting bits of the ride was over the Kawarau Bridge, home of the A J Hackett Bungy Jump, the first commercial bungy jump in the world. We stayed and watched one girl take the plunge and it was funny how nervous we were even though we were only watching!

Finally we all ended up at a local vineyard for a bit of wine tasting before busing back to town. A great morning out.

Next was a quick lunch and then another breath-taking drive up Lake Wakatipu to Glenorchy at the top of the lake, a small but scenic spot. Indeed, the TV series The Top of the Lake was filmed here and the locale also appears in Lord of the Rings and Narnia. There isn’t a great deal there, but it has been a popular tourist spot since the 19^th century along with the even smaller site of Kinloch – you can tell the Scots were here! There is even a place called Paradise nearby. It was sad to read the 25 names on the war memorial for WW1 considering how small the area is. There was a small display telling the story of each name. Very poignant.

Back along the lake and ‘home’ to our star-gazing loft. Little did we know that we would be doing a lot more star-gazing before long!!

One more day in NZ to go and then Australia!!