Best Western Lake Hayes Motel Queenstown

... br>to queen Elizabeth. The serve wood fire pizza and it is very tasty. The music was also nice except that they only
played Bruce Springsteen and Tom Petty.
Clark invited Stan to join us for
dinner and he obliged. We learned how he got a job installing fire sprinkling
system in a new building being built and his opinions of Sarah Palin. Other
conversations were also be discussed. After dinner we headed back to the Hotel.

... it. We did pass a old transport/war museum that had a beautiful Canberra on display, so much so I pulled Marcel over to grab a photo over the fence. Yeah it wasn't worth paying the admission fee to look at a couple of rusty tanks and this was before we realized we were on the wrong road or I wouldn't have stopped :). It also turns out we're staying in room 39 tonight now is that coincidence or what. We got to Queenstown with no other dramas and I really enjoyed the ...

... hours with them. They had rented a camper van and I was stuck in the back sitting on a bench that converts to the bed so every time a cop drove by I had to go pancake style on the floor to hide from them. It is illegal for anybody in a car to not be wearing a seatbelt. We sang our happy little hearts out all the way to milford. Did the cruise, it was lovely except for the sideways rain and wind factor there but still managed to get some amazing shots ...

... ft out of a plane.

I always said I wouldn't do a skydive as I hate heights to the point where I don't even like walking over tall bridges. But this seemed to slip my mind when I signed away my life and a some-what healthy bank balance. All it took was one night out in this pretty mountain resort, which is known as the adventure centre of New Zealand. After being here a day it suddenly felt rude not to attempt at least one extreme activity.

Queenstown, South Island, New Zealand suzyhart7

... with broad beans, snow pea tendrils and smoked mussel and scallop tortellini finished with almond milk

- Aurum Pinot Gris 2008, Central

Scampi bisque

- Carrick EMB C******nay 2008

Terrine of Bendigo rabbit and Canter Valley duck served with a chocolate soil and prune cream

- Mount Edward Pinot Noir 2008, Central

Hand rolled spaghetti, braised quail, Marsala and Sicilian olives, wrapped in ...

... crossed. My main reason for visiting Te Anau was to visit the glow worm caves so I took the boat out to the caves that night. The tour was really good and took you on a walk through the caves (amazing how anyone found them as they are so well hidden) then on a boat into a cavern which is pitch dark and all you can see are the glow worms twinkling away. It was like looking out into the night sky full of stars. Very beautiful and calming with the faint noise of the ...

... The area was quite a bit smaller as well with slow lifts..and it was well busy. I had heard so much aboot this place as well and im not sure what all the fuss was aboot. Sorry to be such a downer but that's just the way it goes sometimes. It did make me realize how incredible my skiing and my days were at Cardrona...and just how bloody beautiful it was theer with ...

The next morning signalled our departure for Queenstown and we left under yet another complete deluge from the skies which didn't even look like letting up on the 2hr drive across inland. Having stocked up on food supplies at the supermarket we got plugged in at the campsite and cooked up a lovely Malaysian satay chicken and made plans to head out to investigate the many bars in the town. Alas, the rain only strengthened and rivers ...

... through the information boards, in the many gifts available, and in the form of his family and the remaining zoo keepers still working and playing with the animals at australia zoo. what a brilliant day, and definitely a highlight! the animals all looked happy, the japanese tourists all looked pleased with themselves and their flash cameras hanging around their necks! i even got my photo taken with the entire irwin family, including steve, via the memorial statue of the ...

... Errr...a few years on I quite like my poles (the Editor))

After another set of very sad goodbyes to our friends from Invercargill,we stayed with Jen for another night in Queenstown and then made our way north to the azure blue glacial Lakes of Pukaki and Tekapo, sadly could not go star gazing there in the Japanese observatory because of cloud cover, but had a beautiful next day to fly up around New Zealand's highest mountains, Mounts Cook (3775m) and Tasman ...