Lake Tikapo to Queenstown

The next day was also absolutely stunning Fall weather. Lake Pukaki is a few kilometres beyond Tikapo, still on the high mountain valley. Mt Cook is the backdrop. Gad, I wish I could upload pictures tonight--the scenery really defies description.

We're figuring out how to negotiate our 18'-long campervan on the wrong side of the road. No incidents, I'm happy to report. There are LOTS of them on the road. We've met Kiwis, Ozzies, Asians, others. Everyone seems to be on the move. Including buckets of kids. Campervan parks have electricity, kitchens, showers, toilets, and sometimes Internet. Plus they are good places for information. Very nice system, wish it were as good in the US.

We got to Queenstown around 5:30 and made it to our campervan park around 5:30. It was bloody cold!!!!

We checked in and got to chat w/ a very knowledgeable fellow named Greg, told him we wanted to go to Milford Sound, in Fjordland. He steered us instead to Doubful Sound. You spend less time on a bus and more time on water. We went with his suggestion and weren't disappointed.

We took a 2.5-hour busride to Lake Manapouri, got in a boat and went across that lake which is, yes you guessed it, gorgeous. The boat goes to the base of Wilmot Pass, between Manapouri and Doubtful. A bus picks you up and takes you over the pass to the sound (actually a fjord), where you get on another boat which takes you out through the sound/fjord into the Tasman Sea for a little bit, then back around. Very fun, very nice to be able to go outside and back inside the boat--it's cold there this time of year!!

Again, just stunning. We saw Little Blues swimming, we put cups under runoff coming down the mountain bases and drank the water, and turned off the boat engines at an island bird sanctuary to just listen to the birds. The organizers, Real Journeys, did a great job. And fewer people go to Doubtful, so it wasn't as crowded. Plus it really was grand to be on the water more than the bus.

It was still a 12-hour day, though, and we were tired. Got back to the campervan park after getting a burger at a Queenstown staple, Fergburger. It was good, and we were starving.

The next morning we spent some time shopping in Queenstown, then headed on. We had planned to go up the West Coast, but the weather deterred us. So we headed back inland, across the mountains. Went over Crown Ridge Road, above Arrowtown, where we were very lucky to see some hang gliders. That road was interesting--sharp hairpin turns all the way up, and no sun on the way down. Read later that perhaps it wasn't the best place to take a campervan!

We ended up at Lake Wanaka, which is a beautiful resort town. Saw a nice sunset that night, which we were glad of because it was overcast and bloody cold the next morning. Swe headed back inland toward the coast and warmer climes.

We did encounter snow going over Lindis Pass which had been just gorgeous the last time we traversed it. Lindis Pass was very slushy, but we survived in fine shape. It's great to be able to carry our own food and cooking and beds with us.