New Zealand 5 -Lauren (Queenstown)

Queenstown has been our latest stop. We found the prettiest “holiday park”, right on the lake We arrived Thursday evening, and decided to do a big hike from the top of a gondola the next morning. We had trouble parking our giant van and ended up finding a public parking lot about a mile away. We met a paraglider on the way up the gondola, and he recommended a different route for better views. We spent 30 min or so trying to find our way through the trees before heading to the standard path. The hike was pretty but it was muddy and snowy and very uphill. We made it most of the way up before heading back. Drew and Lois did the luge run at the top of the gondola several times, which was much more fun. We got dinner and explored some shops on the way back to our van. There was a gorgeous sunset during our short drive, but it faded before we could get out of the car. It was that kind of day. :)

The paraglider also told us we needed to check out Glenorchy, a small town about an hour away. We walked to get coffee this morning and decided to set out. We chose a couple of gentle trails, ate dumplings for lunch, and found a lord of the rings location (Drew re-enacted a bit for Lois). There were cows, sheep, birds, and beautiful landscapes in every direction. It was just what we needed. Tomorrow we will leave Queenstown.もっと詳しく