Feb 22&23, 2023 Wanaka & Waiau, NZ South Island

 Left Queenstown and drove through very curvy, narrow roads with many one lane bridges. Craig continues to drive us safely through the mountains. We had a 5 hour drive which took us almost 10 hours due to lots of scenic stops, waterfalls, and one hike/tramp which took over an hour. 

We stopped in Wanaka to meet and have coffee with our loyal, knowledgeable, lovable tour assistant, Christina. She works for Pure Journeys and we have been communicating with her for 3 years. It was so nice to have the consistency of someone so patient and optimistic during these crazy pandemic years. We gave her small gifts of a journal-which we all signed, Wendt/Key stubby holders (koozies) in a pretty gold and black fabric bag. 

The scenery was amazing, as we drove through multiple National Forests along the Southern Alps and the Tasman Sea.  The first park was Mt. Aspiring National Park where we tramped a couple of miles to the Blue Pools. There were 2 long suspension bridges, one that was only safe for 10 people @ a time. The native birds were serenading us along the way with beautiful songs. Next stop Thunder Creek Waterfall which was surrounded by lush greenery in a Rain Forest. As appropriate, it was raining but we were prepared with our raincoats. Lunch was @ the Hard Antler in Haast where we enjoyed Elephant Fish while eating on impressive live edge tables with roots for table legs. 

Westland Tai Poutini National Park was next on the itinerary. There were awesome views of the mountains with glacier waters flowing down through the valleys. 

Our lodging was located in Waiau in the midst of the rain forest and near the Franz Josef Glacier. We had a quick glance on our way in but tomorrow we will be hiking out to the Glacier. We were impressed as we drove up to our Rainforest Retreats. Our 2 night stay was in actual Treehouses. The treehouses were very cool and elevated on stilts, definitely 5 stars; we even had a bit of a hard time finding them because they were hidden by the jungle of ferns, trees and foliage. Christina had reserved 2 of them for us: one 2 bedroom, 2 bath with a Hot tub on the balcony, which J&J, C&C stayed in and a 1 bedroom, 1 bath where we stayed. The rooms were gorgeous with 3 sliding glass doors and transom windows above spanning across a huge deck. The elevated houses & balconies afforded us beautiful views of the snow capped mountains and forest. At night, we had an awesome, clear sky full of stars with the Southern Cross very visible. We are so thankful for this once in a lifetime opportunity. Dinner was on site at the Rain Forest Monsoon Restaurant where the food was excellent and the 3 fireplaces took the dampness away. After dinner, we all had fun relaxing & laughing in our private hot tub.

In the morning, after Continental breakfast, we drove to the Franz Joseph Glacier trail. Our drive took us to a glacial lookout where we had a view of  two glaciers, Fox & Franz Joseph . It was quite windy. We found a trail named Douglas so we took that for a 3.5 mile round trip tramp. That evening, we had a good dinner @ Alice Mae's then a 30 minute tramp on a trail with pretty granite boulders to help digest our big meal. Love all the steps we are clocking. Another vivid, sparkling view of the Milky Way and Southern Cross. 

Feb 21, 2023 Queenstown, NZ

Queenstown NZ is the "Adventure Capital of the World" with a population of around 16,000. Our lodgings were located just above downtown so we were able to walk to the restaurants and shops. Our view from our balcony was of Lake Wakatipu and the Southern Alps. The Downtown showcases its waterfront with a pleasant large park and wide paved walkways. 

Our second morning, we all walked down the hill into town through a pretty park. C&C had decided to take their chances and ride the Gondola that we tried to ride the day before when it broke down. The rest of us decided to explore, shop & eat instead. Luckily, the Gondola was working fine and C&C enjoyed a spectacular, panoramic view of the city from high on Queenstown Hill with views of Cecil and Walter Peaks.

We couldn't leave Queenstown without doing something adventurous. We decided we needed to do something wild since we wimped out on the Bungee Jumping. The extreme sport we chose was to ride on the Shotover Jet, all we had to do was hold on. We all met back at the Shotover Jet shuttle location downtown. The shuttle took us to the Shotover River for a hair raising adrenaline rush experience. The Jetboats had twin Chevy V8 engines with a total 700 HP. The boats held 14 passengers plus the Captain. This jet boat could run in 3 inches of water. It was the most thrilling boat ride we have experienced. We skimmed past rocky outcroppings at close range through narrow canyons at breathtaking speeds of 50 mph. The water was very shallow and there was constant twisting and turning between narrow gorges and boulders. On top of that, our very capable Captain Paul completed perfect 360's. It was awesome and we all loved it. Doug was a scofflaw and took Go Pro videos of the ride, so we can relive our death defying experience when we are old & housebound. The shuttle then brought us back to Downtown.

