Well a year on and we are still going. It has been a wonderful time.

 

Elise has been a great little girl on the whole, and is walking in time for her birthday. Nan & Grandad arrived last night. Nanna is on her way over her soon.

 

A few friends may come over (hopefully), but nothing of great interest is planned. A family day and a stroll down to the cafe. As the sun has decided to appear for us.

 

Cruz & Ella are already 1. Happy Birthday to them and all the rest of the ante-natal group follow suit over the next 3 weeks.

 

That's all for now.

 

Have a great day.

Congratulations Denise, Mike and Holly on the arrival of Paige just after Pumpkin hour this morning. 7lb 2oz.

 

And on Denise and Paige being stars on the news.

 

We'll look forward to meeting her soon.

So, another earlyish start.

 

Bob, Angela and Elise strolled down to town as the Kathmandu card-holders sale was on and Angela needed some winter woollies. I walked down while Deb got ready and packed. We decided on breakfast at Flavours cafe again. Bob and I walked up to the hotel to load the car, check out and collect Deb.

 

Back to the cafe, where Elise was sleeping on Angela. Ordered our breakfast. 3 cinnamon porridges with caramelised bananas. Yum. The perfect start to a cold southern day. A quick wander up to the British lolly shop. And then we left for the Shotover River.

 

We stopped at the old Shotover bridge and got down to the riverside. A quick session of skimming stones across the river and we saw the Kawarau Jet boat come flying upstream. He was kind enough to perform a 360 degree turn near us (but not near enough to soak us thankfully). A quick wave to the passengers as they launched themselves into the remainder of their day.

 

Elise and I walked up the hill (well, I walked, someone else was carried). We saw a Spaniel down by the Ferry hotel. His name was Buckley and he was a lovely little boy. He was happy enough to get a pat from me. Elise recognised that he wasn't Molly.

 

From here, we went and checked in at the airport and relaxed in the Koru lounge until we departed. A beautiful clear flight and no real turbulence. Back at home. Collect Molly from the kennel and relax at home.

 

That's all from us. A really enjoyable holiday. We hope you are all well.

A chilly start and a fresh dusting of snow on the Alps as the day started.

 

We set off for the Southern Tip of the lake. Heading toward the Kingston Flyer. All the guides said a 20 minute drive. They lied. It’s closer to 35 minutes. So we called ahead and asked them to hold the train. We got there just as the train was pulling out. The driver stopped and let us on. Phew.

 

A lovely old train, we had 778 as our engine. It is an AB Class Pacific Locomotive built in 1927. The original rails were laid in 1878 and now run only 14km down to Fairlight. Built to a 3’6” gauge. This line from Dunedin to Kingston was the first built by a private company in NZ. To service the gold rush in the Wakatipu Goldfields. In 1860 Kingston was a very busy shopping centre, with ten hotels, two banks, a police station, several stores and a butchers shop. Kingston was also the spot that the TSS Earnslaw was transported to and assembled on the lakeside and launched 10^th Feb 1912. The road from Kingston to Queenstown was opened in 1936 and effectively killed the service.

 

The cars themselves are magnificent, a mixture of First and second class cars. The Lounge car is a unique car and built originally as a ministerial car, built in 1909 to a width of 8’9”, it contained a lounge with six large armchairs, a gas fire and three 2 berth cabins, each with it’s own basin, folding chair and wardrobe. A single shower at the end of the carriage and a fully equipped kitchen. In 1939 it was converted into a 2^nd class passenger cabin.

 

A brief stop at Fairlight, visit the souvenir shop and back to Kingston. The locomotives are 86 tons, burn 650kg of coal and 3600 litres of water per return journey from Kingston to Fairlight. Both AB 775 and AB 798 were used as passenger and freight trains until 1970!

 

From here we watched them replenish the coal and water and turn the engine around by hand on the turntable. Photo opp. An excellent thing to do in Queenstown.

 

Leaving Kingston, we decided that lunch at Gibbston valley was in order again. Not much to say about that. Excellent food and wine again. Back into town and a visit to Pumpkin Patch. Time to look into winter clothing for Elise. Where better than down here? A relaxed evening in the hotel and take-away Cow pizza for dinner.

