We has a
reasonable nights sleep. Bed is a King –
so 2 king singles put together giving us plenty of room and comfy enough. The usual morning routine with showering –
send Pete in first to ‘test’ the shower out! As the bathroom was so large, using the
shower was easy and there was good pressure and temperature was good to
control.
We decided
we should dress for the cold, well me at least with thermal leggings as I got
such cold legs yesterday. Pete doesn't seem to feel the cold. In years gone by
he would try and get away with shorts all year round, but as he has got older
he has become a little more sensible!
We did the
trek across the hotel and met Julie & Dave in Restaurant for breakfast. They had managed to get a table by the window
as the view is very good. The buffet
was the usual fare but coffee very mediocre.
Although the staff were attentive they appeared a little less confident,
which made me wonder if this hotel may be a training hotel. Mind you, if that were the case you would
expect some staff to be very efficient but that did not appear to be the case.
We decided
we would head off about 10am for Glenorchy which is North West of Queenstown,
meaning one drives through the town centre and up the right hand side of the
lake. Initially we came across a
couple of campervans which made me think we might spend the entire week
following then! But not so, thankfully.
The drive
along the lakeside road is absolutely stunning and I kept asking Pete to stop
and take photos. Saw “The Earnslaw”
steaming up the lake from Queenstown to Walter Peak Station, which runs a
number of times a day. We had been
planning on doing the trip but seeing all the black smoke belching out of the
boat we were completely put off!!!
Plus Walter
Peak is not that far up
the lake and driving by road you get to see the same scenery.
 |
| Look at the smoke coming out of the smoke stack!!! |
So Pete
stopped several times and took great photos.
Each time we turned a corner we were all saying WOW! Along the way we saw some very expensive
houses on the way down private roads.
 |
| I took this as I thought we would see heaps of backpacker vans! But no thankfully. |
 |
| The windy roads |
 |
| Walter Peak Homestead across the Lake, where the Earnslaw stops |
 |
| This photo is my screen saver! |
We arrived
in time for morning tea at Glenorchy, so found a small café and decided to site
outside in the sun. It was lovely
sitting in the sun and the views were absolutely beautiful and it wasn't long
before I was starting to peel off the layers!
The sun was out and it was only chilly if in the shade and wind. With hardly a cloud in the sky it was
warmer!!! At Glenorchy there is not
actually much there. It is a very small
settlement and some places looked rather run down.
After
having a nice cuppa we drove out towards Rees Valley
and Routeburn Road. We went as far as the turnoff to Kinloch
which is around the top side of the lake and headed back towards
Queenstown. Driving back the views
were just as stunning.
 |
| The turn around point at Rees Valley |
On the way back
to town we saw plenty of wild goats on the road side. Dave spotted an old van on the side of the
road, so we had to stop, photograph it and work out what it was.
 |
| What a bargain! |
As we had
to go back through Queenstown we decided to have a short stop at hotel for
toilet stop and to refresh.
As it was
late morning we thought we should head out again, so off to Cromwell for
lunch. The views completely different as
the road to Cromwell is very rugged wine country.
 |
| I took these photos for our friend Bob who has a very small collection of farm vehicles |
After a quick look at the old Cromwell town
centre (from the car window only) we were all getting rather hungry so we
thought we would look for something in the new town centre. A drink and sandwiches from a bakery was
just the ticket.
 |
| Old Cromwell Town |
 |
| Old Cromwell Town - we didn't go in |
 |
| The man made lake which covered the original Cromwell Township - it was moved to it's present location. |
As Cromwell
(and Central Otago) is wine country it was appropriate to head off to wineries
towards Bannockburn. Our first winery visit to Cere although
supposedly open but on arrival we found the door was locked and pressing the
bell did not result in anyone answering.
Bad luck for them.
 |
| From Cere Winery |
 |
| From Cere Winery |
Back at the
intersection we turned left and then right into Felton Road where we thought we would
have more luck. Our first successful
winery was Mt Difficulty http://www.mtdifficulty.co.nz/. Interesting
building and stunning views (again!!!)
We tasted wines – Chardonnay and Pinot Gris, resulting in a purchase (of
course). There is an award winning
restaurant but we had eaten and the prices were way up there!!! But I have it on very good authority dining
is a wonderful experience. May be next
time.
 |
| From Mt Difficulty Car park |
 |
| Ah - the photo of Dave - it is one of the challenges of holidaying with Dave to get a photo of him! |
 |
| The entry to Mt Difficulty Tasting Room and Restaurant - we have to return to dine here as it has a wonderful reputation, but we didn't have time this visit (and it was too late) |
Julie and
Dave were keen to check out Felton Road Winery just down the road.
Unfortunately there was only stair access to the tasting area, but on inquiry we so we were taken via the wine making area through the back door to the
tasting area. All high security as they
were in the middle of dispatching the latest vintage. Here we tried Pinot Noir and Chardonnay
and made a small purchase. Well its too
tempting not too!
On the
drive back to Queenstown we stopped at Roaring Meg which is rapids and two
power stations, and the name of one of Mt Difficulty’s wines!
 |
| Roaring Meg (managed to just catch Julie in the photo!) |
Then it was
a quick stop at the Remarkable Shopping centre for supplies which is Franklin’s nice new
shopping precinct. Just out of
Queenstown and close to the airport.
We were
back to hotel 5pm, and for Pete it was a big day of driving. As it turned out I didn't need the thermals
as temperature got to 15 and very rather warm in the sun.
Again,
drinks at Julie and Dave’s after a short break!
From the
restaurant window we could see people walking past with ice-cream so we decided
this was a nice way to finish the day.
It was a little cool walking along the waterfront but we were well
wrapped up. The Ice Cream Shop was doing
a roaring trade and we had to queue!
No comments:
Post a Comment