Kiwi Exp. - Wanaka to Queenstown

We left the hostel to walk back along the shoreline of the lake to our bus, braving the -6 degree temperature. Low lying cloud cut off the mountains at their chests as frost coated the ground. In the distance the clouds parted to reveal a window where a snowy mountain stood painted gold from where the rising sun had managed to penetrate through. From our perspective on the grey frozen ground this appeared to be the gateway to another warmer world.

We had time to take up Sarah's advice on hiking Mt. Iron. Taking a steep winding track up through the rugged iron-like rock that gives the mountain its name, we arrived with a warm glow and hard breath at the summit. Unfortunately the cloud obscured views across the lake so we did not linger in the frosty atmosphere.

Taking the bus we moved onward to Queenstown, through the Kawarau Gorge with its rugged mountains towering above us and the river swept through beneath the road. Queenstown appeared similar to Wanaka in its lakeside location and mountain vistas, however it appeared to have been injected with winter sports steroids as the streets were littered with people in ski gear and shops selling affiliated goods.

Many of our group are staying in Queenstown to ski or snowboard but due to our lack of experience and budget for this we are moving on, deeper south, tomorrow. So tonight we dined and drank with our friends one last time, at least until we return to Queenstown in a week for Pierrick's birthday. We met in the Red Rock for burgers, beer and live music before playing pool and Mario Kart on an N64 console in the corner of the bar (old school kudos).Read more