Day 6 dawned and we checked out of Fable Dunedin. Originally I had looked at doing Dunedin to Queenstown in one day, but we decided to break up it up into two legs. I picked Gore as it was halfway, and would take us through the countryside. We decided to keep to the coast as much as we could, so I mapped out travelling through smaller places in Google Maps along the coast or close to, before rejoining the highway at Milton. That took us through Brighton, Taieri Beach, along Akatore Rd and Glenledi Rd, and into Milton.
One option I didn't have in Google Maps was selecting sealed roads only. After we left Taleri Beach the road turned to gravel. It was in good condition and I drove to the conditions, including going down and back up a couple of river valleys. However, MrsK isn't so much a fan, and has remarked a few times how I always seem to find gravel roads. Alas I was only in a Hyundai Palisade, and not something that could handle gravel roads in a decent manner i.e. sideways through corners. But there were many blind corners with ball-bearing gravel, so I held myself back.
Along the coast just past Taleri Beach
View along the road near Akatore , looking east out to sea
We arrived in Milton in time for lunch and a comfort stop. We tried out
Kink 'N The Road, and it was a good mix of cafe and pub bistro. We shared a meal as it was big enough for two. After fuelling up, we headed off down the highway towards Gore. It was an uneventful drive with some traffic. One good thing in the South Island, they have plenty of overtaking lanes on the highways so you can get easily past slower traffic. Obviously someone in NZ Highways had a sense of humor. To get to Gore you drive through the town of Clinton - and yes there was a big sign saying you were on the Presidential Clinton-Gore highway.
We got into Gore in the afternoon, and headed to the
Riverlea Motel for the night. It was relatively new, with large rooms, good price, and only a short walk into the centre of town - I'd recommend it as a place to stay.
The other thing I had read about Gore, was that it was a centre for trout fishing, so of course they had to have a big trout.
MrsK and the Big Trout
There was also a visitor centre and shop next to the trout. We went in search of the bungy sheep toy, but with no luck. I did check out their selection of socks where they have different themes. One set were Pavlova socks, so I remarked loudly to MrsK they were there, but they should be in Australia, what were they doing here? The ladies behind the counter took the bait, and so I quickly bought something to calm them down. At least they didn't mention the rugby.
My sock haul
After dropping by Woolies for supplies, we walked into town for dinner, at
The Thomas Green Public House & Dining Room. It was a good meal, again we shared an entree and main. Like most places we tried, they had a good range of NZ wines and local beers. We then walked back to the motel for a good night's sleep.
, not much natural light. The room while big, the bathroom was tiny. We hope they give you a bright room. We should have stayed at the Crowne Plaza Queenstown right on the lake - a good location. Hubby said we win some and lose more at the St Moritz!
