Mid-Semester Break: Queenstown Area

Sunday morning we went for a walk along the Twelve Mile Delta Track which departed from the campground. We actually didn't get very far...after seeing a trail following the river leading back into the woods, we got off of the beaten track and did some exploring. The river was quite interesting, flowing over rapids, small waterfalls, and cool rock structures carved by the moving water. Someone had actually set up a climbing/obstacle course along the steep riverbanks, complete a zip line into a pool under the waterfall! Kiara was somewhat concerned that I thought that it would be fun to try...

Of course, the morning would not be complete without rock collecting. Kiara especially liked the lines carved in the rocks from the water...Unfortunatly every rock that showed the lines the best was too big to get out of the woods, much less onto a plane back to the States!



We also did some hiking in the afternoon. Instead of spending the money for the world famous Queenstown Gondola (Now with rather drab cars instead of the multicolored "bubbles" which gave it its reputation) we walked up the access road to the top. It was a great day, so the view across the lake was gorgeous. The Remarkables (a mountain range hosting some of the best skiing in the area) were especially pretty with the clear blue lake in the foreground.

We decided t0 wander around Queenstown after our walk back down from the Gondola terminal. Queenstown is rated the number one tourist town in New Zealand, mainly for its nightlife. As such, all accommodation was very overpriced, so after visiting the Jade Factory and a few other shops we drove to the small town of Arrowtown, famous for its Lord of the Rings scenery. We spent the night at a holiday park in Arrowtown, which was quite expensive considering we were only putting up a tent....