Days 31-32: Queenstown

We were treated this morning with mostly clear skies and a view up to the peak of Mount Cook. We’ve been tremendously lucky with the weather thus far on the trip (knock on wood!), and yesterday was the most rain we’ve had. Apparently rain like yesterday is pretty common for the west coast, so we’ll be happy for all the sun we get!

We continued driving south along the Tasman Sea, stopping a few times for brief hikes and explorations, including a fun hike near Ship Creek that included sand dunes, swamps, rain forest, and near desert conditions, all within a few miles of each other. We cut inland along the Haast River, a broad valley with high mountains on either side. We hiked out to the Blue Pools, which I thought were really more green than blue, but were still beautiful. Yes, we have been using that word a lot (and WOW! a lot as we drive), but it’s true every time.

We stopped again at Lake Wanaka, much to the relief of a German man who’d decided to take his car all the way down to the lakefront and then (unsurprisingly) managed to get it stuck in the sand. Using the mats from our car and a lot of pushing, we got him free, and then continued on to Lake Hawea, where Mary decided to go for a swim in the 10 degree Celsius waters! (It was cold, dammit! – Mary) These are pretty huge lakes, measuring maybe 80 kilometers long, although only one across, clearly carved out by glaciers long ago.

Queenstown reminds me a bit of Geneva (but a lot smaller). It’s a relatively small town situated on a lake, nested against the mountains, with the beautiful backdrop of The Remarkables mountain range across the water. The town is pretty cute, although every third shop is an “information” desk, providing bookings for all of the adventures sports that go on just outside of town (parachuting, bungy jumping, jetboating, mountain biking, whitewater rafting, and dozens of others). We spent the next day relaxing, wandering around town, and enjoying some more beautiful weather with an incredible sunset over the lake.