NZ Day 14 - Queenstown to the West Coast

I love the vibe in Queenstown - it's quite touristy but manages to retain something of the quirky NZ character that I have come to love.

It's also really pretty in the morning (and cold, can't forget cold - it was 1 degree when these photos were taken).

My run took me through the gardens, around the shores of the lake and onto the Frankton Walkway.

The bro & I left B in Queenstown to start our next adventure - we had 4 days to drive up the West Coast, explore Golden Bay & get back to Picton.

First stop was breakfast in Arrowtown. It's a gorgeous little town - very reminiscent of most Victorian country towns for me - which is obviously due to their shared goldrush heritage. One interesting thing about Arrowtown is the Chinese Settlement on the edge of town. It contains a number of well-preserved buildings that the Chinese population lived in during the goldrush.

The information signs posted around the site were fantastic - so far I have been really impressed with the attention to detail that DOC pays to historic sites.

From Arrowtown, the bro wanted to show me where he had bungy-jumped a couple of years earlier - at the original bungy - AJ Hackett. This is the view of the freezing cold river from the Kawarau Bridge.

One of the brave souls we watched take the plunge.

Then we wound our way up Crown Range Road, stopping to admire the views of the valley surrounding Arrowtown along the way.

At its peak - Crown Saddle - the road has the honour of being the highest sealed road in NZ at 1076m.

Winding back down the other side of Crown Range we made a quick pit-stop at the Cardrona Hotel.

It's an awesome old country pub with quite possibly the best beer garden in the world.

We were heading to Wanaka; the bro couldn't resist stopping on the shores of Lake Wanaka to get a few shots.

The main thing we wanted to do in Wanaka was vist Puzzling World. What an awesome place! Unfortunately we didn't have time to try the maze, but we did get to admire some of the visual illusions. Like the Leaning Tower of Wanaka.

And the Tilted House - I'm standing normally in this photo. This room made me feel a bit queasy (there were actually warning signs before you went in), which I found really odd, because I knew logically what was happening, but that logic didn't help at all with my balance.

Then it was time to head west through Haast Pass. The scenery was stunning - really stunning. I didn't think it was possible for me to absorb any more natural beauty, but the next 4 days would prove me wrong.

There are loads of waterfalls along this stretch of road; two of the most accessible are Fantail Falls.

Shortly followed by Thunder Creek Falls.

Eventually we reached the West Coast as the sun started the lower. The view from Knight's Point was something pretty special. A sign at the lookout told me that we were sitting level with the East Coast of Tasmania - we could kayak home if we wanted to!

My first glimpse of the West Coast revealed how wild and desolate it can be. No wonder only 1% of the country's population lives on this side.

That night we shacked up in Fox Glacier. Mount Tasman and Mount Cook tower above the town, providing a very eerie backdrop.