New Zealand Holiday - week 8 - Queenstown and Alexandra - 18th March to 25th March
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Taking flight from Nelson.
Flying down to Queenstown.
Queenstown - the Adventure capital of NZ
We threw ourselves into this place. Well, I fed the ducks and TW patted a dog, oh and we caught a bus. The other tourist were jumping off bridges with only an elastic band to save them from a watery end. They were riding a Shark, a motorised monster that speeds around the Lake in leaps and bounds. Some were taking jet boats along the river followed by a death defying luge trip on Bob's Peak. For us, the new Gondola was a very sedate ride and more our style. It climbs up to the Skyline where on TW's birthday, we had a lovely Buffet Dinner. Probably the riskiest activity we undertook. I absolutely smashed the Buffet, piling up Giant Prawns, Sushi, Smoked Salmon, Steak, Venison, Salad and more. I was more selective on the desert, just an Apple Crumble. The after Dinner Activity was star-gazing. we were so lucky to have a clear night as our guide took us on a tour of the Heavens. From the Southern Cross to the Milky Way and back. It wasn't too cold either. Mind you we had thermals on and they supplied a thick jacket suitable for Antarctica. We did not hire a car for our first few days in Queenstown. We survived the local buses but they are terribly slow. at least we had no parking problems.
Looking down on Queeenstown
Starring Tonight
Dining at the Skyline
Arrowtown
Arrowtown, a charming and well-preserved village, is one of Queenstown's nearby neighbors. Its wooden buildings and riverside setting make it a delightful destination. In autumn, the trees burst into a spectacle of color. While it may be a bit touristy, we enjoyed a leisurely walk by the river and had a tasty lunch at the Fork and Tap. TW bought a woolen shawl. Its a nice cycle ride from Queenstown.
Arrowtown
Baaah
Arrowtown
Queenstown to Arrowtown on a bike
TSS Earnslaw
The TSS Earnslaw was commissioned by New Zealand Railways to cater to the communities surrounding Lake Wakatipu. It's construction started in 1911, and after dismantling, the ship's hull plates were shipped from Dunedin to Kingston across the South Island. The Earnslaw was reconstructed and launched on February 24, 1912, and it embarked on its inaugural journey to Queenstown on August 18, 1912. Incredibly that's the the same year as the Titanic!
Brilliant to see that the Earnslaw is still steaming through the blue waters of Lake Wakatipu. Still going strong. It steams to Walter Peak Farm, on the far end of the Lake' every morning. Most passengers disembark and have Lunch and return on a later sailing. We chose to sail straight back to Queenstown and were a bit envious of the diners as they disembarked. However, we really loved the return journey without the hordes of tourists. The Captain allowed me to climb up on the Bridge after we docked and he took a couple of snaps of yours truly in command.
The Steamship Earnslaw
TSS Earnslaw Cruising on Lake Wakatipu
Taking the wheel
On the bridge
This lounge would have been packed on the outward voyage
Shadowy figures at the Skyline
A walk in the Park
Woofer - wouldn't fit in TW's suitcase.
The beach in Queenstown from the Park
Kelvin Heights
A pleasant ride around the Peninsula that is home to the Golf Course was on our agenda. We rented bikes at the Hilton for half a day. It was quite a peaceful area away form the bustle of Queenstown and it was an enjoyable ride. We dropped into the Golf Course for a drink in the Club House and chatted with some friendly locals.
Kelvin Heights - around the Peninsula on our bikes
The monstrous mechanical Shark leaps out of the water
An afternoon ride across Dorset 70km Dorchester to Beer I passed this way a year ago and really enjoyed the Dorset countryside on NCN 2. It’s a nice quiet route albeit with a few hills particularly on the approach to Devon. Hardy Monument Typical Dorset Countryside Set off down the Weymouth Road in Dorchester for a short distance and then took a right turn to join NCN 2. The City and the traffic were soon left behind and I was into open country. Headwind today! A bit bumpy across a farm track before getting back on the road through Martinstown and heading up the big hill towards the Hardy Monument. Need to be hardy to get up there! This is not a memorial to Thomas Hardy, the local author, but to Sir Thomas Masterman Hardy (kiss me Hardy) a distant relation who captained HMS Victory at Trafalgar. It’s closed at the moment but, when open, it provides great views from its chimney top towards Portland. For every uphill there is fortunately a downhill and I cruised down an
A seat with the choir - 26th October 2013 In the cheap seats again Royal Albert Hall in October TW likes to make sure we have the occasional dose of Culture, bit like the winter flu jab. Where better to go than the iconic Royal Albert Hall. It is only an hour in the car, parking is easy and it is a keenly priced £18 for a comfy seat. Very reasonable when you have a top Orchestra, The Royal Philharmonic, and 500 singers to entertain you for the evening. I felt a bit under-dressed when we arrived as the seats next to us were occupied by elegant Ladies in posh frocks. When TW pointed out they were the choir and were the hired help for the evening I felt a lot more comfortable. Sitting alongside the choir is actually not too bad, have just to remember not to stand up when they do. Hearing them sing is also not a problem. Take your seats The programme contained familiar tunes. The warm up was the William Tell Overture. He was a Swiss chap he used to sit an Apple on his son'
