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  • Day 5

    Over the Mountains

    July 5, 2018 in New Zealand ⋅ ☁️ 6 °C

    Today started with loud bangs on our motorhome door at 7:30am, Asher rushing to get off the bed, slipping and landing on the ladder (ouch), only to be greeted by the park ranger, not James or Jess in distress. We had paid to stay at our site by the lake, but in the dark we could not find the slip of paper to go on our dash to prove it. So early in the morning we were awoken to be questioned. Today was designated as sleep in and relax, so I was not happy to be woken so early. Still fighting to get rid of this flu, I spent the next couple of hours trying to get a bit more shut eye.

    It was late rise at 11:00am with toasted croissants with Jam, thanks Asher! We showered, packed the van and we were off to explore the little town of Wanaka. To much delight, it was my turn to drive, I was very excited to get behind the wheel of our, what feels like a bus, and if I say so, I think I did a pretty good job. Don't worry school, if you need a new bus driver, I'm ready!!

    Wanaka was beautiful, a quaint little town with a backdrop of a crystal clear blue lake and snow capped mountains. I am still in awe that people live with this as their day to day view, Morisset just doesn't deliver. We spent a bit of time walking around the cute little town, made the important stop at the bakery and the essential pharmacy stop for some cold and flu tablets then it was off the see 'the tree'.

    It's called the 'Lone Tree of Lake Wanaka'. It is a solitary tree that has grown in Lake Wanaka which is backdropped by the beautiful Southern Alps...however in winter, it's a tree that has no leaves and the water level is so low you can walk to it. I must say I was rather underwhelmed, I have no doubt it would be beautiful in Summer when the lake is high and the green leaves contrast the blue lake.

    After a few quick snaps of the tree, it was time to head to Queenstown. A lot of excitement to get to the main hub of the Island. We drove through the breathtaking Cardrona Valley. It was quiet an experience driving the van through the twists and turns up and down the mountainside. It's like nothing I have ever seen before. Driving through Queenstown really tested my driving skills. It's jammed packed with parked cars lining already narrow roads, so guiding the beast through the city, avoiding any kind of collision was a miracle. We decided to head for the local holiday park, which cost a bit of money for a powered site but it was worth it. Just a short walk down the hill and we were in the city centre of Queenstown but, more importantly, we were at the open doors of Fergburger!

    We beat the huge queue by about half an hour and invested in some extremely large burgers. While we waited for our delicious meal, we crossed the road and purchased our lift passes for tomorrows ski field adventures at Coronet Peak, and then returned just in time to be handed a grease wrapped bundle of goodness. Talk about efficiency!
    We walked our bag of delight a couple of streets down to the waters edge where we ate our burgers with the spectacular view. We took our time to stroll around the town, we might be heading out for a midnight snack, so many beautiful places, it would take weeks to truly explore the whole of Queenstown.

    Back up the hill to our caravan park we went, only after our stop at the bakery with our delicious desserts, what a treat. Asher, James and I were off to find a hire place for our ski equipment for tomorrows adventure. We will be heading up to Coronet Peak for a days skiing, it will be an early morning for us tomorrow, but it will be greeted with much excitement.

    Back to our caravan park for the night where we tucked into our bakery treats and played a game of Rummy, our first board game of the trip. We are looking forward to the unlimited warm showers tonight, no van shower for us. No complaints about the van facilities, but a warm, high pressure shower has been eagerly awaited.

    Early to bed tonight, looking forward to our skiing adventures tomorrow, it has been a while, so who knows the condition we will all be in tomorrow night. We are loving the van life so far, wonderful adventures and looking forward to many more. I am holding Mum close to my heart exploring the place she was born.

    ♥️ Jo
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