Day 11 continued -
Mid-afternoon, we arrived at Wanaka. We had about an hour in town, to walk around the shops or along the beach. The guides treated us to some very delicious ice cream. If looking for native fibers, this location has some very nice wool/possum items, from socks to capes at reasonable prices.
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The week before we were there, it had rained for several days, and the water levels in the lake were very high. Here is a picture of one of the Lake Wanaka piers, with some kids standing on the end of the pier which is under water.
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We again deviated from the published plan. From here the next hour’s drive was supposed to be on the highest highway in New Zealand, known as the Crown Range, which is often impassable in winter. It was open but we took the faster, low route into Queenstown instead. The scenery was still very good, but Crown Range is spectacular.
As we continued towards Queenstown, we saw the Bungee Bridge we will be biking across the next day. Looked pretty high to us!
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We arrived at our hotel, the Hotel St Moritz Queenstown, where we had a group dinner that evening. We were expecting a light meal—pizza. But beware! We started with a couple of pizzas for the group —thinking that’s all. Then more, then more, then salad— pasta, and then more. And Grifdog’s DW still fit in dessert! “So many desserts, so little time!”
Our rooms face the lake, with fabulous views of the Remarkables mountains, used as the backdrop for several scenes in the Lord of the Rings trilogy.
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Truly a beautiful drive today! Tomorrow we’ve got jet boats and horses.