New Zealand: Timaru to Queenstown

On Sunday morning, Sean and I forced ourselves to get up at 7:30 am even though with the time change, that was like getting up at 5:30 am Sydney time.  We took showers, got dressed, repacked our bags, and went to see what progress the kids had made with Sean's parents.  The kids are normally early risers, so we were very surprised to find out they had not even woken up yet!  It was 10:00 by the time everyone was ready and we checked out of the hotel.  We still had to eat breakfast and do some grocery shopping for road trip snacks.  We joked around that it was almost time to find lunch by the time we were ready to get on the road for the day!

Sean and his dad love cars and it is especially fun when they find classic American cars in foreign lands.  This Studebaker Lark VIII was sitting outside the grocery store in Timaru.  The owner had even cut up a couple of California license plates to try to make the car look like it had California plates.  Sean had to get a couple of quick pics of the car when a store worker approached and they started discussing the car.  Apparently the owner of the this car has a few other Studebakers that he drives.  This one is considered his daily driver.

We finally left Timaru and headed south to Queenstown.  There are a couple different options, but we chose the most inland route that would take us through the Southern Alps where there are not just mountains and valleys, but some gorgeous lakes along the way.  The weather was not totally agreeable.  It started out sunny, but as we got closer to Lake Tekapo, it got cloudy, the wind picked up considerably, and it began to spit rain.  Even in these conditions, the southern lakes did not disappoint.  The water was a brilliant aquamarine that Sean's parents compared to the Caribbean Sea.

Lake Tepako

It was so windy that the waves were rolling in as if it was the ocean.

Aubrey snapped a few pictures with her iPod also.

Church of the Good Shepherd on the shores of Lake Tepako

We continued on our journey and drove past Lake Pukaki.  Unfortunately, weather conditions did not improve at all.  We then stopped for a late lunch in a small town called Twizel.  The kids were dying to have a play at the playground, but the weather was still so nasty, we did not let them stay out in the cold, wet, wind very long.

Lake Pukaki

The playground in Twizel

Lake Ruataniwha

Just outside of another small town, Omarama, we stopped at a winery called Ladybird Hill.  Of course, it was located on Pinot Noir Court.  The darn rain would not stop though.  So, the kids lost the opportunity once again to play at a playground.  Sean's mom and I enjoyed the wine though....

After we stopped at the winery and really got into the higher peaks of the Southern Alps, the rain clouds finally lightened up.  The sun began to poke through and we saw patches of blue, sunny sky.  It immediately made everyone feel better.  

We drove through Cromwell, which is supposed to be famous for apples and also has a ton of wineries.  We didn't get a chance to stop by them though since it was after 5:00 pm on a Sunday and none of them were open.  We did stop at a fruit stand and got some wonderful cherries that were in season and being grown all over in the region.

Lake Dunstan outside of Cromwell

A look at the road ahead...

Picturesque vineyards

We finally got into Queenstown around 7:00 pm.  We checked into our hotel, the Crowne Plaza, which was right next to the water of Lake Wakatipu.  It was also located right next to the city center of Queenstown, which is really active with lots of bars and restaurants.  We checked into the hotel and tried to find a place to eat.   It took longer than we thought it would since almost every place was packed full and we were way too hungry to wait for a seat.  We finally ended up at at Lone Star Cafe, a New Zealand chain restaurant.  It is a mix of an English pub and an American bar and grill.   

View from the hotel

View from the other side of the hotel, towards the city of Queenstown

TSS Earnslaw is one of Queenstown's iconic attractions.  It is a vintage steamship in which tourists can cruise around Lake Wakatipu.

It was pretty late by the time we left the restaurant (almost 10:00).  So, we did not spend any more time checking out Queenstown that evening.  We fell into bed that night looking forward to seeing more of this remarkable city in the morning.