Wanaka to Queenstown: Sunny, cool wind, 22C

A Fun Drive!

Confirming that what goes up, definitely comes down!

Morning view down the lake close to our camp.

Last night in Wanaka we discovered just how high we were when it chilled down to just above zero in our little van. The issue was that there was just a summer blanket on the bed, so at 3AM I was up hopping around in the pitch black looking for a couple of shirts and my coat. Annemarie was smart enough to dress appropriately before bed. While up I decided to go for a walk about and discovered it had fully cleared, and there they were...all those millions of stars that had been hiding the past 3 nights! Honestly, it's an amazing sight and I just stood there looking into the night sky. The additional elevation and no lights made for some show!

This morning after cleaning out the van and getting our gear packed up again, we headed on the last leg into Queenstown. We had been told by the owner of a gas station to take this amazing pass, but to drive carefully. So we did. It was narrow, it was windy and it was a hoot to drive! Here is the view from the top looking out to Queenstown before we began a rush of a ride down...

Those who know Annemarie will be aware that she shoots photos with her digital camera as though she was still using expensive film. On the way down this crazy road I asked her to open her window and just start shooting, and to keep shooting until we were down. We laughted and laughted as she tried to break the mold of one photo per day and avoid shooting the road signs! Here are a few of the results...

Not too bad...then we stopped at a view place...

Looking down at the road to come.

This was pretty much the only place in 2,300kms of driving that we saw guide rails in the side of the road, although it was such a steep drop off that they would have been pretty pointless. Then back to Annemarie's efforts...breaking the mold!

Queenstown is beautifully situated on a large deep lake and the Nelson, BC end of the family might enjoy these photos of a 1912 vessel 'Ernslaw' that plies these waters...

Come to think of it, this place looks a little like Nelson!

Hey Gil. Do you recognize this racer? Can't figure out what it's doing on a lake. Named "New Zealand" and must have been used in either the Olympics or the Americas Cup at one time. 

We spent the afternoon looking at wet gear for Annemarie, but found several Marmont retailers who agreed that the coat needs to be returned at home, but provided us with a spray to recondition the existing rain jacket. We'll see how that works out.

Can't say that after 8 nights in a small caravan that it's not nice to be in a comfy little hotel tonight complete with an attached bathroom and a bit softer bed!

Will leave you with a few sunset photos...nice to see it again. We have arranged bikes for tomorrow to see if our bodies still remember how to sit a bike. It's been a very long time since we've ridden and with 310kms to manage beginning Sunday it might be a good idea to have a bit of practice! A beautiful area to ride with many trails to choose from...report to follow!