Queenstown and Wanaka

After several days in Te Anau we headed off to Queenstown, the adventure capital of the world. Downtown Queenstown is very cosmopolitan and the large number of people about and open shops gave no hint that this was Saturday afternoon.

Our first taste of adventure was the famous Shotover Jetboat. Hurtling through the canyon at 70 km/h only scant centimetres from the cliffs was real heart-in-mouth stuff. Once through the canyon section, the water was very shallow, only centimetres deep in places. Jetboats are able to operate in incredibly shallow water. At times we could even hear the stones rattling on the bottom of the boat. Only one boat at a time was able to travel through the canyon, so the others had to wait before proceeding. Each boat exiting the canyon did a 360 degree turn for the enjoyment of those waiting their turn through the canyon.

Next day was Catharina's big day - a tandem parachute jump. That was a bit too adventurous for me, so I settled for a tandem paraflight instead, which was much more sedate. With the wing (really a special kind of parachute) attached to our harness and laid out on the ground behind us, we started to run down the hill and then simply floated away. It was so peaceful and relaxing, the only noise was the breeze sighing through the control lines. The flight from Coronet Peak to the landing ground lasted about 12 minutes. although it could be much longer depending on weather conditions on the day.

We finished off this adventure-packed day with a sedate cruises across Lake Wakatipu aboard the TSS Earnslaw for dinner at Walter Peak Station. Walter Peak Station was established in the late 1850s by the first European settlers in Queenstown. At it's peak the station comprised more than 69,390 hectares (170,000 acres) and ran 40,000 sheep. Since 1969, Walter Peak Station has welcomed visitors from around the world.

The TSS Earnslaw is a coal-fired twin-screw steamship and was built in Dunedin in 1912. She was then dismantled and transported by rail to Kingston 280 km away, at the southern end of Lake Wakatipu, where she was reassembled and launched. The Earnslaw was one of many steamers that plied the lake from the 1860s onwards, servicing the remote farming communities around the lake. Her working roles have included: cargo ship, livestock carrier, passenger transporter and pleasure steamer.

Todoay, the Earnslaw is is the only steamer still operating on Lake Wakatipu, and can carry up to 350 passengers on daily excursions across the lake. At a cruising speed of 13 knots, the twin steam engines develop 500hp each and consume 1 ton of coal per hour.

Before leaving Queenstown, we stopped at Kawarau Bridge, the site of the first commercial bungie jump. People have been bungie jumping off this bridge since 1988. The bridge itself was built in the 1880s and is typical of the suspension bridges built in New Zealand at that time. Neither of us gave bungie jumping a go, although I reckon if we'd stayed much longer, Catharina would have convinced herself to give it a try.

The countryside between Queenstown and Cromwell is one of contrasts - from vineyards near Queenstown, the moonscape of Kawarau Gorge and finally to the irrigated orchards at Cromwell.

Wanaka, another small town on another lake, is considered the gateway to Mt Aspiring National Park. It has not become too commercialised and, in contrast to Queenstown, is much more laid back.