Day 18 Queenstown3 5th March 2011

The rain was rattling on the roof of the campervan pretty much all night from midnight through until 08.00 this morning.  There was no option but to have a lie in and anyway it’s Saturday, not that that makes any difference when you can’t remember what day it is most of the time!  Anyway it left off raining just a little after 8.00, so it was off to the shower for Maureen first.  We only have 1 bottle of shower gel, so showering is sequential.  I think that showering on a campsite is a daily venture into the unknown.  You never know what to expect when you open the door to the gents showers. All your senses are on red alert.  Which one will kick in first?  Will it be visual – a young stud preening himself ready for the adrenaline trip of the day or some wrinkly old geezer, just trying to remember what an adrenaline rush was.  Will it be the sense of smell that gets you first?  That of the old timer splashing on the Brut or the young stud that has just relieved himself of last night’s curry.  Perhaps it’s the audio sense?  No not for me I’m deaf.

This morning’s venture was an exception to the rule, as I pushed the door open, there was silence, nobody around and just the normal smell of a shower block.  I knew something wasn’t right and as I opened the shower cubicle, there occupying one of the precious coat hangers was the previous occupants underpants!!  Grey M&S briefs – obviously a Brit – were they the young studs or the old geezer thinking he was a young stud?  Either way, they were staying where they were.  I opted to move to the shower next door, which was pant free.  I showered and shaved in complete isolation – wonderful.

Back to the van for a late breakfast of boiled eggs and soldiers before getting ready for the morning exercise.  We decided to take a walk through Queenstown and the gardens before returning for lunch and heading off to Glenorchy at the top of Lake Wakatipu.  Before setting off on our walk, nature called and a return visit to the shower block was necessary.  Into the block and it was still empty, so a choice of traps was available.  Upon entering I was immediately confronted by yet another pair of men’s undies.  Now I can only see three reasons for this abundance of undergarments:

1.        There is a troop of commandoes in town on exercise.

2.       There are a lot of old men here having some very senior moments.

3.       A couple of people have already been on ‘undie staining’ adrenaline activities.

Without dwelling on which of the three options applies, we set off on our walking tour of Queenstown.  It’s very much like Lake Tahoe in California, being a summer resort, which gives way in late season to a winter ski resort and its geography is similar, in that high mountains surround a central lake.  It’s definitely the adrenaline capital of New Zealand and full of young people fulfilling their suicide tendencies.  As we strolled through the gardens it was quite noticeable that the blooms here were nearing the end of their flowering period, whereas in the botanical gardens in Christchurch, roses etc. were all in full bloom.  Even some of the trees here are starting to get a yellow hue to them.  The weather this morning was simply beautiful, with brilliant sunshine and a stiff, cool breeze blowing off the lake.  As we wandered around we encountered a farmers market in the church yard (not sure if that was a good advert for the produce) and a craft market just by the quayside selling locally produced items ranging from jade & jewellery to wool products to wooden items and everything in between. 

Morning coffee was accompanied by a poppy seed and lemon muffin and a blueberry muffin.  We reckon that the poppy seeds are good for you and the lemon and blueberries will count towards our 5 a day fruit & veg.  On that basis we can have muffins every day.  One thing that is difficult to get used to out here is the length of time that it takes to produce a cup of coffee.  With the exception of this morning, it can take up to 15 mins for the coffee to materialise, by which time the accompanying muffin has long been consumed and you could do with another one to eat with your coffee.

We returned to the van for a spot of lunch, then headed off to Glenorchy skirting the right hand side of Lake Wakatipu.  The sun was now blazing down on the surrounding mountains allowing us to see for miles.  Snow was clearly visible on the peaks of the Southern Alps as was the snow capped peak of Mount Aspiring.  The scenery along the lake and across the surrounding mountains is truly spectacular and made even more awe inspiring by the brilliant sunshine.   

 There are very few amenities in Glenorchy and this allows it to blend comfortably into the stunning scenery.  There were only a handful of tourists visiting whilst we were there, so it was an ideal opportunity to pull up by the lake and enjoy afternoon tea and a dunk.  As we drove the 50Kms back to Queenstown, we were only overtaken by one vehicle and only a handful passed us going the other way – absolutely fantastic.

Back to the site and it’s time to do the daily download of photographs.  Were up to 1111 pictures on the memory card and it’s filling up fast.  Whilst I download the pictures, Maureen is preparing the veg for diner.  Tonight I shall be performing on the barbeque, turning our expensive chicken breasts into a culinary masterpiece.  It’s also time for evening sippers, wine for Maureen and a couple of Speights Distinctions for me.  The temperature tonight has dropped significantly; so on goes the electric heater.

Tomorrow we are moving on to Te Anau where will be based for three days whilst we visit Milford

Sound and Doubtful Sound, weather permitting.

I feel that I must comment on Derek’s shower stories he seems to come back every morning with a story of what has happened to him while having a shower, as for me it must be more civilised in the ladies as so far nothing has happened apart from joining a long queue most mornings but you can always find someone to have a chat to while waiting.