Mount Pisa and Queenstown

The forecast as we leave Wanaka is rain, and the wind certainly suggests that even if it were to remain dry, it would be more than a tad gusty! We hence decide on a wet weather day. Quick stop at Cromwell, a town recreated to an approximation of the old 1860s gold rush days, before heading to the cinema.

Our next Airbnb is gorgeous. The drive takes us through cherry farms, that rest in the foothills of the mountains, to a small vineyard. The owners are away for a few days so we have the place to ourselves. The double doors open onto a small patio overlooking a lake and vines. Easy to relax with a cup of tea and just take in the view.

We decide to head to Hook – which has the rather catchy (pun intended) slogan of from ‘lake to plate’. Any vegetarians may want to skip over the next few paragraphs…

Upon arrival we rent a rod and bait before heading out to the lake.

Fair to say that my early efforts do not go to plan! The seagulls arrive en masse, and attempt to eat the bait before it sinks too low into the water. This is clearly not their first rodeo and I soon begin to fear that I will have to return to base to refuel!

As it is, I’m spared that embarrassment, as before I run out of bait, the water-filled weight on my line snaps. So, I trudge back to request a new rod!

With my newly replaced rod, and with the seagulls pestering someone else (clearly an amateur), it’s down to serious business. Don’t have to wait overly long to get a bite. Takes a bit of landing, but fortunately I have a glamorous assistant on hand to help!

Beautiful salmon. In fact, it is so beautiful, that I really just want to throw it back in. But given that there is a hefty fine for doing so, and the fact that, that is not in the spirit of the outing, we dutifully head back to the kitchen where our fish is quickly dispatched and smoked.

It’s easy to take food for granted when you go to a supermarket or restaurant. But it is a very humbling experience to catch your own food, knowing that another creature has give its’ life (albeit not willingly) so that you might eat. Circle of life and all that. However, as a soft urban dweller, still feel a decent pang of remorse.

Of course, that pang is quickly eased by the fact that we eat the whole thing. It doesn’t get much fresher than that.  

A walk around the vineyard later that afternoon reminds us how lucky we are that people open up their homes for Airbnb. The river Clutha runs through the property and has a beautiful green hue with an impressively strong current. At the other extreme of the property is a view to the river valley. Again, gorgeous.

Given that it’s a clear night, and we are staying in a designated dark sky area, I try my hand at astral photography again. Have to wait until gone midnight for the sky to darken sufficiently. One of the nice things here is that it doesn’t get dark until much later than we’ve been used to in Oz. Reasonably pleased with the result…

We visit a couple of vineyards next day and take a nice stroll along the river. Very chilled! Feels strange seeing people having a Christmas meal, complete with crackers, under bright blue sky. Least Christmassy I’ve ever felt, it’s just doesn’t feel like Christmas outside of the UK. Miss the pre-Christmas dampness, overcast conditions, overplayed Christmas carols, and wilting tree! 😉 

Stop off at Welshtown, an old abandoned mining town, on the way home.

Our drive next day to Queenstown is lovely, as ever. The town itself is by far the busiest that we’ve visited in New Zealand. Really well set up for the tourists. You can do pretty much anything here that involves the great outdoors! We queue for a Fergburger – it’s a thing here. Never has a burger had more to live up than this one, after the best part of an hours wait. In fairness, it is pretty damn good!

Next, it’s up the gondola. Nice view over Queenstown and the Remarkables. We also buy a couple of tickets for the luge. Good fun and an accident waiting to happen! 😉

Following day it’s up at a reasonable time to drive an hour or so outside of Queenstown to the Routeburn trail. It’s a three-day walk for those who feel so inspired. We do a circa 20km stretch. Stunning views and some impressively wobbly bridges over ravines.  

Having knackered ourselves the day before, we are up early for a pack-raft hike. We have a lovely guide for the day, who takes us across private land fully loaded with rafts, paddles, waterproofs, helmets etc. Feel a little sorry for Jenn given that the pack is almost as big as she is!

The walk through the river valley is stunning and requires traversing the river at regular intervals. The tour literature advised to ‘bring shoes that you don’t mind getting wet’. I hadn’t quite expected to be wading through thigh-high water from the get-go!

At the turn, we inflate our rafts. Had visions of having to blow into a tube. Fortunately some clever person has invented an ingenious method, which is entirely new to me. One inserts what looks like a nylon pillowcase into a valve, wave the end around like a mad person to capture air, roll down, and push the newly created air sack through the valve. Surprisingly efficient way of inflating three rafts in rapid order.

With wet suits (it’s cold in the water), life vests, and helmets adorned (someone fell in yesterday and there are a large number of rocks), we make our way into a small gorge. I thought we had left behind brilliant colour water in the South Pacific, but wow! The water was unreal.

The subsequent trip back down to the car is really cool. At times it is fairly still, and thus incredibly relaxing. At others the wind gets up pushing us hard into the banks. My favourite parts though, are as we go over mini-rapids. At the mercy of the water and bit of an adrenalin rush as the water propels us onwards. Going over the rapids backwards (intentionally I might add) was also good fun! All too soon we are back at the car. Its nearly 17.00 by the time we get home. Without realising it, we’ve spent all day outside. Really great day out!

The following day we largely chill out in Queenstown having had two pretty full on days in quick succession. I can’t resist a walk through the botanical gardens though.

One more stop in New Zealand, and then it’s off to Taiwan. Can’t believe how quickly our time here has gone!