Kisses under the Wooing Tree!

Today’s 250 k journey to our next destination was really interesting…first we passed the A.J.Hackett Bungy jumping site…it’s where the first commercial Bungy jumping took place…it’s a long drop and quite a sight to behold!

From there the landscape changed dramatically as we travelled through the vineyards in the Gibbston Valley. This area of Central Otago produces Pinot Noir and other cold climate varieties.

The next stop was Cromwell, one of NZ’s leading fruit growing areas. There are many roadside stalls selling local stone fruit and we bought some beautiful apricots directly from the farm. Not far down the road, opposite the ‘Big Fruit Sculpture’ we were delighted to find the Wooing Tree Vineyard…there was lots of kissing under the wooing tree!

Some of these photos were taken by mum with her first digital camera…a Christmas gift from dad. We have all been very impressed with the photos she’s taken and how she’s picked up on all it’s features without any drama…she was initially very reluctant to move away from using good old-fashioned film but is now a convert to digital photography.

At first we thought 10:15am was a bit early for a wine-tasting but mum, dad and I succumbed to temptation…Andrew being the designated driver just tried the odd sip. We enjoyed sampling the wines on offer…the Pinot Noir is their award winning wine and it really is delicious. After purchasing some wine we set off along the ‘Lindis Pass’ climbing through rocky gorges before reaching the tussock-covered hills of the summit and down into the town of Omarama…it has gained a worldwide reputation for gliding because of its strong northwest thermal up draughts.

About 10 k’s west of the town are the Clay Cliffs, 
a set of steep high pinnacles, 

separated by deep narrow ravines.

  

Next stop ‘High Country Salmon’…floating on the glacial waters
 of the Wairepo Arm, just south of Twizel. 

The shop sells whole fish, fillets, smoked salmon and sashimi.

We also took the opportunity to feed the fish. The salmon were very aware of our movements and as soon as we threw food they rushed to be in the right spot waiting for it to land!

We’re staying in Twizel tonight…the town was built in 1969 as a construction town for the Upper Waitaki hydro-electric development scheme. Our accommodation tonight is clean and comfortable but stuck in a time warp…it’s very 70’s!

Dining at ‘Poppies’ this evening was sensational…without a doubt the best meal we’ve had on this trip. The restaurant is not glamorous but our waiter was very handsome and has a divine French accent!

I’ll leave you tonight with our choices from the menu...

Dad 

Lamb rack, pan roasted to medium rare, served on mushy peas with 
rosemary potato rosti, beetroot chutney & pinot noir jus.

Mum 

Filleted Sole on a chargrilled courgette & feta risotto with hollandaise sauce.

Andrew 

Wild venison pie, slowly cooked in a red wine sauce with red currants, 

roasted garlic, herbs and onions,topped with a puff pastry lid.

Me 

crispy pork belly served on bay infused potato mash 
with Pinot Noir jus & salsa verde.

We also shared seasonal vegetables with aoli and a bottle of wine 

from the Lone Hill vineyard in the Waitaku Valley.

Fish and chips at last!

This morning we visited Lake Wanaka, only an hour’s drive from Queenstown via the scenic Crown Range. It’s a memorable route and includes the highest point of sealed road in New Zealand.

 

You can catch a glimpse of Queenstown and Lake Wakatipu 

if you look carefully in the middle section of the photo.

The road passes an historic pub at Cardrona, 

it sits at the base of the Cardrona ski field. 

Coronet Peak ski field is also nearby.

The pretty township of Wanaka lies on the shores of the lake 

with whom it shares its name and sits at the entrance 
to the Mt. Aspiring National Park.

Mt Aspiring (3033m) dominates the skyline.

'The Hand That Nurtures'…on the shores of Lake Wanaka.

On returning to Queenstown we enjoyed lunch with a view...Dad has been outvoted on several occasions when he has expressed a desire to have fish and chips for dinner and today he and Andrew both had beer battered fish and chips!

The restaurant is located at the base of ‘The Remarkables’ mountain range and close to the airport…light planes and helicopters taking off and landing at frequent intervals provided additional and interesting viewing.

I think this meal should make dad happy…

that's quite some serving of fish & chips!

Bonjour!

This morning we woke to this view…a ring of cloud around the mountain tops…beautiful. Dad is the early bird in our family and he saw some hot air balloons into the bargain…awesome!

  

I don’t think I mentioned that dad found some streaky bacon 
at the supermarket yesterday…so this morning 
the boys had bacon and eggs for breakfast!

Our destination today was Arrowtown. Nestled at the foot of rugged hills 21 k’s from Queenstown, Arrowtown is a picturesque and well preserved gold-mining town. The main street, partly lined with deciduous trees, has many old colonial shops and buildings at one end and at the other, tiny miners’ stone cottages dating back to the 1860’s & 70’s.

We wandered up and down the main street…
making purchases along the way.

