Thursday 3rd March - Twizel to Queenstown
Aurora_b
Mike and Liz Downing
Mon 28 Mar 2011 00:06
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Back south across the high plateau from Twizel and
back through the Lindis Pass, but instead of turning right (west) for Wanaka, it
was straight on (south) through Cromwell to Queenstown. The road followed
mountain passes and gorges and was another spectacular drive through tussock
covered or bare rock mountains. This area is inland and sheltered from the rains
that fall to the west, so very little vegetation grows here. It was another
sunny day and before reaching Queenstown we stopped at Arrowtown,
a preserved and very picturesque old gold mining town. A spot on the river
here was one of the locations in Lord of the Rings so had to
be checked out. After a leisurely wander round the town (it's that
sleepy sort of place) it was on to Queenstown for a 1 night stop.
Queenstown is the adventure capital of NZ and all the things
you read about can be found - bungy jumping, jet-boat riding,
white-water rafting, mountain climbing and trekking, skiing (in winter) - it's
all here. As a result we were not sure what we would find and whether we would
like the town. As it turned out, it is a lovely town, well laid out with a good
array of shops, and with fantastic views. The town is on the shores at the
head of Lake Wakatipu (perhaps only 3 miles wide, but 30-40 miles
long) and surrounded on all other sides by high mountains. As a result the town
has expanded up the sides of the mountains and our motel, actually a 3
storey town house, was high up on the hillside with superb views
across the town, lake and surrounding mountains. The road up to it was so steep
you felt you had to walk carefully to avoiding falling down it. It must be
horrendous in winter with ice and snow on the road.
Being in the adventure capital of NZ we had to do something.
Bungy jumping was definitely out, so we had a go at jet-boating. The
Shotover Jet - 'The World's Most Exciting Jet Boat Ride' according to
brochure and it didn't disappoint! It tore through narrow canyons and
gorges in sometimes very shallow water at breakneck speeds
of over 50 mph. The ride was breathtaking and the scenery stunning. We
all survived!
 Scenery going back through Lindis
Pass.
 The road is high up and winds through the
mountains.
 The old Kawarau suspension bridge across one of
the many gorges. It's now used for bungy jumping!
 The view from the suspension bridge looking down
the gorge at the new bridge that's replaced it.
 The river at Arrowtown - very picturesque and one
of the locations in Lord of the Rings.
 Arrowtown main street.
 The old Post and Telegraph building
in Arrowtown.
 Our motel in Queenstown, a townhouse. Every motel
we've stayed in has been different.
 This and the 2 below are views across Queenstown
from our motel room.
   The spectacular Shotover river canyon with one of
the jet boats screaming past. The boat has a video
camera high on the bow and stern, so we have a
video of our ride (should we ever forget it!).
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