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  • Day 24

    Another Very Busy Day

    August 2, 2015 in New Zealand ⋅ ☀️ 8 °C

    So the day started with us wandering down to the harbour front as we were booked onto a 10 o clock cruise on the old steamship TSS (Twin Shaft Steamship) Earnslaw. We managed to d=find a kiwi magnet to replace the one Edwaqrd had bought and lost yesterday, then checked in.

    The ship was a grand thing in the style of an old train carriage. It is still steam powered with coal burning boilers which you could see via a walkway on the level above 0 we watched on the way back as the engineer shovelled in more coal to the boiler.

    The day was bright and sunny again and we sailed across the lake with the usual spectacular views of snow capped mountains (the Remarkables dominating). Ou destination was Walter's Peak High Country farm which we reached in about 35 minutes.

    The farmer met us and we went into a barn we he demonstarted how to shear a sheep, though he admitted he was a dairy farmer and his technique was slower than the proper shearers who did about 400 a day (the world record being about 38 seconds). We then went outside where his sheepdogs demonstrated their talents - Sue was a ;psycho; who ran back and foirth untilt he sheep did what she wanted, King more refined stalking and staring down th sheep (though he did draw blood on one giving it a nip on the side). The farmer said that in his prime (he was now 11) he would have been worth about $4k and the most expensive dog he had known went for about $12k. One thing I didn't know was that the dogs were not trained by the shepherd but trained by someone who specialised in this and then sold on to the farmers.

    After the dogs the kids got to feed some sheep by hand before we went off for our BBQ lunch. This was tasty with pork, chicken, beef, lamb, sausages, vegetables, salad, bread, but the best was desert with vanilla ice cream, choclate mousse, and sweets (jelly snakes, Cadbury jaffas).

    After lunch we had a half hour or so to look around the farm and the shop. The farm had sheep (both merino for wool and a meat breed for lambs) beef cattle (including a bull with ring through his nose), alpacas and red deer with some impressive antlers.

    The boat trip back was less windy than going and the views still as spectacular. We got abck at 1.30 and went to look at our Zipline photos from yesterday (we bought them all!) before returning to the harbour for our 3.00pm KJet ride. This was an hour jet boat ride and went up the Shotover river up to the point where the shotover jet comes down it. The ride was much more similar to the Clutha river one we did a week or so ago and we travelled fast and skimmed the edges. On the way back with the current we touched 90km/h and came the closest on any of our rides to thinking we were going to crash - seemed like we were only a few inches from the concrete pillar of a bridge. The ride was windy but not too cold and we did plenty of Hamilton spins - the last one just before we docked at the end making me quite wet. Ed complained because he hadn't got wet enough! The ride was over in what didn't seem like an hour and we went downstairs on the pier to a room below the kiosk where we bought the obligatory photos and also looked through the below water observation window at the large fish swimming around and also at the black ducks we had seen on the service who were diving down by the window looking for food - very funny seeing ducks swimming down alongside the fish.

    Tash was then keen to do a 12d cinema ride, so we went to the Vortex cinema. Beforehand they took some green screen shots of us on a rollercoaster, with dinosaurs and as zombies. We all acted very well and the resulting photos were very good! The cinema itself was a lot like the one we had done in the UK Cadbury World, with moving seats (including parts of he seat actually vibrating and pushing against you, wind, bubbles, water as we zipped down a rollercoaster and a space journey. These kind of rides often make me feel a bit sick so I was glad te kids were happy not to do any more at a discount price.

    The last suggestion for the day was the indoor crazy golf. We walked there (having a quick drink in a cafe about to close) then went into the golf. This was a great course, all indoors, with holes on multiple levels, runways and themed holes with areas that responded to the ball moving through and playing music. Ski lifts and the Gondola took the ball upwards on some holes. All in all probably the best course I've ever seen and well maintained too. On the last hole the ball was retained but a lollipop popped out of a dispenser for you. Ed won with Sam second, me third and Tash fourth.

    We then went to Fat Badger's, a pizza place recommended by the Zipwire guys. We ordered two 20'' takeaways - they were big but tasty and they happily did half of one without cheese for Sam.

    Queenstown has been a busy plae (Ed says its his favourite place in NZ so far which shows what kids enjoy!), but it doesn't seem like the rest of NZ which is slower placed and less active. As Tash said, it seems like a mini London with loads to do and some kind of atmosphere that makes you want to do as much as possible.

    Tomorrow we go more back to 'real' NZ at Mount Cook, with the plan to visit Arrowtown on the way.
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