Lunch was Al Fresco at ‘Bonjour’ a French Restaurant serving authentic, delicious French cuisine in a casual bistro setting. We all had crepes…Andrew and I sampled buckwheat savoury crepes while mum and dad sampled the daily special peach and walnut variety served with lashings of cream!

On our way back to Queenstown we stopped at Hayes Lake 

where the mirror image reflections were beautiful.

This afternoon mum and dad had a rest while Andrew & I ventured back into central Queenstown to explore some more…it’s backpacker heaven…the water is crystal clear, pristine and very inviting…it’s 23°C and there were lots of people bathing and sunbaking on the shores of the lake.

This 101 year old vintage steamship takes passengers

 on cruises around Lake Wakatipu.

We’ll leave you with the view from our apartment at Happy Hour this evening…the view is ever changing and punctuated by jets taking off from and landing at Queenstown airport…it is amazing to watch them. There are numerous light planes and helicopters too…it’s captivating viewing.

The Wooing Tree

This morning we set off on the 257 k drive from Te Anau to Queenstown through  absolutely stunning, picture postcard scenery.

For many years, people have been drawn to the beautiful Lake Wakatipu and alpine areas around Queenstown, starting with early Maori who came in search of Pounamu (greenstone). European settlers followed, with sights set on fertile grazing land. They discovered a whole lot more when shining gold lit up the region’s waterways!  A gold rush sprang up overnight in the 1860s, marking the start of an international fascination with the Queenstown region.

We’re VERY happy with our home for the next 3 nights…it is beautifully appointed and here are the views from our living room…

& the view from our bedroom

We had lunch in  a cute café on the waterfront…

don’t you love the recycled glass jar my Pacific Bling 
freshly squeezed juice came in?  

We were amazed to see several paragliders floating down from Bob’s Peak over the town 

and Andrew followed them to an oval where we watched them land.

While mum was at the hairdresser this afternoon dad, 

Andrew and I did a supermarket shop and were very impressed with the selection of wine…

we have been keen to try Wooing Tree Rose & found a bottle! 

Here's mum with the bottle of Wooing Tree...the story goes that the Wooing Tree is a local landmark sitting prominently in the middle of the vineyard. The tree has long been a popular place for locals to woo their lovers…very romantic…I’m hoping to visit and dad is keen too! 

Dinner with a spectacular view…we're all beginning to think we 

should have come & stayed the whole 3 weeks here.

Up close and personal…

Over breakfast this morning we heard about the mishap mum had in the spa last night! So…before the water went in the spa, mum hopped in fully clothed to make sure she could manage to get out again without any drama. That proved to be a happening thing so she followed the instructions given and added some water and the Manuka Oil, Harakeke Oil & Rose Petal Mineral Bath Salts then ramped up the spa jets…problem was that she hadn’t covered all of the jets and water sprayed the walls and as far up into air as the ceiling! At this point dad decided the spa was not for him...he wanted to remain fully clothed on standby in case there were any further mishaps. Mum then read the instructions again, fully covered the jets and really enjoyed her time in the spa. She’ll definitely be having another spa tonight but I’m not so sure about dad.

I forgot to mention that our ‘Love Is In The Air’ package included breakfast and so the boys quite relished tucking into bacon and eggs this morning.

We set off along the 121 km road from Te Anau to Milford Sound. It’s earned World Heritage Highway status for its beauty and scenic variety. This includes lush lakeside forest, rugged mountains and cascading alpine rivers.

The amazing scenery began in the Eglinton Valley with snow-capped mountains looming 1000 metres above the road, streaked with waterfalls. The road climbs steeply into a sub-alpine wonderland at the Homer Tunnel entrance. You emerge from the tunnel to an instantly breathtaking view of the canyon which descends into Milford. Milford Sound comes a close second to the mountains of Tahiti in recording the highest rainfall in the world. The deluge of 7 metres of rain each year sounds forbidding for a tourist resort, but it actually adds to the drama and mystique of the sound. With rain the sheer mountain walls erupt with a thousand cascades plunging from hanging valleys, wreathed in ethereal mists. 


A boat cruise is the best way to appreciate the grandeur of the sound and we pre-booked a 2 hour trip on one of the smaller boats that advertised being able to get up close and personal with the fiords and the wild life. It’s about 20metres long, very maneuverable and carries 75 passengers. We were delighted to find only 15 passengers on board.

The highlights of the cruise include Bowen Falls, Mitre Peak, Anita Bay.

Close up and personal encounters with dolphins, fur seals and one of the waterfalls along the way where the captain put the nose of the boat 
under the deluge were highlights.

Our return journey…

Nineteen km east of Milford is the 1,200m long Homer Tunnel, 

started in 1935 but not completed until 1954.

Waiting for our turn to enter the Homer Tunnel…

it’s one way traffic and controlled by traffic lights!

We stopped at the Mirror Lakes where a short five minute walk 

from the road brought us to this…

Today I’ll leave you with this photo taken on the shores of Lake Te Anau…

I'm hoping it will make you smile.