We drove out of Queenstown toward Cromwell. It was a lovely day again and an easy drive through the vineyards of Central Otago. A short 45 mins later and we were in Bannockburn - home of some of the best Pinot noir producers in New Zealand. Unfortunately two of the wineries I wanted to visit I (Felton Rd and Terra Sancta) were both closed as they had both sold all their wine (a good problem to have) but Mt Difficulty was open so we walked up and did a lovely tasting of their Pinot and their Riesling.

Back in the car and we were off to Wanaka. We arrived around lunch - the scenery around Wanaka is stunning as the vines and beech trees turn a lovely golden colour. We stopped at the Rippon Winery overlooking the Lake at Wanaka. The winery is stunning - all estate grown and under the true biodynamic regime. We had a lovely tasting while kids munched on a cheese platter in the sunshine. A lovely experience.

We drove back into town and had a pub lunch by the river that flows into Lake Wanaka. They were setting up a market stall so we peeked around the markets (Eleanor got a lovely bird print for her bedroom) and then walked along the stone beach on the lakes edge. It was a glorious afternoon as the kids played and we watched the enormous eels from the wharf.

As the sun was setting we walked back to our hotel to eat and then out for pizza for dinner.

The next morning we were up early, packed and then drove to Puzzling world. This is an amazing place - famous around New Zealand. The puzzles are very well done - we loved the optical illusion room which showed the kids as taller than us. We then tackled the maze which is both great fun and immensely frustrating! We had a great time playing with the puzzles in the front room too. A great experience!

Back in the car and a couple of hours later and we arrived in Lake Tekapo. We drove past Mt Cook - all snowy and majestic in the distance. This lake and many around them are a light cobalt blue due to minerals in the water affecting the light. They are extremely beautiful.

We had a quick bite to eat and then Eleanor and Leigh went off for their mountain horse ride and the boys and I walked around town (no mini golf alas) and the walked over the famous church by the lake. The place was swarming with tourists so the boys threw rocks into lake (their favourite pastime it seems!). It was getting a bit windy so we walked back to the hotel and chilled out at the hotel while we waited for Eleanor and Leigh to finish their horse riding (which was great they said)

We'd been eating out a lot lately so I went to the local 4 square and bought some groceries to cook dinner in the apartment. It was cosy evening with the fire on overlooking the stunning Lake Tekapo.

The next morning was miserable - high wind and rain turned Lake Tekapo into a lake of white caps and yucky weather. We packed up, drove past the Church of the Good shepherd and the bronze dog and made tracks for Christchurch. We arrived in good time and a quick pie at a local shop and we were checked in and flying back to Sydney. It had been a great holiday - just the right amount of time and the kids (by and large) had been very good! Can't wait to come back to New Zealand!