Queenstown

We were now on our way from Christchurch to Queenstown – a bit of a bus ride as you can see by this map.

We would be spending the next several days here.  We checked into the Rydges Lakeside Resort.

I don’t think I have mentioned yet how beautiful New Zealand is.  To give you an example, here are views that greeted us at breakfast each morning.

We had several things scheduled for our first full day in Queenstown.  First was another Skyline Gondola ride.  I really don’t like cable cars.

The view from the top was impressive, though.

After the gondola ride it was off to a wine tour and tasting at Gibbston Valley Wineries.

Kathy posed next to the greeter at the winery.

We left there and headed to Arrowtown, an historic gold mining town.  This stop really made Kathy’s day.  I won’t say why, but I am sure you can figure it out from this picture.

I would not be telling the truth if I said some purchases weren’t made here.  Arrowtown is basically a  one street town.

From there we headed back to the hotel because we had dinner plans.

At 5:30 that evening we headed down to the dock, a five minute walk from the hotel and boarded the TSS Ernslaw which would take us to Walter Peak for a gourmet BBQ and sheep sheering show.  The Ernslaw

is a steam powered boat, so for the entire trip, about 1 hour, this guy shoveled coal.

The sun set while we were on the boat giving us some beautiful sights.

People just sat and enjoyed the trip.

At Walter Peak our group was assigned a table for dinner.

The meal was delicious.

After eating, we went outside to a large shed for the sheep shearing show.  We had someone explain to us how, when, and why the sheep were sheared.

He then went about defleecing(?) a sheep.

After that it was a stop at the mandatory gift shop.  I did buy myself a pair of gloves because I didn’t take any with me and it was cold.

We then headed back to the ship for our trip back to the hotel and a well earned sleep.  Next week, Milford Sound.