Sorry these last posts about our trip to New Zealand are so late, but Billy and I have been busy recovering from jetlag. Somehow I seem to be stuck on California time - going to bed after 3am and waking up around 10am. Hmmm...
Anyway, on the Saturday, we woke up the earliest yet - 7am. Yuck! We had to arrange a wake-up call to make sure we actually got up. This helped us make it out of bed, so we put our cold weather kayaking gear on again, and got back on the bikes. The bike shop opened at 8.30am and we were meeting Glenn at 9am for the kayaking, so we wanted to make sure we got everything done in time. Luckily it was only a 20 minute ride to the bike shop and we were there practically as the doors opened. By returning our bikes first thing, we didn't have to pay another day's rental, which was good. Glenn had offered to let Billy ride with him that afternoon, but Billy declined and decided to spend the day with me, instead, even though I was going horse-riding, which he refused to do!
We had the most perfect weather for kayaking. A crisp, clear day, with a nice tailwind on the way out. The current was running in our direction and it was an easy 5 or 6k paddle. Glenn pointed out scenery along the way and gave us some background on the area and its history etc. We reached an area called the Thailand rocks, where people apparently rock climb from their kayaks (no thanks!) Unfortunately, by now the wind had picked up and the waves were getting quite strong. I was worried it was going to be a battle getting back into Queenstown. Glenn said we could either paddle on for another ten minutes to a beach he knew, or we could turn back and stop at a beach closer in. I opted for turning around, so we did and pulled into this lovely cove below.
Glenn pulled out a thermos of hot water and some biscuits, so we sat on the beach and had a little snack and coffee/ tea break. Perfect!
Even better, while we were snacking and enjoying a rest, the wind disappeared, the waves died down, and the water became calm again. Have I mentioned that Billy and I have incredible good luck at times?
Glenn took lots of photos of us with our camera - yay! Billy and Clio in the same photo. :)
By the time we crossed the mouth of the bay to head back to the beach in Queenstown, the water was so calm it was almost like glass. And here I had been worried about the paddle back!
All in all, it was an awesome start to our last day and both Billy and I were super glad we made it out on the kayaks after all! What a great morning! :)
After saying a fond farewell to Glenn, we packed up our things and walked around the town for a while. There was a craft market happening by the waterfront so we wandered around that, but didn't buy anything. Our suitcases were already a little heavy thanks to our wine purchases on the first day!(Sorry everyone - no souvenirs - not even for us! unless you count a well-stocked wine fridge...)
Instead, we found ourselves back at the Eichardt's Hotel, the oldest hotel in Queenstown, and we settled in for some more delicious food. I had the eggplant bruschetta (yum!) and Billy had the papparelle with tomatoes and pesto etc. And of course, we finished it off with another blueberry scone. Perfect.
Horse-riding adventures to follow tomorrow - I'm tired now! :)
Anyway, on the Saturday, we woke up the earliest yet - 7am. Yuck! We had to arrange a wake-up call to make sure we actually got up. This helped us make it out of bed, so we put our cold weather kayaking gear on again, and got back on the bikes. The bike shop opened at 8.30am and we were meeting Glenn at 9am for the kayaking, so we wanted to make sure we got everything done in time. Luckily it was only a 20 minute ride to the bike shop and we were there practically as the doors opened. By returning our bikes first thing, we didn't have to pay another day's rental, which was good. Glenn had offered to let Billy ride with him that afternoon, but Billy declined and decided to spend the day with me, instead, even though I was going horse-riding, which he refused to do!
We had the most perfect weather for kayaking. A crisp, clear day, with a nice tailwind on the way out. The current was running in our direction and it was an easy 5 or 6k paddle. Glenn pointed out scenery along the way and gave us some background on the area and its history etc. We reached an area called the Thailand rocks, where people apparently rock climb from their kayaks (no thanks!) Unfortunately, by now the wind had picked up and the waves were getting quite strong. I was worried it was going to be a battle getting back into Queenstown. Glenn said we could either paddle on for another ten minutes to a beach he knew, or we could turn back and stop at a beach closer in. I opted for turning around, so we did and pulled into this lovely cove below.
Glenn pulled out a thermos of hot water and some biscuits, so we sat on the beach and had a little snack and coffee/ tea break. Perfect!
Even better, while we were snacking and enjoying a rest, the wind disappeared, the waves died down, and the water became calm again. Have I mentioned that Billy and I have incredible good luck at times?
 |
| The 101 year old steamboat, the T.S.S. Earnslaw, passes behind us. |
 |
| This is the best paddle ever. No seriously. The best. |
By the time we crossed the mouth of the bay to head back to the beach in Queenstown, the water was so calm it was almost like glass. And here I had been worried about the paddle back!
All in all, it was an awesome start to our last day and both Billy and I were super glad we made it out on the kayaks after all! What a great morning! :)
After saying a fond farewell to Glenn, we packed up our things and walked around the town for a while. There was a craft market happening by the waterfront so we wandered around that, but didn't buy anything. Our suitcases were already a little heavy thanks to our wine purchases on the first day!(Sorry everyone - no souvenirs - not even for us! unless you count a well-stocked wine fridge...)
Instead, we found ourselves back at the Eichardt's Hotel, the oldest hotel in Queenstown, and we settled in for some more delicious food. I had the eggplant bruschetta (yum!) and Billy had the papparelle with tomatoes and pesto etc. And of course, we finished it off with another blueberry scone. Perfect.
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