Monday found us back in Queenstown at the same Holiday Park which was very convenient to downtown. We wanted to go up on the Gondola which is located right next door to the Holiday Park. We decided to go downtown first as it was starting to cloud over and we were concerned that we might not get the view of the area that we wanted.
The downtown area of Queenstown is built around an inlet called Queenstown Bay which is on Lake Wakatipu. It is filled with shops, cafes, restaurants and a couple of Casino's. All of the cafes and restaurants have outside seating. It is quite nice and with the Kiwi's laid back attitude it is a happy place. Of course the spectacular view of the surrounding mountains doesn’t hurt.
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| Queenstown |
So we enjoyed the area by having a latte, listening to street entertainers and just watching the going ons. Later in the afternoon we both went for haircuts and then decided it was too late for the gondola and we would go tomorrow.
Well you know what that means. Yup. It rained the next day. Not only did it rain the next day but it also rained the day after that. It was one of those teasing rains where it rains really hard and then the sun comes out. Just when you think you might be able to go out and do something down it comes again. However we really can't complain as the weather has been pretty good to us the three months we have been here.
Thursday, Day 84, was sunny without a cloud in the sky. It was also the day we had to leave Queenstown as we had reservations in Wanaka. First things first, we had to go up in the gondola. Once we reached the top we had a phenomenal view of the entire area. Views meant for a post card.
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| Queenstown |
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| Lake Wakatipu |
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| Queenstown Bay |
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| Road to Arrowtown and Coronet Peak |
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| Double Peak and The Remarkables Ski area |
When you got off the gondola there was a chair lift that took you further up the hill to a luge ride. Of course, we had to try it. The good news is we got down without hurting ourselves. Kathy did try to pass me on the last turn and I guess it brought the competitive spirit out in me. I got up under her and put her into the rails. I don't usually hear that kind of language from her. I guess she wasn't too happy with me.
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| Chair Lift |
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| The Track |
We made the return trip to the bottom and after a quick grocery shop we headed back to Wanaka. The return trip was over the same highway but we got a much nicer view as the sun was out. The climb that took us over the Crown Range allowed us to look back and marvel at the view. The way the different greens came alive in the sunlight was just spectacular.
When we reached the top of the Crown Range we took one last look back at Queenstown and the view before heading into Wanaka.
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| Queenstown viewed from 23 kilometers away |
We didn't stop again until we reached the campsite. We spent the evening just enjoying the view. It's pretty easy to see why this is one of our favorite places in New Zealand.
Gondolas rock. Climbing my way.
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