Queenstown - First Adventures

Leaving the dreary gray of Auckland and the remnants of cyclone Gabrielle we plunged up through the clouds back into bursting sunlight.  Danforth looked over to me and said "above the clouds it's always sunny."  Isn't that some truth for life ;)

The trip to Queenstown (on NZ's south island) was brief; passing the time with card games and an attempt to doze off. As we got further South we gaped out the window at an ever increasing array of rugged mountains.  Towering snow capped peaks, golden rolling hillsides, stripes of tree line, jagged rock, rich blue river below.  

We landed on the tarmac and de-boarded outside, under clear sunny skies & surrounded by mountains. Queenstown is known for being one of the most adventure-driven cities in the world. The beckoning for exploration was felt immediately.  

So we dove right in, a mere intention to take a quick peek at the river just below the airbnb, turned into a multi-hour venture. Skipping stones, wading, ducking under trees along the shore, & basking in the beauty of towering mountain peaks above the rich blue lake. We meandered on and eventually found our way up a gigantic hill and into the center of all the hubub of the city.  After bopping around shops and shoreline downtown, we crossed paths with Celeste (Corey's cousin) and Tom, and they took him to pick up our truck. (A friend of Corey's cousin is loaning us his truck with a pop-up roof tent and completely equipped with camping gear!)

Corey had an immediate crash course of driving on the Left side of the road, on a 30 minute drive back to the airbnb, through winding roads.  He returned triumphant without any damage, besides needing a little recoup time. 

Meanwhile, the kids accidentally got into some mud while running in the grass, so it was back down to the river to bathe and scrub clothes clean! 

Morning brought some semblance of a little routine; stretching, exercises while listening to audio books, & sitting with tea/coffee near the trickling creek, taking in the mountains and chatting.  

Then packing up for the day ahead...

We took a ride up mountainside in a gondola: Squealing with oohs and ahhs at the steady vertical ascent. At the cafe on top, a balcony held breathtaking views of the Lake Wakatipu & a silent trickle of bright orange paragliders drifting past.

 Then it was off to grab a helmet and hop aboard the chair lift to head to the top of the luge run!  After a brief "drivers lesson" we shot off down the track, feeling like gigantic kids; red cheeked, plastered grins, laughs and screams of delight as the track twisted and turned all the way to the finish line! ( Take some advice from Danforth tho, one should slow down before getting into the narrow tracks at the end or one might just come flying off...whoops! :-/ ) 

After a few runs, we recouped in the shade with a steak and pepper meat pie & fish and chips, before climbing aboard the gondola and heading back into town.

We raced across town to the dock to board the jetboat just in time for departure. It was a wild whipping ride full of tricks, spins, close encounters, splashing water, darting over rapids, and darting escapades through narrow riverways.  To add to my permanent grin, through whipping hair and rattling sunglasses I took in the rolling mountains along the way that echoed familiar Lord of the Rings landscapes. It was one hour of top speed sight seeing, and then one last spin and splash before hopping off the boat and heading back into town. 

Along the shore in town, we stumbled upon gigantic sequoias and immaculate gardens outside the bocce ball clubhouse on the town garden peninsula.  Meandering to the playground beside the beach, we rested and played in the shade.

Back at the bnb, after a wholesome dinner, we explored the dense woods along the creek, through woods of thick ferns and trek along a logging road. Running through the tall grasses downhill, stopping only to smell the flowers.

We tucked in for the night, wiped out, skin tanned and feet tougher.  Kids diligently sketching out memories of the day to keep. 

Then next say brought a jaunt out of Queenstown to Bob's Cove to meet up with Celeste & Tom. We enjoyed shaded paths in the woods, alongside a gorgeous bay with water clean enough to drink of (Tom went right on over and filled up his water bottle, so we followed along!), and a short ascent brought us to a stunning overlook, with a 360* view of the peninsula and rolling terrain.

The expansive views never get old, though trying to articulate it in words does ;)  There's a sense we ought to be better at somehow taking in the view inside of ourselves, but that there's some kind of defincicy inhibiting that from happening.  We try our darndest though. I figure it's a little glimpse of the vast eternal creativity of God.  And as Corey said that by being here we're to "engrain this sense of place and keep it forever as a place deep in the psyche to return to."   

We decided to head further up the road to Glenorchy. The drive was stunning, as roads wound along the lake, every turn warranted new exclamations.  The LOTR soundtrack kept resonating in my mind; as golden hills, black mountains, & snow capped peaks beyond all rung of Middle Earth scenes.  (Indeed this area is actually known for filming some scenes!)  

Glenorchy itself is a quiet sleepy place (they say Queenstown on sedatives, ha!).  After a brief lunch, we lounged riverside, and kids immersed their feet in river and in mud.  As I lay on the pebbles riverside, I considered that high school Meg would be disappointed in my lack of effort to take the extra hour to see some of the actual LOTR sites - but the adult me cherished this pause, this moment of stilllness, and the mere fact of laying upstream from "Isenguard"and the "woods of Lothlorien" was satisfactory in itself! 

The return to Queenstown brought kids singing their CC memory work songs, a stop for a beet late and souvenir shopping, and dozing once the epic winding roads alongside the lake and mountains were behind us. 

We enjoyed that evening in town. Sitting and listening to an ensemble of bagpipes with young dancers we were struck at what a proud and powerful sound it was, sending shivers up the arms and bring tears to the eyes. 

The spectacular painted dusky sky set in, the mountains above the lake absolutely jaw dropping gorgeous. We took it all in; couples strolling past, children chasing ducks, and beach loungers packing their things.

  

The following day was a rest day, for writing, painting, reading, and playing games in the little studio bnb. Taking time to wash clothes and chase the sunny spots to hang laundry. A trip to "Sally" (Salvation Army) to grab sleeping bags for eventual camping.  Organizing gear and luggage.

We then spiced up the evening by attending a local rugby match. 

Merging into crowds streaming into the venue, we were handed Highlander's flags, and joined the crowds seated in the grass. Teams of thick beefy men pounded shoulders together as they grunted and chanted, getting pumped up for the game. We mowed down a sausage topped with onions, wrapped in a slice of buttered bread, while crowds got amped up at the arrival of a helicopter delivering some "very important people", and soon the game kicked off and began!  

We had virtually no idea what was happening, but it was glorious and insane. 

In full body contact, their bodies twisted & got slammed. Heaps would pile onto one another, and it was a mad dash tossing the ball back and forth up the field. It was mind blowing there aren't more apparent injuries.  Either that or the threshold for pain is absurdly high, these dudes are like warriors of the modern era.  Half time brings all the kids 12 and under on the field for a running race.  It seems such a safe society, kids running rampant all evening.  We seated ourselves right at the sidelines for a while and got close into the action. Occasional fly balls would come into the stands, and the crowds would hoot and holler and cheer if someone caught it! Highlanders win the game! We then headed into town for a delicious meal on the brick sidewalk eateries. 

On the walk home we ducked into a grocery store, and ran into none other than the Bride-to-be the next day, Celeste, and her sister (Corey's cousin) Liana whom we hadn't seen yet! They were grabbing last minute flowers for the wedding cake. Crazy how small the world can be and how paths can intertwine. 

Little did we know, that we should have been buying some last minute things too for the unexpected turn of events just around the corner in store for us the next morning! 

-M