Saturday 8 March
We enjoyed one of our best breakfasts at The Stable - Gordon sure knows how to make and present perfect poached eggs. It was fantastically hot and sunny today - but windy. Probably just as well because Richard went out on the Americas Cup yacht here and had a great sail while I enjoyed a walk along the foreshore and some time in the gardens. Earlier we had been to the Kiwi Park and saw two of the shy little things and various other birds we hadn't yet seen. We also went out on the TSS Earnslaw - an old steamship. We 'indulged' again at The 19th and had as good a meal as the night before. This was probably our most 'crowded' and touristy day of the holiday.
Friday 7 March
After a delicious breakfast at the Lake Matheson Cafe, we had another action-packed day despite over 5 hours spent driving - it sounds a lot but the roads are relatively empty. We drove the remainder of the West Coast, stopping at Haast for coffee, and then following a dramatic road bordered by rainforest before a run along the shores of beautiful Lakes Wanaka and Hawea. We stopped at "Puzzling World" outside the town of Wanaka where we failed to solve the maze but greatly enjoyed the illusions ro.JPG)
om. We lunched overlooking Lake Wanaka and then drove the incredibly scenic route via Cardrona to Queenstown. The Crown Terrace is quite out of this world - you feel as if you are on top of it (ie the world) when you look out towards valleys and lakes surrounded by the mountain ridges. We stopped off in picturesque Arrowtown for an hour or so and then arrived in Queenstown which is set on the shores of Lake Wakatipu and nestles under various ranges of mountains including one called The Remarkables - they certainly are. We went on the Gondola to the top of one of the mountains - a very high one! And there saw the bungy jumpers!!!!!!! Had a great quality (and great value) meal at a restaurant called The 19th on the Boardwalk. We are staying a couple of nights at The Stable - living room/kitchen, shower room and loft bedroom - just 5 minutes walk from the town; a fantastic situation.
Thursday 6 March
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om. We lunched overlooking Lake Wanaka and then drove the incredibly scenic route via Cardrona to Queenstown. The Crown Terrace is quite out of this world - you feel as if you are on top of it (ie the world) when you look out towards valleys and lakes surrounded by the mountain ridges. We stopped off in picturesque Arrowtown for an hour or so and then arrived in Queenstown which is set on the shores of Lake Wakatipu and nestles under various ranges of mountains including one called The Remarkables - they certainly are. We went on the Gondola to the top of one of the mountains - a very high one! And there saw the bungy jumpers!!!!!!! Had a great quality (and great value) meal at a restaurant called The 19th on the Boardwalk. We are staying a couple of nights at The Stable - living room/kitchen, shower room and loft bedroom - just 5 minutes walk from the town; a fantastic situation.Thursday 6 March
Not much driving today but lots of changeable weather and interest. In the morning we made the relatively short journey to Whataroa from whence we went to the White Heron Sanctuary on the Okarito Lagoon. This involved driving our hire car down a long unmade-up road (strictly outside the terms of our hire agreement); an exciting trip on a jet boat along the Whataroa river (strictly outside the terms of our travel insurance); a walk through the rain forest and, finally, time spent at a hide, with binoculars provided, watching, what turned out to be, the last White Heron that had not yet migrated from the breeding ground to other parts of NZ and further afield and a large number of Royal Spoonbills who look remarkably like White Herons except for their beaks! This venue is very special as it has been the breeding ground for the White Heron for many years and there are only about 140 birds in NZ, the birds return there to breed every year and the number go up and down a bit but don't vary greatly from the 140. This was one of the highlights of our visit.
Afterwards we drove the short distance to Franz Josef Glacier, which we caugh
t a glimpse of from a distance but by the time we got to the village it had started to rain - seriously. We decided to go on further to Fox Glacier in the hopes that the weather might have improved by the time we got there. It hadn't. We donned all our wet weather gear, including over-trousers, and set off for the foot of the glacier but never made it that far because the rain was so torrential that rivulets had formed making it almost impossible for us to get across one part of the rocky area leading up to the glacier. Richard was soaked (inadequate clothing, despite having suitable at home!) so we checked into a motel for the night and I used the opportunity to do a load of washing and drying. We did not venture far for supper just walking to the Fox Glacier Hotel for their carvery supper.
t a glimpse of from a distance but by the time we got to the village it had started to rain - seriously. We decided to go on further to Fox Glacier in the hopes that the weather might have improved by the time we got there. It hadn't. We donned all our wet weather gear, including over-trousers, and set off for the foot of the glacier but never made it that far because the rain was so torrential that rivulets had formed making it almost impossible for us to get across one part of the rocky area leading up to the glacier. Richard was soaked (inadequate clothing, despite having suitable at home!) so we checked into a motel for the night and I used the opportunity to do a load of washing and drying. We did not venture far for supper just walking to the Fox Glacier Hotel for their carvery supper. 