 

We awoke in the morning to find an extremely cool morning 4.7 degrees at the airport at lunchtime. Bags packed, we checked out and headed into town for a quick wander and breakfast. Into Flavours café and a very tasty breakfast and coffee. Off to the airport. And we got to find out that the low cloud had closed the airport. Our incoming flight was diverted to Invercargill. So ours was cancelled. We booked onto the next available seats. Tomorrow at 1515. Oh no. Stuck in Queenstown. Our hotel was full, so we ended up getting rooms at the Millennium for another night. So we went back to town and sat in Eichardts in the warmth of the big fire and lounge looking out over Lake Wakatipu. Tea for the others and I had a cocktail to celebrate. A stroll around town and a quick lunch at the mall. Elise had fallen asleep, so I pushed her up the hill in her pram, whilst everyone else drove to the Hotel. Pretty tired actually. I went and caught up with Jo from Genesis for a drink at their hotel, as her mates had been delayed due to the weather too. Back to our hotel for room-service as the restaurant was fully booked until 2030 and passed Elise’s bed-time.

Happy Birthday to Deb. It’s a palindrome. That’s all I can say.

 

A few presents opened, a phone call from Carol and we started off for Wanaka. A nice enough day and we drove through the Kawarau gorge passed Roaring Meg (power station) and to Cromwell. Then up the road to Wanaka. Parked up and had a wander around town as Deb was looking for gifts. We had lunch in one of the cafes overlooking the lake. A stroll up to the 4 Square that James and Karen have just bought. It is a real old 4 Square, a cool façade. Continued passed the Moorings and through the park. Wanaka is so much more relaxed than Queenstown. A really lovely place.

 

We left Wanaka via the Crown range and stopped off at the Cardrona Pub for a quick beer. This is a really lovely pub, beautifully appointed and a grand garden out the back. Accommodation available too. Massive indoor and outdoor fire places. It would be even more spectacular in the depth of winter. The top of the Crown Range (highest State Highway in NZ), there is a great view of Queenstown and Arrowtown from up there. A windy route down to the main road and we went to Arrowtown. I stayed in the car whilst Elise slept, everyone else went shopping. After she woke, we managed to find the shoppers. Arrowtown was a massive Gold mining community in the mid-1800’s and is laid out like the historical village it was.

 

Back to Queenstown for a huge dinner at the Lonestar. All the Lonestar in the South Island seem to be the real deal. The North Island ones just don’t seem to have the atmosphere, or is it the staff. We had another comedic waiter and great mains and desserts.

 

Home to relax and recover from the day.

A relatively early departure from home. Off to the local Church for Mass. A beautifully located church looking up at the Alps. After Mass, Bob& Angela had a blessing from the Father to celebrate their 40^th wedding anniversary. From here, we headed down to the waterfront to have brunch at the Bathhouse. Probably the best location to have an eatery in town. Down on the beach and a phenomenal view. It had been recommended as a place to try. It definitely was one of the most expensive. Unfortunately, it wasn’t great. In reality, it was more to do with the customer service and attitudes of the staff. Obviously went to the German school of customer care. Anyway, the coffee was good and the view amazing. It was a handy walk to the wharf, where we caught the 12pm departure on the TSS Earnslaw over to Walter Peak Station. This is the oldest Steamship still working in the country and built for NZ Railways in 1912. It was trained up to Kingston and assembled at the southern end of Lake Wakatipu. She is 50m long, a cruising speed of 13 knots and at full steam requires 1 tonne of coal per hour to be stoked by the 2 stokers. A truly relaxing way to see some more of the countryside. Nothing of real interest to say, but it is worth doing.

 

On our return to Queenstown, we wandered around town and selected ‘The Cow’ for lunch. This is another Queenstown institution and the best pizzas in town. Go there! I moaned enough to go and get the car and take a drive down to Glenorchy as it was reputedly a more scenic drive. 45km one way. Well it definitely does look a little different, snow capped peaks back there and a Glacier in the distance. But in reality, not really worth the effort. We came home and relaxed. Bob and Deb went out and got a romantic meal of McDonalds for us as we were all exhausted.

 

That’s all from us.

 

Congratulations to Bob & Angela on reaching their 40^th wedding anniversary.

A slow start to this morning. As Elise had been up a while being looked after by Nan & Granddad, I got ready and took her for a drive while everyone else got ready for the day. So we headed south out of Queenstown. After a few kilometres, Elise had fallen asleep, but I carried on driving and stopping for photos for another 20 kilometres. We got half way to Glenorchy before turning around. We passed opposite Walter Peak Station and saw the TSS Earnslaw steaming out. We should really try to get out to Glenorchy and Paradise.

