Down Under January 2014 | Queenstown

In Queenstown tonight, and although it is a scenic town on the edge of a spectacular lake, we are not impressed. It's crowded--we were warned but for the first time it's actually true. But I can see where it could be fun. There are street performers and various vendors out on the boardwalk, lots of cafes and  al fresco seating. We walked to the end of the road in the wind ( I have on windburned cheek tonight) and through the gardens. Dinner was fine, but not memorable. The shopping here could be good, but I expect the prices are inflated. It's a bit like Banff or Canmore. An adventure centre for sure. They've branded themselves with extreme sports (bungy jumping was invented here) and there are crazy jet boaters out on the water, zip lining, biking, and an endless list of other adventures to sign up for. An old steam ship cruises the lake.

There's an international cadre of young travelers working the cafes and bars. NZ has a travel work program that allows them to stay and travel for a year (only) and then if they can get sponsored one additional year after that. That's it. No more. So many of the people we meet are from elsewhere.

Help wanted, Queenstown

Yesterday's trip out to Doubtful Sound was definitely a good choice over Milford which we opted not to take in at all. We started with a short drive to Manapuori and then a 30 minute  trip on a catamaran across the lake to the underground power plant (we opted out of that tour as well). That's an amazing story of how to save the environment and still meets demands for power, but we didn't think we needed a tour. The water drops from the lake straight down into the earth about 150 m  where it passes through the turbines to generate power, then is piped 10 km toDeep Cove on Doubtful Sound where it drains.  Amazing. There is very little to see above ground, and a very controlled and manageable situation for the lake and the surrounding communities.

 A short bus ride takes you up and over Wilmot Pass  with it's long view of the sound (Carol in her new Icebreaker vest!) and then down to Deep Cove where we boarded our cruise boat, also a catamaran.

The view from Wilmot Pass to Doubtful Sound

These are big boats-- very stable and quiet. The trip out the Sound is at times very cold and windy, and we did get out to the Tasman Sea or just shy of it, and checked out the seal colony. Again, lots of babies feeding and learning to swim.

Doubtful Sound

Last man standing, Doubtful Sound

The winds can be pretty extreme, so everyone rushes out to the deck when it's calm, and then all but the brave and sturdy hang in through the windy bits.

By windy I mean really windy. I could hardly stand on the deck at times. We had a bus load of Chinese tourists, and the most amusing part of the trip was watching the hoards disembark the bus, cameras in hand, and line up in front of any viewpoint or site and take over the space, posing and clicking, clicking and posing. We pretty much had to wait our turn! On the boat, it was the same. The boats are great though, and the commentary, and they serve beer and wine, and hot chocolate with marshmallows. It's really very comfortable. They've had lots of rain here, so many of the waterfalls were full--seems they are dependent on rain to keep them flowing. When it's dry there are fewer; more when it's rainy. And apparently, if you go out in a storm, the water just pours down the mountains everywhere. I'd like to see that. In all, not spectacular--we were hoping for wildlife--but worth the trip. We went with Real Journeys and the service was great.

We've decided to check out of here tomorrow rather than stay for three days, and aren't sure yet where we will head tomorrow. Maybe for the east coast. Off to bed early; the wind and rain have tired me out!