Queenstown - Milford Sound
We left Franz Josef and set out for Queenstown. We made a couple of scenic stops along the way. We stopped at Fox to pick up some people but just caught a quick glimpse of the Fox Glacier itself.
Next we stopped at Lake Matheson - also known as the Mirror Lake. You can see Mt Cook (Highest Mountain in New Zealand) and the Southern Alps reflected in the lake.
We also stopped by Lake Hawea to take in the view before heading down to Wanaka. We stopped in Wanaka by the lake and had a bit of time to look around the town. Our final stop of the day was at the Kawerau bridge. This site was the first commercial bungy site with a 42m drop down to the Kawerau river - a dip in the river is optional when you jump. All the bungy in queenstown is run by AJ Hackett and there are 2 other main sites - The Ledge high above Quenstown or the Nevis Highwire Bungy - the highest in New Zealand. I decided that while I was in new Zealand I should really do a bungy so I booked up for the Nevis as I figured I might as well do it in style - see my next entry for details and some photos of my jump.
We finally arrived in Queenstown itself quite late in the day. Queenstown is a resort town in Otago in the south-west of New Zealand's South Island. The town is built around an inlet on Lake Wakatipu, a long thin "S"-shaped lake, and has spectactular views of nearby mountains.
I booked into the Southern Laughter hostel - we did a lap around town dropping people off at various hostels and everywhere seemed really lively.
After checking in we collected some drinks vouchers and set out for a night on the town. It reminded me of being back at university with so many people out from the Magic Bus and all of the drinks deals. I bumped into quite a few people I had met early on the trip in different places who'd all ended up in Queenstown so there was a big crowd of us and a really good atmosphere. We stayed in one bar all night - The World Bar. We had some food then tried out their Tea Pot cocktails which we got for half price. The best bit of the night though was at 11 O'Clock. Someone noticed on the back of our keys that there was free beer if we showed our keys - we were all expecting 1 free drink but it turned out that it was as many as you wanted until the keg ran out!!!
I had to force myself away from the free beer as I had an early start next morning for my trip to Milford Sound.
The day started at 7 am next morning as it was a long travelling day trip to Milford. Fortunately the first 2 hours out of Queenstown were pretty quiet and practically everyone on the bus slept.
We travelled along Lake Wakatipu to Te Anau where we stopped for breakfast by Lake Te Anau. After Te Anau everyone was awake to take in the scenery as we got into the Fiordland National Park.
We headed through an avalanche zone to the Homer tunnel which took us right through a mountain. There was a lot more snow on the otherside of the mountain and you could see where avalanches had dumped piles of snow on the ground off the mountain tops. The views were stunning along the Milford Road and we made a number of photo stops including more mirror lakes and a waterfall called The Chasm.
Again we had been very lucky with the weather as although there were a few clouds covering the mountains in a few places it was generally quite clear. There was also no rain - it had rained all day for the group before us and we were told that Milford is one of the wettest places in New Zealand.
We arrived in Milford and transferred from coach to cruise ship - The Monarch - for a trip out on the Fiords. It is impossible to describe just how good the scenery was on the cruise - the photos I've chosen only really give an impression. I've seen some amazing views and scenery so far on the trip but I reckon this was definately the best.
We saw glacier valleys, river valleys, rows of waterfalls and loads of rainbows. We stopped by some rocks where there were some penguins. As it was such a nice day (although it was cold) we stayed out on deck for practically the whole cruise. The cruise ship turned in the Tasman Sea and headed back to Milford and we saw some seals on the way back in.
We got back onto the coach for the long journey back to Queenstown after a great day. The driver put Pirates of the Caribbean on to break up the journey.
Back in queenstown it was time for another night out. This time we checked out Red Rock bar before heading back to World Bar for more 2 for 1 beers and Teapot Cocktails.
Next we stopped at Lake Matheson - also known as the Mirror Lake. You can see Mt Cook (Highest Mountain in New Zealand) and the Southern Alps reflected in the lake.
We also stopped by Lake Hawea to take in the view before heading down to Wanaka. We stopped in Wanaka by the lake and had a bit of time to look around the town. Our final stop of the day was at the Kawerau bridge. This site was the first commercial bungy site with a 42m drop down to the Kawerau river - a dip in the river is optional when you jump. All the bungy in queenstown is run by AJ Hackett and there are 2 other main sites - The Ledge high above Quenstown or the Nevis Highwire Bungy - the highest in New Zealand. I decided that while I was in new Zealand I should really do a bungy so I booked up for the Nevis as I figured I might as well do it in style - see my next entry for details and some photos of my jump.
We finally arrived in Queenstown itself quite late in the day. Queenstown is a resort town in Otago in the south-west of New Zealand's South Island. The town is built around an inlet on Lake Wakatipu, a long thin "S"-shaped lake, and has spectactular views of nearby mountains.
I booked into the Southern Laughter hostel - we did a lap around town dropping people off at various hostels and everywhere seemed really lively.
After checking in we collected some drinks vouchers and set out for a night on the town. It reminded me of being back at university with so many people out from the Magic Bus and all of the drinks deals. I bumped into quite a few people I had met early on the trip in different places who'd all ended up in Queenstown so there was a big crowd of us and a really good atmosphere. We stayed in one bar all night - The World Bar. We had some food then tried out their Tea Pot cocktails which we got for half price. The best bit of the night though was at 11 O'Clock. Someone noticed on the back of our keys that there was free beer if we showed our keys - we were all expecting 1 free drink but it turned out that it was as many as you wanted until the keg ran out!!!
I had to force myself away from the free beer as I had an early start next morning for my trip to Milford Sound.
The day started at 7 am next morning as it was a long travelling day trip to Milford. Fortunately the first 2 hours out of Queenstown were pretty quiet and practically everyone on the bus slept.
We travelled along Lake Wakatipu to Te Anau where we stopped for breakfast by Lake Te Anau. After Te Anau everyone was awake to take in the scenery as we got into the Fiordland National Park.
We headed through an avalanche zone to the Homer tunnel which took us right through a mountain. There was a lot more snow on the otherside of the mountain and you could see where avalanches had dumped piles of snow on the ground off the mountain tops. The views were stunning along the Milford Road and we made a number of photo stops including more mirror lakes and a waterfall called The Chasm.
Again we had been very lucky with the weather as although there were a few clouds covering the mountains in a few places it was generally quite clear. There was also no rain - it had rained all day for the group before us and we were told that Milford is one of the wettest places in New Zealand.
We arrived in Milford and transferred from coach to cruise ship - The Monarch - for a trip out on the Fiords. It is impossible to describe just how good the scenery was on the cruise - the photos I've chosen only really give an impression. I've seen some amazing views and scenery so far on the trip but I reckon this was definately the best.
We saw glacier valleys, river valleys, rows of waterfalls and loads of rainbows. We stopped by some rocks where there were some penguins. As it was such a nice day (although it was cold) we stayed out on deck for practically the whole cruise. The cruise ship turned in the Tasman Sea and headed back to Milford and we saw some seals on the way back in.
We got back onto the coach for the long journey back to Queenstown after a great day. The driver put Pirates of the Caribbean on to break up the journey.
Back in queenstown it was time for another night out. This time we checked out Red Rock bar before heading back to World Bar for more 2 for 1 beers and Teapot Cocktails.
posted by Phil at 11:52 PM
1 Comments:
I know I keep saying this but the pics are amazing! Plus all that beer - how do you manage ;-)
Love
Jen
x
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