On Tuesday 2nd January, we continued in the bus onto a town called Cromwell (see photo), where we did a 30 minute walk to stretch our legs. The walk gives you a view over Cromwell, which is located in the valley of the Upper Clutha, deep in the heart of the dry interior of Central Otago in a landscape of bare brown hills, of tussock and briar, of purple thyme and tors of schist, of broad basins and fertile valleys, of Lake Dunstan's pristine waters and of gorges carved by two great rivers (as quoted from the brochure!). This landscape was first trodden by the Maori hunter and trader, opened to European settlement by the sheepmen, exploited and transformed by the gold seekers and later by the dam builders and now home to the merino and deer farmer and orchards and vineyards. Every year Cromwell holds its "Movember" moustache growing competition, with entrants raising money for the Prostate Cancer Foundation. Not to be outdone, the women also have their own competition, who are asked to leave their left armpit unshaven for a month! Apparently last year the competition drew 14 women and a good few smelly armpit hairs I can imagine.
From Cromwell we stopped in Queenstown for a couple of hours, which is on the shores of Lake Wakatipu (see sunny photo of lake and Queenstown gondola) and otherwise known as the adventure capital of New Zealand. There are activities galore which you can do here, including the Nevis Bungy Jump, which is a terrifying 134 metre drop. We had to book our activities for Saturday, when we would have a free day in Queensland, and I decided to be an adrenaline junkie for the day (you will have to read on to see what I did). I could not, however, bring myself to do that bungy jump or any other one for that matter.
We then continued on towards Lake Manapouri (via Te Ano) (see cloudy photo), where we stayed for the night. Lake Manapouri is the South Island's largest lake and at the start of the Fiordland National Park, but the views weren't particularly great, as it the rain clouds came in. The sand flies started to bite too (why do I always get bitten? It must be my sweet blood!).
From Cromwell we stopped in Queenstown for a couple of hours, which is on the shores of Lake Wakatipu (see sunny photo of lake and Queenstown gondola) and otherwise known as the adventure capital of New Zealand. There are activities galore which you can do here, including the Nevis Bungy Jump, which is a terrifying 134 metre drop. We had to book our activities for Saturday, when we would have a free day in Queensland, and I decided to be an adrenaline junkie for the day (you will have to read on to see what I did). I could not, however, bring myself to do that bungy jump or any other one for that matter.
We then continued on towards Lake Manapouri (via Te Ano) (see cloudy photo), where we stayed for the night. Lake Manapouri is the South Island's largest lake and at the start of the Fiordland National Park, but the views weren't particularly great, as it the rain clouds came in. The sand flies started to bite too (why do I always get bitten? It must be my sweet blood!).
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