We set off this morning on the short drive from Arrowtown to Queenstown. It had been raining all night (the first rain we had had for over 2 weeks) and the skies still looked a miserable shade of grey.
On route we decided to stop at Kawarau Bridge (1880), where in 1988 the first commercial bungy jump took place.
Now, as tempting as it was to pay someone good money to let us jump head first down towards the Kawarau River, we opted to stay warm and watch from the viewing platform….and save it for another day!
We drove into Queenstown, a place that proclaims itself as being the adventure capital of the world, a reputation we soon felt it was worthy of. We wandered around the busy town centre, and booked ourselves onto a ‘Shotover-Heli-Scenic’ tour for tomorrow…one of Queenstown's famous ‘combos’. As we walked around town the skies cleared, and we could see Para gliders and Para senders, and could hear the loud hum of the Kawarau jet boat engine from Lake Wakatipu.
As we walked around this compact and bustling ski town it seemed hard to believe that it had started life as a desolate sheep station in 1861. A man called William Gilbert Rees first settled here on the lake shores with 3000 sheep and a group of ‘hands’, and it was only when one of his Shearers discovered gold in the Shotover River in 1862 that people flocked here.
We decided to make the most of the ‘happy hour’ at Mac’s Brewery and went in for a few ales.
When we emerged the skies had cleared completely, so we decided to make the most of the lovely evening and go up the Skyline Gondola to Bob’s Peak.
The views from the top were stunning, and we watched the sun go down against The Remarkables, Lake Wakatipu and Queenstown. We took advantage of the well placed bar and had a mulled wine whilst enjoying the views.
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