Intrepid did it again, another great tour. Great locations, an outstanding tour guide, and lots of fun with nice & interesting fellow travelers. However, there was one best day; it started with kayaking on a beautiful lake, included a rainforest walk with stunning views, and included a helicopter ride to the top of Fox Glacier (and of course another great dinner).
Paul had tried to go in the morning, but the weather didn’t cooperate. By the afternoon it had cleared up, so a figured “carpe diem” (which wasn’t hard because it was relatively inexpensive). Ollie, as a tourism professional, got to come with. Quick trip, but awesome (check video clips below)…
Normally, I don’t like tagging (graffiti and street art can be great), but this first pic had some impact. On our way to Wanaka, we stopped at a beach and a couple of great waterfalls. (Great view from our hotel.)
On a tip from Ollie, we went to this great smokehouse restaurant and got the group platter (sorry, can’t remember names). Paul was overwhelmed by his wine tasting flight, and the platter served six! Note that famous Wanaka Tree, small but majestic as in grew out of a fence post.
It was kinda rainy, but I managed to take a bike ride around a peninsula. Note the Google Maps screen shot that shows the extent of my ride around Beacon point (we were staying at the “W” in Wanaka). That evening Ollie had a gig at the Brew Bar and of course we groupies showed up. The next day there was a rainbow and we were off to Queenstown…
Queenstown was the end of my Intrepid tour (altho’ it continued for some of the others). But I spent two nights there on my own before renting a car and continuing my adventures. Perhaps my favorite town on the South Island (altho’ Dunedin is pretty cool), I first explored the garden on the peninsula…
Tramping Queenstown…
That first day I also took the gondola for the spectacular views :(but skipped the luge ride): The bean collage artwork was near the viewing deck.
That evening included anthropological observations of the significant night life there. There were a few street performers, and one, Reuben Stone, was particularly outstanding. The crowd were wearing headphones with blue lights, and to experience his music you had to have ’em on. The video clip below does not reflect his music, altho’ you can hear him play the trombone. To experience the Reuben Stone vibe, check out this clip on Youtube.
Like Wanaka, I’ve documented my lakeside bike ride with a Google Map screen shot. I started near the “s” in Queenstown and rode around most of the Frankton arm of Lake Wakatipu, which included crossing the historic dam (near the beach umbrella).
Amazingly, on my second evening in Queenstown, I met Jan Willey and her huband Tom for dinner. Our dad’s had been best of friends from when they were kids through adulthood, and I have several memories of our families getting together over the years. She had reached out about being in New Zealand (and had visited Ron in Rotorua), so we made the connection and had much to discuss. (Scroll to the bottom for a bonus shot.)
The next day I rented a car at the Queenstown airport and started the perilous process of driving on the left side of the road. I headed to Milford Sound and beyond, but you’ll have to wait for NZ Pt. 3 for more…
Here are some video clips, all very short. First up, just two from our helicopter ride, Ollie playing at the Brew Bar in Wanaka, the Queenstown Gondola, and Reuben Stone busking (but to hear what everyone who had the headphone could hear, check him out in Berlin)…
The blast from the past bonus pic. This is my dad, Evan Vail, and Jan’s dad, Allan Willey, at poker night in LA sometime in the 1940’s. Crazy to have reconnected after so many decades…
