Triphopopotamus

Back in Queenstown and left without a Stephen's family guide for the 2nd time since we left home we have to look around and figure things out for ourselves, try to meet people... but after one day that all seems too difficult so Ellie logs into Facebook to track down the phone number of her old friend Jessica who is from Punchestown and has been living in Queenstown for the past year.

We meet Jess at one of the many 'locals' for a drink, introductions are made and she and Ellie get reacquainted. A few jugs of beer and a game of pool later, some more of Jess's friends meet us at the bar, and we have a great night getting to know everyone and it's decided that tomorrow we will go to Wanaka for a little road trip.

Wanaka

From Ellie's pics of Wanaka

The next morning we meet Jess at her house and Ellie, Jess's friend Paul and I all set off in the car for Wanaka. Wanaka is a bit like Queenstown Jr. Smaller and with less of a resort feel to it but with a beautiful lake, mountains and adrenaline sports to boot. During the scenic drive it transpires Jess should probably wear glasses but chooses not to! We tighten our seatbelts around us and eventually all arrive in Wanaka in one piece! We pick up some picnic supplies at the local supermarket and head for a secluded little beach where we have a feast of sandwiches, crisps, fruit and chocolate while enjoying the lake view and only being disturbed by the odd excitable dog with a good nose for sandwiches. Then we practice trying to skim stones or just throw them with our left hand and see how uncoordinated we look. The word 'special' was bandied about- for all the wrong reasons!

From Ellie's pics of Wanaka

After a while the winter sun isn't quite enough to keep us warm and we pack up the car and head for home.But we couldn't go all the way to Wanaka and back without making a stop-off at the wonderfully (unintentionally) kitsch Puzzling World. which much to everyones dismay is a bit of a mouthful and we all agree plain ol 'Puzzle World' would be much easier to say!
We tackle some "mind bottling" wooden puzzles and jigsaws in the main reception area and then head for different areas of the world that is puzzling. Magic-eye pictures, sculpted faces of Einsteins and Winston Churchill's that follow you with their eyes, slanting rooms where water runs up the hill are amongst the many optical illusions and games that mess with our senses. The best illusion was a slanted room that makes you look huge when you stand on one side and tiny on the other. As with most of the attractions in this part of the world it likes to link itself to Lord Of The Rings in someway or another and this particular one informs us that this was one of the methods they used to make the hobbits look smaller than Gandalf. A camera takes a 30 second recording of you so you can mess about, run from one side of the room to the other and then go back outside and watch it on a TV screen, endless fun!

From Ellie's pics of Wanaka

From Ellie's pics of Wanaka

From Ellie's pics of Wanaka

After taking in as much of a brain-poking as our mildly hungover heads can take- and avoiding the Maze outside for the same reasons we head back towards Queenstown. On this trip we don't get to visit Wanaka's other quirky little attraction The Cinema Paradiso a tiny picture house where all the seats are couches, cushions or a half-car. We'll have to save the unique cinematic experience for our next trip this way.

On the drive home we give a quick crane of our necks as we pass by one of the famous bungy bridges to see if we can spot any thrill seekers testing the elastics, but even adrenaline junkies have to take a break sometimes I guess. We say goodbye, and go home with that satisfied feeling of a good day out and the fact that with minimum effort from myself and Ellie we seem to have acquired a new group of friends quite easily!

Run Run -self timer photo!

From Ellie's pics of Wanaka

PS. Pics courtesy of Ellie, my camera was MIA that day!

After one punctured tyre and a 6 hour car trip we arrive back to Christchurch we find it just as rainy and cold as we had left it 4 days previous. Ellie and I still hadn’t quite adapted to the weather and temperature change and make a beeline for the heater once we check into the hostel, and we don't stray too far from it until it's time to brave the outdoors again.
Museum- view from hostel

From Christchurch to Queenstown,early June

Christchurch is a pretty, British colonial looking city around the main streets and town square where a large Anglican cathedral forms the epicentre of the town. Street names, Gothic buildings, and statues of Queen Victoria give a nod to dear old England. You can stand on the bridge and watch tourists glide down the winding Avon river in little punting boats, while an old style tram rattles past and feel like you are in another era altogether. Once you venture a tad further however, the suburbs are a little flat and boring with boxy buildings. Despite the quaint prettiness of it's main centre, Christchurch in general, is actually a little flat and boring. There is a bit of a buzz about the place in the daytime hours; people playing games of giant chess in the square, kids skateboarding and shoppers shopping, but at 5pm all the shops close, the oversized chess pieces are packed away and the skater kids go home to the flat suburbs. Apart from sparsely populated bars the place becomes a bit of a ghost town once sunset rolls in.
Chess All-stars

From Christchurch to Queenstown,early June

Christchurch Cathedral

From Christchurch to Queenstown,early June

Inside Cathedral

From Christchurch to Queenstown,early June

On our last night out with Cathal and Paul we manage to find an area with a few bars. Apparently, over all there is a greater number of women than men in New Zealand, however Christchurch, at least on the evening in question appears to buck this trend quite successfully and Ellie and I sit back enjoy a midnight feast of eye candy in the shape of possible rugby stars, while Cathal and Paul grumble about the lack of ladies!

The two boys leave for Sydney the following day, we wave them off as they board the airport bus and so it's just the two of us once again. We spend the remainder of the day browsing and eating food from the stalls at a Sunday market in the grounds of the arts centre and the following day enjoy a quick stroll around the Botanic gardens which is full of autumnal colours but is no doubt more spectacular in spring and summer when the flowers are in bloom.

From Christchurch to Queenstown,early June

From Christchurch to Queenstown,early June

Gardens

From Christchurch to Queenstown,early June

From Christchurch to Queenstown,early June

From Christchurch to Queenstown,early June

On our trip back to Queenstown. Mr. Crowley (of the Crowley's from Cork, don't you know!) the bus driver man is funny and tells us local history and little facts as we pass through towns and spots of interest. E.g. Geraldine, where we stop for a toilet break. He informs us that about 60% of the population in Geraldine are retired folk who move here as it’s a couple of degrees warmer than other south island towns. As Ellie and I step off the bus all wrapped up in our winter woolies we have to laugh at the idea of one horse town Geraldine as the south islands answer to Florida. When he said “couple of degrees warmer” it mustn’t have been a figure of speech!!

An awful lot of the info we learn about the surrounding areas is often wool, sheep or farm related in some shape or form. For example Geraldine is not just a retirement hub for sun-seekers but also home to Giant Jersey, the worlds largest wooly jumper! We are just beginning to see how "small-town" New Zealand really is, and we have yet to discover the rumored toothbrush fence!

From Drop Box

The scenery on the way to Queenstown is amazing and we really get the full view of it this time around, like the snow capped peaks of New Zealand's tallest mountains Mt. Cook/Aoraki and Mt.Tasman and glacial lakes like Lake Tekapo that have this stunning blue-gray colour due to the way the glaciers grind against the rocks creating a fine dust (as we learn from the driver!). Hawks and harriers soar and swoop on the plains beside us. Once we spot one snatching up it's prey in the form of a little sparrow . Vineyards, rivers and rolling hills zip by and make my eyes dart back and forth. We make one or two more stops along the way and before we know it we are pulling up to the bus-stop in Queenstown.

From Christchurch to Queenstown,early June

fruit break!

From Christchurch to Queenstown,early June

From Christchurch to Queenstown,early June

From Christchurch to Queenstown,early June

From Christchurch to Queenstown,early June

So here we are…back in Queenstown, and now the search for jobs, houses, friends and fun begins!