23.01.10 Jacks Point

This morning before work we cycled to Jacks point. Its a great easy ride along the edge of Lake Wakitipu. The weather has been gorgeous for the last week so trying to make the most of it. As you can see we quite like carrying our bikes even though cycling is much easier!

18.01.10 Wanaka

We joined some skyline friends on a trip to Wanaka. It started with some evening drinking which was lovely but it did make for a slow start to the next day. Charlie didn't feel up to a walk to Rob Roy glacier so we reached the compromise of 'Puzzle World'!! A few illusionary rooms to totally trip out your balance and a maze to walk around in circles for an hour in the beating sun - we loved it! Honestly it was really fun and interesting but a little hard going at points!

After this we enjoyed a picnic by the lake and then a cool off in the lake - I took some persuading to get in, but was thankful to Charlie once I did because it cured any remaining hangover.

12.01.10 Summer in Queenstown!

Remarkable aren't they! Especially with snow on them.......

05.01.10 Skippers Canyon

A day off biking mission in skippers canyon. We started by bombing down the canyon on the zoot trail, followed by a long cycle back up! Not satisfied we embarked on another trail which started with an hours cycle up to the top of Mt Dewar rewarded with a cruise on a grassy downhill. Unfortunately the grass took Kate down heavy on her shoulder. We still had the boring uphill from the devils creek - and what a long uphill it was - a lot more pushing than cycling involved here!

After 7 hours cycling we were very ready for a glass of wine when we got home!

31.12.09 Jet Boating

This gift was a fast and furious one - we decided to take a close shave with the kawaru river gorge in a jet boat. They jet you along the river flying within inches of the rocks and spining you 360 degrees past trees and onto water only inches deep. As you can see it was great fun.

29.12.2009 Birthday

My Birthday day was organised by Charlie - a very full day, starting with the evening before, a night watching Kora - a NZ band - getting down with the local scene! The morning started with a ride on the TSS Earnslaw across Lake Wakitipu to the farm for morning tea and a bit of sheep shearing. On our return to queenstown we went for some wine tasting with a picnic at chard farm and quickly back for a ride up the gondola, shoot down the luge track, watch the kiwi haka, eat dinner over looking queenstown and finally topped off with a 4 x 4 ride down the hill because the gondola broke. wow what a full day! Oh and as you can see the luging was pretty close but Charlie just took it at the finishing line...

25.12.09 Christmas Day

After opening a few presents and our stockings Charlie ran off for his christmas twelve hour shift so I went and hiked up a mountain with the girls. We started in the toilet bowl at the remarkables, walked along the ridge line - sometimes rather precariously on the scree and then down coal pit road. It was hard work so the evening was spent with BBQ and wine on the sofa. Meanwhile Charlie finished work at midnight and headed into town for a few drinks.

Definately a different kind of a christmas day!!

15.12.12 Milford Sound

Another fantastic Christmas present..... Milford Sound is NZ's top tourist destination and we are very close to it in Queenstown - only problem is there are mountains in the way so it is a 4 hour drive. The river banks were absoloutly covered in purple lupens and then a little further on water was gushing down all of the hillsides.

We decided to kayak along the water rather than the more relaxing cruise! They sold it to us when we knew we could Kayak into the waterfall. Its not as easy as it sounds - the force of the wind down from the waterfall and the chill of the spray makes it exhilirating and impossible to actually get directly under the waterfall.

The trip ended with another exciting journey guessing whether the petrol would get us home or not!! (it was past 10 and they dont do 24hrs in NZ)

04.12.09 On Your Bike

Following some generous christmas money we invested in a couple of hardy mountain bikes, we've done the lake trails next up the 'Vertigo' track! Awesome.

22.11.09 View from the window

As great as the van is, it doesnt have a bathroom so we decided to stay in a house for a while. With a view like this, its pretty awesome!

21.11.09 Ben Lomand

After arriving in Queenstown we thought it would be good to see it from above so we climbed Ben Lomand to be amazed by panoramic views. With snow at the top it was pretty cool, we used it as an opportunity to spot all the other mountains we plan to hike , climb, cycle!