Queenstown, halloween, quad biking

Friday, October 30, 2015
Queenstown, South Island, New Zealand
Arrive back in Queenstown which is really growing on us, we check into nice cabins with TV woohoo!   Drinks, snacks, Kel's beef stew (yum) and game of UNO, Terry and I gang up on Kel, that 3rd wild draw 4 four in a row was the high point, or the low point for Kel.

Big morning, we meet up with Scotty at Off Road Adventures, like many of our tour guides he is rather cute and its difficult to concentrate on the instructions .... He asks if we have ridden quads before and we give him the rundown, Mauritius x 3, Thailand, Phuket x 2, Wellington x 2, Fiji and Borneo and he realizes the pressure is on.

We gear up and he puts us through our paces on the training track, lots of mud and we are covered in it already. Almost two hours of steep tracks, small creek crossings and mud puddles, rocky challenges, river verge riding and at least 10 jumps in a row (did this 3 times) and we are having a ball.   Lots of standing up as we ride will take its toll later.....sore thighs!

We get to the end and Scotty says, ok that's it but i have one last thing to show you girls, hop on the back of my bike i want to do something with you, well my attention goes haywire....but i jump on and hang on tight, told to not let go! He takes off on the two back wheels, front in the air, I am somewhere between laughing and screaming, but enjoying the hanging on part. Bit further we are now on two right wheels, what a blast .

Kel and I then head off to Onsen Hot Pools, indulgence package of champas, ice-cream, fragrance oil and this amazing hot tub. When getting in we push the button and the timber framed glass rolls up offering an great view of shotover river and the Shotover Jet Boats are screaming through. Definitely a great way to relax after the quads.

So now that we are refreshed from the hot pools, its time to get ready for our Halloween pub crawl. We dress up in our costumes (best $3 ever spent) and head into town, first stop Pub on Wharf, then Little Blackwood for a cheese board and rum cocktails and then -Minus 5 Bar (actually minus 8 in side the bar) completely made out of ice, even the glasses, we are given gloves and warm jackets before heading in, soooo amazing, cocktails good too, but you cant stay in their too long or you will freeze your nuts off! Headed back to pub on Wharf 
for more drinks and music. All in all great night out!

After walking around Queenstown with both an Australian and New Zealand flag on my back, it was finally time for the game, was a struggle to wake up at 4 .30am, but did it, got a bit excited when the Aussies appeared to have the momentum after half time, but just love the way Dan Carter took control. The concentration looking at the the ball, then the goal posts, then the ball and whoosh, what a legend, Well done All Blacks!

Sunday sleep in and then off to the Kiwi Bird Park and Gondolas, we learn that they only mate for four months of the year, the eggs are 1/5th of their whole body weight and the girls are bigger than the boys. If they fail to mate in the four months, they wait till next year!!

Jumped on the Gondola up the mountain, very scary and Terry was mucking around making the Gondola sway, threatened with death he stopped luckily for him, views stunning and watched a canyon swing and luge in action. Had to pike out of the Luge our legs were too swore from Quad Biking, absolutely no way we could even bend down to get in them - something to save for next time. :)

Lunch at Atlas Beef Cafe......awesome Beef, hash brown and bacon burger with amazing sauce, we ask the staff for the recipe but of course its a secret.   Quick refresh and back to Atlas as we needed to experience more of their menu and need the ingredients for that sauce.....Pork Belly with Kumara Mash with Ginger and ..........

After five attempts at coaxing the wait staff and them running between us and the Chefs, Wig and Sam, we receive the huge recipe folder complete with food bits and finger prints and allowed to take a photo of the recipe, big Trip Advisor entry coming your way guys, great food!

 

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