When the day begins with a big ol' whoops, you just know it's gotta be a quiet one.
In spite of the meticulous planning I'd done to prepare for each NZ adventure (really, likely because of the meticulous logistics planning), I botched up the date of our cruise through Milford Sound and we were supposed to be cruising today. Yikes. I was very much looking forward to seeing Milford Sound, so I was super bummed. But you know what? The folks in NZ are a pretty darn hospitable lot on the whole.
We were dreading a reallllllyyyy llllooooonnnnggg day of driving to get to Queenstown then on to Milford Sound, and seriously considering writing off that experience. But the awesome lady at Cruise Milford just booked us up for Sunday, no worries. #gratitude
Now, the day is a short jaunt from Wanaka to Queenstown. Plenty of time to enjoy the sites and explore Queenstown.
#thatwanakatree
But first...before we bid adieu to Wanaka, we must visit the most photographed tree in NZ: the "lone tree of Lake Wanaka." We were up pretty early for a lazy Saturday morning in Wanaka, and yep, lots of tourists taking the obligatory photo of #thatwanakatree. I too was a tourist taking an obligatory photo or two:
This famed tree of Lake Wanaka is a crack willow, aka salix fragilis. Literally means that it's fragile - made of wood that is brittle and cracks easily. So, stay off of it people. Apparently that's been happening and branches are cracking off. Silly people.
Oh, and see the lovely Mount Aspiring National Park in the background.
Check. And we're off to Queenstown, which is a short one-hour drive along Cardrona Valley Drive, which suspiciously after the passing the town of Cardrona--more of a map blip with a chalet, general store and resort--becomes Crown Range Road. It's the same road?! Oh wait, the Crown Ridge road elevates through the Crown Range passing just by Crown Range Summit. It descends through farming land, then in a series of tight switchbacks, which was nauseatingly "fun," sweeps through Arrow Junction and on by Lake Hayes.
Queenstown
Queenstown is the adventure capital of the world. We experienced it as more of the sit around and enjoy the lake views capital of the world.Our hotel was actually in Frankton, an arm of Lake Wakatipu. After scoping out the location of our place for the next couple of nights, we headed into Queenstown.
And check out the band, playing church and ol' timey faves.
We walked through downtown to see what was what, using up the two hours we booked on the parking meter. Then it was off to find another exploration hub. We decided to check out the Queenstown Gardens, cuz free parking without a time limit! And the Gardens did not disappoint.
We wandered for a bit, then headed along the Queenstown Trail back into the downtown area along the lake. We decided a salad and burger at The Bathhouse would do for lunch. And it was perfect. A table on the shoreline allowed for a lovely view and fun people + waggly-dog watching. We had fun watching the hydro attack shark vessels (yep, that's what they're called-ish) zip into the cove and the adventure boats doing one final big sweep and splash before they docked.
After lunch we wandered along the Trail to Earnslaw Park where a weekend market was in the works. Of course, I'm loving the stroll through vendor stalls. Jayme accommodates. I found a vendor who sells delightful handmade jewelry featuring local flowers: Milliefa. You can find her on the Book of Face here. So naturally, I bought a few Christmas gifts.
Then guess what we eyeballed: a Patagonia Chocolates. Yes please!
Then it's back to our hotel room for a nap. Jayme is tired today and understandably so. We've been going, going, going! After some rest, we headed back into town for more walking around and dinner. It's a rainy evening, so we duck into shops to stay dry.
The bed, like a cloud. So we get in it early, cuz it's gonna be one early morning, as we check out The Fjord. Peace out.
