Queenstown

 This morning we headed off to Queenstown to spend the morning there including a trip up the gondola to get an overview of the town. We pre booked tickets on line so we can avoid any long lines when we arrive.

As is now expected, the drive to Queenstown is very scenic, and there is always something along the way to see, even though we have now done it a few times.  We had a drive through Arrowtown along the way  it is very touristy, and not that appealing to stop. A drive down the main street gave us a good feel for the place before we continued on to Queenstown.

Peter dropped us close to the entrance of the gondola, and Phil, Luth, Carole and I went straight to the entry gate with our prepaid tickets, and straight onto the gondola which was not busy at this time of day.

Gondola from the base station

Once at the top the view was spectacular. In addition to the view, you could also buy tickets for a ride down a few concrete Luge trails, not something we were particularly attracted to

The view of Queenstown was well worth the trip up on the gondola.

Queenstown Golf Course

We had a cup of coffee at the cafe at the gondola top station, before riding back down to meet up with Deirdre and Peter at a coffee shop at the base, then continuing on down to the township for a walk along the lake.

Walking down to the lakeside

Busker with a singing dog

Fortunately, we are here early enough that the waterfront is not too crowded, but there is still plenty of activity. The activities on water all seem to be well supported with the steamship and lake cruise boats already gone from the docks.

As you can tell from our dress, it is a little cooler here in Queenstown with a cool breeze blowing, but it is still very pleasant.

A few shots of the lakeside below as we walk along the shore towards the gardens on the other side.

Queenstown Gardens are well worth a visit and it is an easy walk along the lakeside. Giant Sequoia trees are the first plants to catch our eye.

There are still a few flowers blooming in the extensive garden beds.

And some interesting sculptures

In amongst the gardens is the Queenstown bowling club. Ironically, the trees on the lakeside of the club are good old Australian Gum trees, which is obvious when you see the bark strewn over the bowling green.

On our way back to the car we pass back around the wharf area, taking a shortcut to where the car is parked. The latest water adventure ride is the Shark Thrill Ride. Apparently this shark like vessel can momentarily dive under the water and then lurch out hopefully giving the unsuspecting passenger a thrill worth the $179 price tag.

The crowds have arrived and a market has set up to help tourists part with their cash

A decision on lunch needed to be taken, and by now the crowds had descended on Queenstown, and the the appeal of battling with the masses to get a meal in the already busy restaurants was not appealing. Peter and Deirdre knew of a good restaurant off the beaten track near the airport which we all agreed would be a better option. It turned out to be a good choice being much more relaxed and serving good food.

Well fed, we headed back to Alexandra to relax for the rest of the afternoon. Dinner tonight is a BBQ cooking the meat we purchased from Tony the butcher in Clyde yesterday.  We had venison sausages, lamb and mint sausages and very tasty patties of great lean beef well flavoured with herbs and spices. You can't beat fresh meat from a good country butcher. Tony's butcher shop took me back to my childhood a bit remembering what a real country butcher shop looks like. It goes without saying the BBQ was a great meal.