It gets light here so late that we didn't get up until 9am but perhaps all the rain in the night had something to do with it as it pattered away on the roof just above our heads. Still after a nice hot shower we set off for Queenstown. Our first stop was Lake Tekapo. Even though it was misty and damp it still looked stunning,a vast opal blue lake which with others in the area feed eight hydroelectric power stations. Their water flows very slowly along a network of large canals to avoid filling the turbines with gravel. By the lake is a statue of a collie and a little church consecrated in honour to the shepherds who pioneered agriculture in the area that for the most part is almost desert with rocks and stones more abundant than anything resembling grass. At the next lake we bought some local salmon which is farmed in the lakes. By now we were quite high up in the mountains and as we neared the Lindis Pass the rain returned,turning into sleet and then snow just as two snowploughs came towards us clearing the road. Thankfully the snowy conditions only lasted a couple of miles as we descended into the next valley which appeared to be the Gibston valley wine region with row upon row of neat vineyards nestling by the road underneath some imposing mountains. At the next town we filled up with diesel and found that it was half the price of fuel in the UK but petrol seemed to be a similar price. Not long after having driven past a couple of bungee jumping places off bridges we found ourselves back in civilisation with international fast food outlets,roundabouts and people everywhere. We had arrived in Queenstown clinging to a mountain side by another vast lake more like a fjord.