Days 9 & 10 - The buzz and beauty that is Queenstown!!
 
Unfortunately I awoke to yet another sleepless night and feeling awful we decided that a 10 hour hike would probably not be the best thing for me, so we headed for Queenstown instead! After eating more porridge overlooking the 'wilderness conservation area' we headed through more remote farmland and impressive snow mountain scenery towards Queenstown . The view we met as we turned the corner to see Lake Wakatipu surrounded by 'The Remarkables' was just stunning and we stopped by the lake for a while just to take it all in. On arriving in the town, I was pretty shocked to see how much it had changed in the last 11 years. Compared to the one high street, it now had a mecca of boutique hotels and restaurants with wharfs and apartments lining the lake, very different from the near sleepy place I experienced when I last was here... It was still as chilled though and after taking the van to the garage for repairs, we parked up, and then watched the sunset over the lake and mountains. That night we decided that beer was in order so many a bar within the town was experienced including the infamous 'Ferg Burger', the largest and most tasty burgers you have ever seen! After a few games of pool and way too many pints and spirits, we collapsed back into the camper in the wee early hours. Nood Gight!
 
With pretty thick heads in the morning, we decided that the best way to cure our hangovers was to climb up a few hundred metres up to Bobs Peak and sweat out the alcohol! After more van issues, we finally got it to the garage where it was to be fixed at last and headed up the mountain! The track up was mega steep all the way with no downs whatsoever, just up, up and more up and on 9 pints of larger we both found it pretty tough to say the least! I think to anyone in the vicinity they would have thought two steam trains were passing, and they say this exercise lark is good for your health!! The views when we finally got the top though were worth it and we actually found that the hangovers had eased somewhat, ready for us to have a go at something slightly mad called 'Luging!' The basic idea is to sit in a tiny plastic go kart and roll down a track to the bottom and get on a chair lift and do it all again . Having donned the obligatory helmet and rode the chairlift to the top we were briefed on the basic workings of the "vehicle" i.e. to brake - pull the handles back. That's as technical as it got. You have to test run on the scenic route, before you attempt the advanced course. As you fly down the track the sensation of speed is heightened by being so close to the ground. Nicola seemed slightly restrained on her first run but I then realised the signs for the tunnels on the course had not helped. Life can be hard being a claustrophobe! The second run was far more exhilarating and much quicker. All this adrenaline had cleared our heads it was a great feeling. The return journey down the mountain was back down the same way but this time it took half the time and half the effort. Arriving at the garage to pick up the sickly van we were told more work was required the next day with more new parts. This sort of fitted in with our plans but the van is becoming a little bit fragile. That evening we headed out up along the lake road towards the town of Glenorchy where the next morning a jet boat was awaiting us! Finding a site for the evening proved quite difficult and we ended up in a little car park off the side of the road where we thought we were quite well hidden . An early night after the day's exertions was needed.
 
Day 11 Jet Boating up the Dart Valley of Glenorchy
 
A somewhat sleepless night for yours truly, whilst sleeping beauty had finally managed to get her head down for several hours at last!. This freedom camping is great, just park up where you like and spend the evening hoping no policeman or conservation ranger will move you on. Having thought we were well hidden we were very surprised to see just how conspicuous we were in the cold light of day. An additional problem is your imagination and mine had run wild the previous night, every sound was someone outside coming to attack the van and eat my crisps. Having set the alarm early doors to give us plenty of time to start the van - it started with only a hint of protestation something about law and sods comes to mind, the mountain setting we awoke too though was pretty cool to say the least!
 
We duly arrived at jet boat HQ for registration and lifejackets. It was a beautiful morning and the colours of the surrounding countryside was spectacular . Our guide for the day was Dion a no nonsense Kiwi who knew his nature and could drive a jet boat very fast. These boats are designed to skim the surface of the water and turn on a sixpence and in the process get the passengers very wet. In addition I was under orders not to crush Nikki's ribs again as I had done on the practice spin. Infact it was suggested by our guide I move to the outside of Nik which I duly did. The Dart valley and Mount Aspiring National Park, as well as being an area of outstanding beauty, has been the location for some of the scenes from the Lord of the rings films & The Chronicles of Narnia. Whole areas have for short periods been under siege from film crews providing much entertainment for the locals. As the boat flew across the surface and pirouetted on its own axis splashing all of us inside, our guide showed off his knowledge of the land all around us. Quite how people made a living from this barren environment is pretty incredible. The Maori used to camp along the river in their search for the "Pounamu" the greenstone highly prized and coveted by the tribes . As we zigzagged along the course of this very low river the mountains on all sides seemed to loom higher and higher. The day before it had been minus 4°C and you could still see the lingering effects of the frost on the rocks and riverbank. This time of year the river is low and our guide navigated his way up the valley with ease stopping at various points along the way highlighting landmarks. After a couple of hours we stopped and took a walk in the forest alongside the river looking for deer tracks unfortunately we struggled to keep the noise down somewhat (Nik!) As we tramped our way the guide pointed out signs of various animals and talked us through the various steps the conservation dept have to take to keep the rodent and vermin population down. After a quick snack and ourselves being eaten alive by the sandflies it was back on the boat for the exhilarating journey back to the base. After more spins and breakneck speeds through the corners we were back. It was a wonderful way to spend a morning, especially to be able to reach such remote, mountainous parts of NZ we couldn't have seen in the camper and having it as an engagement present from my parents made it all the more special . Thanks P&B!
 
Back in the van, after following the beauty that is the Wakatipu lake, it was back to the garage for further repairs which we thought would only take 10 minutes however it turned out to be a bigger job than we realised. Having an afternoon spare we didn't know what to do with ourselves. A quiet afternoon around Queenstown taking in the lake and the surroundings was just the ticket, whilst skimming a few stones on route! Back at the garage and all fixed we headed to a campsite only for the van to start losing power up the many hills around here. Rushing quickly back to the garage they appeared to fix the problem but on leaving once more the van was clearly not itself. It remains to be seen what we shall do tomorrow. Watch this space.
 
Nik spent the evening as she said practicing to be wife material by cooking a casserole no less than Chicken Chasseur and mash potato not a bad meal all in all, helped very well by the last remains of our box of 'Country Wine!' Day 12 is just around the corner and our plans are suitably vague......Good night.