Days 6 & 7

The road to Wanaka is very scenic – changes from rainforest to river flats with the wide rocky/pebbly river beds and fast flowing, very cold looking water. We had lunch at a place called Makarora, where there is a cafe, an airstrip and not much else. Onward to Wanaka, we literally came round a bend to see the stunning Lake Wanaka before us. It is a huge body of water which is very blue and very still, with great reflections of the trees and mountains on its edges, and the autumn foliage is stunning. There are a great many deciduous trees as well as the ubiquitous pines, and the colours are many and varied. The road took us from the eastern side of Lake Wanaka to the western edge of Lake Hawea, another very beautiful lake. We followed this all the way to the town of Wanaka where they are in the middle of the Festival of Autumn Colour. There is at least one textile art event to see, a patchwork shop (of course) and the dentist for me. The girls went shopping while I visited the dentist (now fancy that) and more lovely wool and beads were bought.

DAY 7 WANAKA TO QUEENSTOWN

Well we are on the final leg of our road trip, which has seen lots of laughter and good humour and a well thought out fitness regime for us all as we re-pack the van each morning. We are now very good at fitting 5 people, luggage and shopping into the back of a Toyota Previa, sort of like an Avensis. We had one more hour in Wanaka before setting off to take in the textile art exhibition on the route that we were taking to Queenstown. The exhibition was well worth the stop – very innovative work and a good variety of techniques.

The drive to Queenstown was interesting to say the least – only 70 kms or so, but a steep climb followed by, you guessed it, a very steep descent. The views were breathtaking from the top of the mountain which we travelled across, with the valley so far down. Still, it took no time at all, and some very strong smelling brakes, before we were down to Arrowtown, a hop, skip and a jump from Queenstown, and soon we were rolling into our final destination. Queenstown is located on Lake Wakatipu, and is surrounded on all sides by mountains – magnificent!

First stop was the arts and crafts market on the lake front, and some lunch. We then checked into our lovely apartment and got some grocery essentials before returning our transport. All were glad to unpack suitcases and happy at the thought of being in a place for more than one night. Still a quiet night in was chosen, as Buffy and Wilma have a trip to Milford Sound organised for tomorrow. Maureen and Maree are off to Arrowtown, and Elaine gets a quiet day at home to catch up on the blog, some study and do a few necessary chores.