mrsjono

Super clear and warm day today - weather forecast was spot on. Had breakfast in Wanaka again before heading to Queenstown via the Crown Range. Wasted some time getting into Queenstown; it was so hard to find a parking lot. Bought some bread for the next few days of lunch along the Kepler Track and gave up on the gaiters when the sales man said they won't work for normal shoes. 

An interesting stop along the Crown Range Road - The Cardrona bra fence

 

Also known as Bradrona, there is a pink donation box to raise funds for the NZ breast cancer foundation.

 

Love the way tourist attractions just developed organically over the years at minimal costs!

One of the main lookout on the Crown Range Road, probably at the summit.

After collecting our hut tickets in Te Anau, we bought some fried rice from Ming Garden and checked in to Bob & Maxine's Backpackers. 

They own a pack of alpacas - they were just opposite the above main building. 

Packing our bags for another big walk tomorrow!

Didn't have a good sleep last night because the man near us was snoring loudly in his tent. After a good breakfast in Wanaka, the sky was cloudy so I decided to go up Isthmus Peak (5-6 hours return) the next day which is forecast to be sunny. But later on I forgot it was going to be a long drive (3-4 hours) to Te Anau and there wouldn't be enough time to pick up our Kepler Track hut tickets before the Fiordland National Park visitor centre closes. Oh bugga, till next time Isthmus. Dropped by the Wanaka tree and checked out the lavender farm before moving on to Lake Hawea in the afternoon. 

 

Occasional rain and gale in exposed places was forecast over the new year when we will be on the Kepler Track. So far we've been quite lucky with the weather during our walks and the weather forecast around Luxmore Hut was making me quite apprehensive about whether we should still go ahead with the Kepler Track. We dropped by the Mt Aspiring National Park visitor centre for some advice and the DOC lady who sounded very familiar and experienced with several tracks in the area was helpful and gave us good advice. I walked away feeling more assured and prepared for what's to come. 

After setting up our tent in Hawea, we went for a walk along the lake, people watched and he decided to go for a swim. 

A spectacular place to be swimming in - pristine waters and surrounded by mountains 

According to him, the water is clear and doesn't taste salty. A colleague told me Hawea is a glacier lake and the water originated from the mountains.  

The girls had some difficulty getting their kayak out onto the water and he gave them a hand and asked if he could have a go in it later.  

Row row row your boat~

After a little row around, he returned to shore while the girls went out with their inflatables.

I am amazed that people here are so comfortable with their natural environment since young and they are so fortunate to be able to relax in such a beautiful setting. 

Lake Hawea Holiday Park was busy as well with many families and children. While using an abandoned jetboil stove (the owner had left a 'free' note on it) to cook our dinner, the flame turned out too big and melted a bit of the plastic handle on our Kathmandu pot. He started to get grumpy again.

Other than the above unhappy incident, we had a pleasant stay at Lake Hawea Holiday Park.

Queenstown's weather turned out to be way better than Invercargill and since he hasn't done the Queenstown Hill Time Walk and I really wanted to show him how beautiful it is up there, we climbed up the hill after having a slightly below average Japanese lunch in Queenstown. 

Approaching Devil's Staircase lookout

 

Watching the man next to me flying his drone - back then drones were still uncommon and they were so big and bulky they have to be stored in a suitcase.

It's a scenic drive along the Kingston arm of Lake Wakatipu as the road winds between the lake and The Remarkables mountain range.  

 

After climbing through the forest and past some residences, excitement kicks in as the sweeping views of Lake Wakatipu and mountains all around slowly came into view. 

Along the way we saw this image of "NZ 2017" arranged using stones - how did they get down there?

What would the new year bring?

So glad we are finally here together taking in such phenomenal views 

 

💓💓💓

It's a steep drive up to the starting point of the track off Belfast Terrace; this is as far as you can park (limited lots) and it will save you about 30-45 mins of uphill from the town centre.

 

Cromwell Top 10 Holiday Park was huge and quite crowded but there were only two shower complexes. I didn't read the hot shower instructions properly and ended up with cold shower. 

There was an (apple?) orchard just behind where we camped

Packed up early as rain was forecast to arrive at 7am. Charged up our devices at Hill View while having breakfast and before setting off. Dropped by the three waterfalls as planned; they were disappointing enough to make us give up on Curio & Porpoise Bay (and subsequently we abandoned our plans in the Catlins altogether). Perhaps it was because we had just seen very impressive and dramatic landscapes on the Routeburn; the Southern Scenic Route felt boring to us having just started on it for two days. The saving grace was there were a few quirky and interesting places along the way such as the Teapot Land in Owaka and the Lost Gypsy Gallery in Papatowai.

 

This private collection of teapots was started by an individual more than 10 years ago.

 

Thousands of teapots are displayed all over his garden by the road. The owner changes the display from time to time.

 

Located at 21 Main Road 

Purakaunui Falls