Once back downtown, we had difficulty finding an open restaurant. NZ was also experiencing staff shortages. We have seen signs asking patrons to be kind.  Not to fear, we found a very cool, small intimate place called the COW, in an alley. It used to actually be a milking shed. Food & ambiance were good. When we left the restaurant, it was raining and conveniently there was a Casino with an open door across the street so we ran over there. We ended up leaving C&C there when it stopped raining. Cheryl was happy but ended up donating $50 bucks. 

Feb 19-20,2023 Queenstown, NZ South Island

We drove 2 hours from TeAnau to Queenstown to get another taste of city life. We passed a lot of deer farms with shrub fences along with fields of cows and sheep. The boys up front even let us stop at a few look-outs. Queenstown is a resort town in the southwest portion of the south island along the shore of Lake Wakatipu. This beautiful azure lake is surrounded by the Remarkable Mountains.(we made Jeri get a shirt with the Remarkables on the front, as a great double entendre.) Our lodging while here was in the Garden Court Suites, nothing fancy but the Martins did have a nice view of the lake & mountains from their balcony. The Wendt's and Jerry O shared a 2 bedroom/2 bath condo. 

Once settled, we all walked around town. We ate at Brazz Steakhouse. C&C found a small sand beach and a guy playing a piano on the sidewalk. We attempted to ride a Gondola up Queenstown Hill to view the city but after getting in line, it shut down for repairs. We detoured to a Bavarian Bar nearby to wait and have some liquid refreshments. When we walked back to the Gondola it still wasn't running so we gave up. (Cheryl & Craig did actually get up in the Gondola two days later, Brave souls.) We shopped for some souvenirs, gifts and groceries.There actually are some souvenir shops here. The waterfront is very impressive and pretty. 

The next day, a shuttle bus picked us up near our hotel and took us to the quaint, gold mining village of Arrowtown. We had booked a self guided biking/winery tour complete with E-bikes. The owner of the tour gave us a very amusing, funny safety talk complete with a bit of dancing. It was C&C's first time on E-bikes and they loved them. We rode 13 miles along the hilly, winding and curvy Arrow and Kawarau Rivers. The river water was a beautiful turquoise blue which blended well with a deep blue sky, sun and a nice temperature of 75 degrees. The views of mountains, valleys and cliffs were stunning. 

We crossed wobbly suspension bridges, fed some Alpacas and rode dangerously close on narrow paths to high cliffs and steep drop-offs. We came across the original, world famous Bungee Jump on the Kawarau Suspension Bridge which was built in 1880 with beautiful stone pillars and railroad ties. Sadly, none of us were brave enough to try it and no one else around was either, so we did not witness a jump. After the scenic & more physical part of the tour, we were rewarded with visiting wineries on the Gibbston River Trail. 

Our first winery was the Gibbston Winery. We had worked up quite a thirst & hunger. We ordered pizzas, bought cheese, crackers, delicious Rhubarb Ginger Chutney and of course wine flights. Next we biked to the farthest winery on the trail, Kinross Winery. Their vineyards were impressive. Jeri & Jerry had a small mishap on their bikes crossing the road. Jerry O was behind Jeri and told her to "Go" but Jeri heard "No", so she stopped and Jerry O ran into her-luckily no harm, no foul. It did make us decide to go easy on the adult beverages while biking, so group decision was made not to hit all the wineries along the trail. After a wine tasting @ Kinross, we headed to the Rockwood Winery & Tavern where the shuttle bus was scheduled to pick us up. After turning in our bikes, instead of wine, some of us had ice cream sundaes but Jeri and Jan, such lushes, shared another wine tasting. That's why Jan took a short nap afterwards, lol! We were tired, dusty and glad we used E-bikes. We don't know if we would have made it without the extra boost. It was an exceptional day with spectacular scenery, good exercise and delicious wine & food. 

Once back at our hotel, we all showered and napped. We walked back into town for dinner. We waited in a line for 35 minutes with about 100 of our closest friends, (not!) for a taste of a Fergburger. This was a Monday. Fergburgers started in 2000, is internationally famous and this is its only location. It's a very small restaurant so of course we couldn't get a seat, all food is take out. We found a park bench in the outdoor shopping area to devour our greasy burgers, while being serenaded by a street performer using a mobile piano on wheels.  Cheryl said that Dale's in Maumee's burgers are better. We walked around the promenade & harbor a bit more, got back to our hotel and everyone hit the sack.