Wanaka to Queenstown via (Arrowtown and the Routeburn Track) 16th April to 18th April

The sun rose once more over our campervan as we sat parked just outside Wanaka in a place called Albert Town. With the calling of the birds we wasted no time in getting ourselves set and ready to drive to Queenstown, only one hitch, the house battery was dead, again. As Rachel organised a garage for us to stop at I got breakfast served. As the morning started to progress we dropped the campervan in the garage for a battery replacement whilst we sat and enjoyed a coffee at the local café by the lake and I joked about how in my last blog entry I had boasted about our battery being fixed. After just over an hour and with a replacement battery we were on our way to Arrowtown. It was a gorgeous autumn day, the sun was beaming through high cloud and the seasonal colours were becoming more apparent. After about an hour and half of driving we pulled over to admire the view over the Queenstown region. As we looked down we could see the airport runway with planes landing and taking off and to one side hand gliders surfing the air currents and behind the town the Gondola carrying people up the slopes.

Once we dropped down the mountain by winding down a road with u-turns at every corner we could see clearly the buzz that surrounded Arrowtown at this time of year. The slopes behind this small town were alive with colour, nowhere before have I seen such an array of colours, the screensavers we see at home with autumn leaves must have been taken here because they were just spectacular. As we drove into the town the streets and peoples gardens were the same and in my mind I thought that everyone here clearly waited for one time of the year and that was autumn. Once we parked up we took a walk around an old Chinese settlement and saw how they lived once in tiny houses which I could barely stand in. Then we took a walk down by the river and also through the town where the reds, oranges, yellows, and browns were just amazing, there was no doubt what season we had walked in to. The town itself was just as beautiful as the surrounding area, although could probably do without the tour buses that now seem to be arriving. The small shops work together as a community; all built exactly the same out of stone and designed to provide village life for the locals. We tasted and brought handmade fudge in a sweet shop, then I brought a Jade fish hook, which symbolizes good health and prosperity before finally tasting a New Zealand pie at the Arrowtown Bakery, lamb and mint was the choice and what a choice it was.

As the day drew to a close and the sun started to drop leaving even more of a glow around the area we headed to the other side of Queenstown to the Doc Site alongside the lake. It turned out that this was actually a filming location for Lord of the Rings. You could hardly blame them, the backdrop of mountains was stunning and when the sun started to set it left a purple pink haze over the entire area.

The next day we wasted no time in heading into Queenstown itself and although the place, as we already expected, was clearly built around tourism it still had a warm vibe around it. The lake and the surrounding mountains make the place really beautiful. We parked up just outside the town by the lake, free parking of course, and strolled along the waterfront through huge trees until we reached civilisation. Our time there was not spent jumping off a cliff however we had a few things on the 'to do list' which included starting to get our next destination sorted out. We caught up on happenings around the world on the internet and also visited the Mediterranean Market for the healthy living foods. After lunch we watched as the steam boat came back into dock and then organised a walk for the next day. That was about it really in Queenstown, a place that offers so much at a price, but before we knew it the day was drawing to a close so we followed the same path as the night before and headed to the camp site once more in anticipation of our walk tomorrow.

As the sun came up we got our bags packed and made the drive up to Glenorchy where we intended walking the first part of the famous Routeburn Track. The drive was as spectacular as any we have seen in New Zealand, we followed Lake Wakatipu for much of the way, surrounded by towering mountains, autumn coloured trees and a film crew… We were more than happy to drive through their set and although the cameras were not rolling at this point we do now know however that there is another cinema blockbuster in the making in the hills of New Zealand. It is a shame though that they did not need two dirty travelers to play extras as they were more interested in drinking tea than passers by. As we continued up towards the Mt Asprings National Park we passed through more sets from Isengard (LOTR) before being greeted with the stunning view of snow capped peaks once more. As the road turned to gravel we admired red deer in the fields around us before pulling into the Routeburn Base. We watched as hikers from all around the world set off to complete the 3 day walk and we felt like we were cheating slightly by only doing a day but when you have first class luxury like our camper to sleep in why would you want to sleep in a tent!

Once we strapped the boots on we were off gliding through the moss covered trees with ease. The path was thin in places with tree roots and rocks sporadically scattered throughout and every so often we came across waterfalls, some big, some small. As we crossed a bridge we looked below to see how the water and ice had once carved out a canyon leaving behind a perfectly smooth rock, polished to perfection. As the walk became steeper we tracked up stream for a short while surrounded by rainforest and in the distance could see the subalpine scenery. After around 3 hours of walking we arrived at our destination. However, as we broke for lunch Rachel's camera battery died and we missed out on getting a picture from Flats Hut showing the spectacular view of the mountain and glacier in front of us. The sky was clear but the air was cold, the river flowed through the valley, emerald green in colour but as cold as ice to touch. Behind us birds sung to one another and Tui's tested their nerve to see how close to us they could get. The sand flies were also there for the party (as usual) but did not seem to enjoy the repellant we had supplied for them. After we got our breath back, and our energy, we left the valley behind and made tracks back to the shelter. The walk seemed to go faster back as we glided back through the rainforest amazed at some of the trees with moss hanging down from the branches like icicles. As we crossed back over one of the numerous swing bridges we stopped and watched as the water powered through small canyons and imagined what it would be like after heavy rainfall. Eventually we arrived back at the shelter, slightly worn out but with plenty of energy left for the evening. We got back in the camper and set off back to Queenstown.

We passed back through the film crew, now at a new location although still drinking tea, we joked about being at the cinema next year and seeing a Jucy camper drive through the scene, we personally think it would make for a great film. The drive back was long, the views still panoramic but now turning darker as the sun started to fall behind the hills. As we arrived back in Queenstown we called back into the Mediterranean Market for a quick fruit stop before filling up with fuel. Once we parked up we felt the urge for a treat, just for a change, so we headed out into the food court in the town centre where I enjoyed Japanese Teriyaki Chicken noodle and Rachel enjoyed a kebab. Once we had indulged in a change to the spaghetti menu we headed out to the pub for a beer, "really spending out now" but feeling the need for a change we sat back and enjoyed a jug of beer with a few games of pool, and no Rachel did not beat me… nearly though. As time wore on, and of course we had to drive, we headed back to the camp site for one last night before the journey to the photogenic Milford Sound in the morning.