Queenstown NZ

The rumors are true, this is a massive tourist town. It is absolutely stunning except for all the people, boutiques and shops, and construction to build more hotels and apartments for tourists. Once you drive out of town, it is quiet and beautiful, with an easy road along Lake Wakatipu with the mountains in the background. On Sunday we decided to be touristy, and took TSS Earnslaw (steamship) across the lake to the sheep station (Walter Peak Farm). The boat ride was lovely and the sheep station/farm is fun, with lots of animals to see, topped off by a border collie sheep herding demonstration. Sheep, highland cattle, goats, and llamas made it all the more enjoyable. We met a charming woman traveling solo from Switzerland (Rita) and spent the day with her. Here are a few pics.

TSS Earnslaw

Walter Peak Farm

Walter Peak Farm

On Monday we drove to Glenorchy which is only about 40 minutes from Queenstown. Our friends from Bainbridge (Laurie & Bruce) live there 6 months of the year, but unfortunately, they were not in town. The drive along Lake Wakatipu is gorgeous, and the town is quaint and charming, with lots of hikers, bicyclists, and outdoor enthusiasts. Apparetly it was a backdrop for the Lord of the Rings films. We made a stop at Mrs. Woolly's, the local general store and coffee shop.

Tuesday was our last day in New Zealand. We traveled to Doubtful Sound, which is a UNESCO listed Fiordland National Park. The bus picked us up at 7:50 am and took us to Lake Manapouri (2 hour ride), then a boat across the lake (45 min) to another bus (30 min) that took us over Wilmot Pass, to another boat that took us throughout Doubtful Sound and out to the Tasman Sea (3 hour cruise). Unfortunately, it rained (buckets) the entire day and so the photos we took do not do it justice. There are thousands of waterfalls, and many islands, and it is stunning. Apparently, there are only 65 sunny days per year, and they average 500+ inches of rain per year.

We returned back to Queenstown and had a lovely dinner downtown, and we are now tucked into our apartment, ready to embark on Wednesday on the first leg of our journey home (Queenstown to Melbourne). On Thursday we will fly from Melbourne to San Francisco and then onto Seattle, arriving home around late. We miss our life and friends on Bainbridge, but we especially miss our sweet cat Earl, who may have forgotten us while we've been away.

I hope you've enjoyed our travel blog. I'll upload the hundreds of other photos and I'd be happy to share those with any of you who want to see more.