Day 11 - 7th Aug 2007

This was the first long driving day - moving from Franz Joseph down to Queenstown in the heart of the Southern Alps.

The NZ roads have all been in great condition and VERY quiet. It's easy to drive for miles without seeing another car. You are also out of range of radio stations a lot of the time which gives an idea of how unpopulated the land the is. Of course, this is winter time and it may be very different in the summer when the roads are probably full of tourists in camper vans.

The scenery continues to be spectacular with the first part of the journey down the western coast which seems very much like the coasts of northern california or US pacific northwest. Lots of forests and views out to the ocean.

We passed through Wanaka which seems like an excellent place to return and spend a week or two. The lake is vast and on calm day like today reflects the surrounding mountains. There are loads of activities both on and off the water - besides anything else it's within easy reach of 4 or 5 ski areas. The lake front area has a nice collection of shops and the expected excellent cafes.

From Wanaka we headed up over the mountains and took the short route down to Queenstown. This was a very "interesting" drive down an incredibly steep mountain side - just as well the weather was good!

Queenstown is a pretty big town on the shore of Lake Wakatipu & surrounded by mountains. The town is full of skiers & boarders as it's close to 3 of the largest ski areas in NZ. It seems a lot like the US ski towns but not as organized or ruled by a single corporation which makes it much more interesting.

Our hotel is just outside town and after checking-in we headed into a ski rental shop to get kitted up for the next couple of days' skiing. Dinner was in the Lone Star restaurant which specializes in huge portions of american style food (steaks, BBQ etc.) One of the few times that Andrew has actually been full! (It seems like he's permanently hungry and eating as much as the rest of us put together on this trip).

Helen says -

driving most of the day, from franz joseph to Queenstown oh so very fun lol.

when we got to queenstwn we hired our skis and other necessities used in skiing (ooo big word lol ) the boots felt liek the best fitting boots i hav ever had becos they measured ur feet which doesnt normally happen, then we went out for a meal very american based and the portions were absolutely HUGE !!!!! wel thats bout it for today nm happened lol