Wallacetown

Reflected glory

Queenstown is New Zealand's adventure city. Just name your outdoor thrill and you will very likely be able to indulge it here. Skydiving,parasailing, bungee jumping, hiking,climbing, four-wheeling, Quads, trikes, ziplining, waterskiing, boogie boarding, jet boating, caving and the list goes on. We got mixed reviews from many kiwi's (from other parts) who were concerned that Queenstown had grown beyond all recognition and with so many pubs and taverns was now simply an adventure tourist destination. One of the games played In town is 'spot the kiwi' given that there so few relative to the out of country thrill seekers that worked in the shops so as to support their particular addictions. It was a lot like Whistler. While Kim and Julie did a bit of shopping, yours truly was parked in a chair on a field where the hang gliders came in for a landing. Once down the guides would pack up the chutes and then walk to the gondola for a quick ride up to latch onto the next customer.

Another smooth landing

The setting for this town was awesome. Nestled along the shores of Lake Wakatipu with the Remarkables mountain range rising all around it was really very special. The ambulatory ones rode up the gondola and returned with some stunning photos of the Remarkables marching off in the distance. Down on the water the jet boats were jetting and in the air the para gliders, sky divers & ultralights seemed to jostle for position. Back in the campervan by early afternoon we continued heading south with Invcargill as our destination. Enroute however, Wallacetown was the hometown of a friend of Kim's, Lydia, who had invited us to stop for a visit and spend the night at their home, which we were only too happy to do. Enroute we again pulled over to prepare a meal. This time it was beside a very pleasant country cemetery (they always have the best views). The cows and the sheep in the nearby fields were very curious and I expect they were relieved when they realized we were having chicken that night.