 

Collecting everyone from the hotel, a quick visit into town to get some cash. As our next stop only took it. So the British Lolly Shop was the place of choice. I grabbed a few coffees for us too. We set off for Deer Park Heights passed Kawarau Falls. It is a free range animal park. $20 per car and $2 per huge can of pellets for the animals. The park has Deer, Fallow deer, Miniature horses, Himalayan Thar, Goats, Sheep, Llamas, Highland Cattle, Bison, Tibetan Yak and Alpaca. Rattling the tins of food brings animals running to see you. Some so keen and bigger than you, a couple of full size deer came charging past Bob to get to my food tin. A small goat jumped up on the car door, while we stopped and admired the view from inside the car and gave a few taps on the door for a feed. If you don’t get out of the car, you will end up with heads right inside trying to help themselves. The views are truly spectacular and a cheap way to get a great view East and West. 857m at its peak. There is a Korean prison at the Eastern summit from a movie set and there are 6 sites that scenes from the Lord of the Rings were filmed. Mostly from the Two Towers. On the way back down we stopped to have a look at the Bison. They are huge. Standing taller than me at the shoulder. I stuck my hand through the fence to drop some food and gave myself a shock. Didn’t spot that it was electrified on the inside! I stood leaning against the gate and the Bison decided to give the gate and I a nudge.

 

As we were starting to get hungry, we chose to go and find Gibbston Valley Wines. Passing the lovely Lake Hayes and Kawarau Gorge (bungy jumping). We got there and sat down under a lovely shaded tent. Ordered our lunch and drinks. We then sat back and had an absolutely lovely lunch, desserts, coffee and a few more wine tastings. A few bottles of wine bought. Deb drove us back into New World by the Airport for a few last minute things. Dived into the hotel to get changed and down for Elise and I to have a splash in Lake Wakatipu. The water is so clear and cool. Even after a day’s sun. Invigorating would be the best description, after being in there a few minutes, it seemed to get warmer. Maybe the blood had stopped flowing, who knows.

 

Back to the hotel and relax for the evening. We would recommend both Deer Park and Gibbston Valley. An absolutely superb day.

Well, our first flight with Elise came today. It was discussed that Fiji might be a spot for this holiday, but dumped as an option with them being silly duffers currently. Rarotonga was Deb’s next suggestion. An outbreak of Dengue fever killed that idea. So Angela suggested Queenstown.

 

So, flights and accommodation booked, we headed to the airport, dropping Molly off at the kennels and to Air NZ. A quick check in, 4 checked bags, 1 car seat, a stroller and 4 back packs. Up to the Koru lounge for pre-flight refreshments. The upgrade of the Domestic terminal is coming along really well.

 

On board and Deb got instructions on how to work her and Elise’s seatbelts. Elise seemed pretty happy about the acceleration on take-off. Deb gave her a quick meal on ascent to equalise her ears and she was fine. Once the seatbelt sign was off. She was ready to explore. Smiling happily at the tourists in front of us. Then passed around and entertained. She was perfect on the flight and liked looking out the window at the view, when there wasn’t something better to do inside. A beautiful clear day for the flight and a great approach through the alps into Queenstown. Down the stairs and into an brand new terminal. Bags out immediately and off to the rental car.

 

A short drive to the Hotel and settle in. We walked down the hill into town via the park and walked straight out of the park at the shore front of Lake Wakatipu. It’s an absolutely spectacular spot. Walk down to the pier and around town. Grab some groceries and headed back up the hill. Bob shot back down in the car to collect Fish and Chips for dinner.

 

End of the day.

 

Now, what do you need to know about Queenstown. Well, really Lake Wakatipu. It is New Zealands 3^rd largest lake behind Taupo and Te Anau. It is 82km long, 3-4km wide and over 378m deep. An ‘S’ shaped lake with Kingston at the Southern end, Queenstown in the Middle and Glenorchy at the Northern end. The mountain range overlooking the Lake is called the Remarkables and is only 1 of 2 mountain ranges that runs truly North-South. The other is the Rockies. The other amazing fact is that the Lake levels rise and fall 12cm every 5 minutes. Wakatipu translates as “hollow of the giant” and the local Maori attribute the fluctuations to the Giant’s heartbeat. Scientist guess it is due to atmospheric pressure or subterranean currents.

 

That’s it from me.

We'll outside of sounding like Chewbacca piloting the Millenium Falcon. Elise has taken her first steps today. Unassisted ones anyway.

 

She is managing to get about 3 or 4 running steps between the couch and someone else. It's pretty funny to watch. The problem now is that she is falling over as she gets close to stuff and smashes face first into whatever she was approaching. Plenty of tears (call CYF) and a medicinal cuddle of Pooh and all becomes right.

 

No footage of walking yet. But here is yesterday's fun.

 

 

Congratulations to Andy & Mandy on the safe (albeit late) arrival of Jackson last night. 3.31kg at 1909.

 

Mum and son doing well.

 

Lucky you came out for that last beer in peace on Friday Andy!

 

Have a great time.