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Wednesday Jan 27, 2010 – Wanaka

We are half way through our stay here. The time is flying by.

Wanaka, Cordrona and Queenstown are major ski areas. There are lots of hotels and resorts in the area. We decided to do a day trip to the Queenstown via the Cordrona pass, and then come back via the Cromwell route. Cordrona is a small place that relies on winter skiing. There are a couple of resorts there. It would be a nice quiet spot in the summer if you were into trekking.

We had made a reservation to jet boat with the Shotover Jet boat group for 10:30. Up early, make our lunches, and set off. It was a cool morning. The first stop was at a lookout over the valley and Queenstown. It was so cold and windy I wondered if I had dressed wrong for the day. Charles and Jen climbed the hill to get a better view. I huddled in the car. The next stop was another lookout just lower down. I did not get out, but Charles and Jen said it was much warmer and not so windy.

We found where the jet boats left from. We remembered stopping here before. It is quite a nice place to view the gorge from. We got into long black raincoats and life jackets. Ready for our ride. The boat was one passenger short of being full. At the last moment Charles was told he could not take the big camera with him. I wish they had told us that before so we could have gotten the little camera. The trip was very exciting. You go very close to cliff faces and over very shallow area. We got many 360° turns with lots of spray. Charles and Jen were sitting on the side of the boat that came closest to the cliffs. It gave one a weird feeling. We all had a great time. We bought the picture package and DVD. Once you buy the package you are allowed to down load the still pictures for free for up to 3 months after your trip. Another feature they have is called instant replay. You can ride again at ½ price if you book and pay immediately after your first trip. Your next trip does not have to occur immediately.

On our way to Cromwell we stopped off to watch the bungy jumping. The first person we watched went off backwards. She screamed the whole way down and got dunked in the water. The next 3 men we watched went off facing the front and not screaming. They were all with a bike tour. It was fun to watch but we all decided that is wasn't for us. Just outside on the top viewing platform, sausages were being cooked on a BBQ. It smelt so good and we had not had lunch yet. This was just cruel. We ended up having one each.

Lunch was along the road at an
i
site. There were some old historic buildings there. It was very windy again but it was warm. The wind also kept the bugs away from us. No blood scarifies today. This is wine country. There are so many vineyards and wineries. We stopped at The Waitiri Creek Winery. Charles and Jennifer did some wine tasting. It was $5 to taste 5 wines. In the end they got to taste 6.

We stopped at the Kawarau Gorge Mining Centre to show Jen where we jet boated the last time we were here. Charles and Jennifer went on the walking tour of the old Chinese mining settlement. It was very hot and no breeze. Part way through all Jen wanted was a drink of water. I had felt the same way when we were here before. I stayed at the centre and took some pictures of flowers. Thankfully we had not waited until here to have our lunch. It was so hot.

Just down the road we stopped at a fruit stand. It was the same as last time. We bought fruit and had ice cream. It was so good on a hot day. We walked through the English rose garden, that is there. It is so beautiful. Such an array of colours.

Cromwell is known for its fruit growing. The town has the Big Fruit –a peach, a pear, an apricot and an apple in a group at the entrance to town. From a distance they look like a wacky peacock. We walked around a small shopping area at the edge of town. We were all hot and tired so decided to head for home and the pool.

The trip home took us by more vineyards and Lake Dunstan. We were wishing we all had bathing suits so we could have taken a dip. It was a fast trip only taking ½ hour. Mileage wise this is a longer trip from Queenstown to Wanaka but much flatter and easier on the car. The Cordrona pass it much prettier though.

The pool was so nice when we got back.

Tuesday Jan 26, 2010 – Wanaka

Charles went off and played golf. There is a nine whole course just outside of town in a farmer's field. It is $15 for 18 holes. He had a good time. This time he remembered his hat and water.

Jennifer and I stayed at the resort. I did laundry. Jen and I figured out my camera. I had not been too pleased with the way some of the pictures had been turning out. After some test shots we found a better way to take the pictures. We will try it out tomorrow when we do another day trip