Tuesday, March 18, 2025

 Tuesday, March 18, 2025

Good morning Mount Cook! The rain isn’t as torrential today. We had a better partial view of Mount Cook. We had a quick breakfast and then we are taking off for Queenstown. We are retracing our route past Lake Pukaki. The water views are fantastic.

 Still no development of the area. Lots of barren land, no cows or sheep. We did come upon a lavender farm. It looks like it’s getting ready for a second bloom. Timing.

We passed a High Country Salmon spot. 

It’s a small family run salmon farm. They had several pens filled with salmon. We had a delicious sample of gin and lemon infused salmon. It is the freshest salmon I’ve ever tasted. We bought a Manuka honey infused salmon to enjoy on our waterfront deck tonight in Queenstown. We were told that honey is not allowed through customs in Tahiti. So we can’t bring any home.

We met a couple at dinner last night from Seattle. They drove in from Queenstown. They said Clay Cliffs was a good spot to stop. Hmm the road in was very very bumpy. They had a $10 fee per car using the honor system. It’s the Bryce Canyon of NZ.

It’s cold and rainy, with a promise of clearer skies. 

Our next stop was Lindis Pass Lookout. The hills look like velvet. 

This ride reminds me of when we took a road trip from Las Vegas up through Zion National Park, Bryce Canyon, around to the Grand Canyon. Each turn we make changes the channel on our scene. Just amazing. 

What other word can I use besides amazing?

We passed through Cromwell. It is a reservoir town they flooded a town in order to built the reservoir.

Our next stop was Arrowtown. It’s an old mining town. It’s a quaint lively village. We saw a long line at the Arrowtown Bakery. We said that must be the place for lunch! We got a chicken, Brie and cranberry panini. It was delicious. 

Finally we arrived in Queenstown! The first thing you see are the mountains. In fact they are called The Remarkables.

We are staying at the Rees Hotel Lakefront. It is a 2 bedroom 2 bath apartment with a spectacular view of Lake Wakatipu. We had gotten salmon at the Salmon farm, picked up smoked mussels and a bottle of Pinot Noir for a pre dinner treat.

We decided to have dinner at the hotel. We started with Bluff

Oysters. I had rack of lamb, Steve and Jeff had bone marrow stuffed truffles Mac and cheese, and pumpkin ravioli. Everything was delicious. 

After dinner we decided to check out Queenstown City Center. It is a large city confined to 6 square blocks with the waterfront as the nucleus! This was the place to see and be seen. We wanted ice cream and were told that Patagonia was the place to go. It was amazing. They had about 30 flavors. The fun thing was they had a liquid white and dark chocolate faucet constantly flowing. It hardened when it dried on your cone or cup. There are lots of waterfront restaurants and stores.

Sunset afterglow in Queenstown City Center 

We have an early morning excursion. Tour to Milford Sound where we will have a ferry ride and then we are flying back to Queenstown. They did warn us if the weather is bad, we will drive back. The weather looks beautiful for tomorrow I’m a little worried about a plane where you have to tell them your weight!

Good Night Queenstown 🇳🇿🇳🇿