An Italian Escape With Covid in abeyance and another health issue resolved it was time to head South for a week in Italy. Bologna 17th May 2022 We chose the noble City of Bologna as our starting point and BA from LHR our carrier of choice. We had a shedload of BA credits from all our cancelled flights over the Winter so we even took checked luggage! Really great to be landing in Italy and even better that they did not make us line-up in the 'Other Passport' queue, we were straight through the e-gates onto the Marconi shuttle into the City. Bologna Station is a bit of a maze and we struggled to find our way out. Eventually we found a long overpass that took us to the front of the building and a Taxi to our digs for the first two nights. Coincidentally this was in Via Marconi. I thought the comms pioneer was an adopted Englishman but clearly he is very well remembered over here. Our La Dolla Apartment was really nice and modern, a bit of a contrast to the lobby and stairs but th
A long-standing commitment meant a Saturday night visit to the Mayflower Theatre in Southampton. The show was about a novice nun who goes to work in the house of a retired Navy man with seven kids. You can guess what happens next, the kids are jumping in and out of bed with her, they do things with goats, the father goes off and the children go wild and are dressed up in curtain material. Should have been in the News of the World, or a case for Social Services, but you guessed it, the Sound of Music on stage! It was quite good actually, should have been Connie Fisher in the Maria role. She won the TV programme to find a Maria for the West End show. At the interval Jacqui asked the lady next to me ‘who is playing Maria’ as it obviously was a stand-in? (we were too tight to buy a programme). “It’s not Connie and I’m cross, in fact I’m very cross, I’m going to tell them I’m cross. I only came to see Connie!” - whoops. I thought it was hilarious, if it was White Hart Lane and Harry making
The Sound of Raindrops on Roses Salzburg still looks pretty good in bad weather and a few raindrops on the roses didn’t dampen our enthusiasm for a wander around the narrow streets and gardens of the old town. The streets were empty as the tourists were forced inside. We joined them eventually and had a nice delayed birthday meal at St Peters Stiftskeller. This claims to be the oldest restaurant in Central Europe, it’s been serving since 803 AD. The toilets are much more recent. The cheap end of the menu is pretty reasonable. That’s one of many good things about Austrian restaurants. The first glance at the menu might cause a sharp intake of breath but they normally have a few simple, standard, dishes that locals can afford.
Heading for Wellington and the South Island. Seatoun Coastal Tour Highway One took us Southward from Wanganui. The morning's highlight was a coffee break in the lively town of Foxton at the delightful Robert Harris Cafe The young lady who took our order, seemingly around ten years old, was remarkably efficient. The patrons were all locals with many wearing sporting gear, giving us the impression that Foxton is a town enthusiastic about sports? Kapiti Coast Next stop, the challenging-to-pronounce Paraparaumu. It was our first time using Airbnb, and our initial experience in Raumati South was extremely positive, thanks to Ngahuia . Our very comfortable property was in the front garden of a house in a quiet residential road. We even extended our stay as it was so nice. We had planned to take a boat to Kapiti Island, but the forecast of rain and gales made us reconsider. This was the first bout of bad weather on our trip. With Wellington just a short drive away, we decided to pay a
Bad Hofgastein to Flachau - March 2010 Heading for home - above Alpendorf - downhill to the bus stop The Ski Amade lift pass that we buy for the Gastein Valley also covers a large slice of this region of Austria. Today’s tour took us over to Flachau, home village of the Herminator, Hermann Maier. Leaving the Gastein Valley at Dorfgastein we took the lift and skied down to Grossarl. From there the local bus took us on a 15 minute trip down the Grossarl valley to Alpendorf, an alpine village above St. Johann in Pongau. A succession of lifts and ski runs took us over the Gernkogel, Sonntagskogel and Grafenberg summits and down into Wagrain. At Wagrain it was a short shuttle bus ride, soon to be a lift, across town to the Flying Mozart lift and onwards up to the Griessenkareck summit above Flachau. Time out for lunch in the Waldgasthof then down the Hermann Maier World Cup run to Flachau valley station. Have to say I liked the look of Flachau. From what I saw it has wide open sl
The Sounds and Otago This might just be the Mirror Lake! After spending a week in Queenstown, we bid farewell to our apartment in Remarkables Park and embarked on our journey to Te Anau, the gateway to Milford Sound. The route was quite straightforward. Along the way, we stopped at Bracken Hall in Mossburn, an old-fashioned shop that seemed to sell everything. After purchasing a plush Kiwi, we continued to Te Anau. We had pre-booked at Parklands Motel, where we checked in early before going out for lunch. The owner was incredibly helpful, offering valuable advice for our excursion the following morning, including parking tips at Milford Sound. She also recommended a great spot for lunch, the Sandfly , located in the town center. It was a bustling Kiwi cafe, and although busy, we were content to wait for our vegetarian breakfasts. Following lunch, we made our way to Lake Manapouri, which is roughly a 20-minute journey. This lake serves as the departure point for the Doubtful Sound Tour.
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