Going Commando with Tripwaffle - Birthday Bash to the Deep South of NZ

[kookaburra75]

In Dunedin we stayed at a motel owned by a lovely Australian couple. We did the Taieri Gorge scenic train trip, walked around the botanical gardens and bird aviaries (Australian and NZ birds), and drove to the Tunnel Beach (recommended by the motel owners).

In hindsight, I should have done some more research about what was in and around Dunedin, and we could have included the gardens and beaches. Something to include for next time.

But scored badly at the St Moritz in Queenstown. They gave us a room on the 7th floor just above the hotel entrance. It was dark and dingy , 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!

We were lucky at St Moritz. We were upgraded to a Lake View Suite, which was on level 3, one below the reception/bar/restaurant floor - that took a bit of getting used to in terms of pressing down from the lobby to get to our room.

 

[Myrna]

So happy that you got upgraded to a lake view room at St Moritz

 

[kookaburra75]

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.

 

[kookaburra75]

Day 7 was a short run from Gore to Queenstown. Before we headed off from Gore, we had to do a quick wash. We used the Liquid Laundromat, which is a chain in NZ. I had to buy a charge card for NZ$10 from a machine, but then that did the wash and dry cycles. I figured I might be able to top it up later in the trip if need be. While we were waiting for the wash we headed up to The Stable Kitchen for a coffee and cake. We just got in before a bus tour pulled up, so that was lucky.

It was bit exciting as we drove through the farming country, towards the mountains. We went via Lowther and Kingston, and up along the edge of the lake to Queenstown.



Getting closer

We stopped in at Kingston for lunch, picking up some wraps from the general store. It's obviously a centre for mountain biking and other outdoor sports. There's surprisingly a lot of new builds in the area.

At Kingston, looking north up the lake

We arrived into Queenstown mid afternoon. The last time I was here was in Sep 2000, and my the place has grown. The airport used to be out of town, now it's in the suburbs of Queenstown. Likewise, all the new subdivisions and building work going on.

Queenstown 2004

Queenstown 2026

We pulled up at the Hotel St Moritz. I'd used some Accor points to help with the costs, and selected a Lake View Balcony room to make sure we got a view of the lake. When we checked in my status was recognised (we took the drinks option) and we were upgraded to an Alpine Lake View suite - that was very nice.

View from our balcony

We walked into the centre of town, and the sun was out and it was a pleasant 25deg. Thankfully, it stayed like that for the rest of our trip. Down at the wharf they had a range of adventure sports, including the Hydro Attack. We saw many of them out on the water, doing dives and jumps. But we went the more leisurely option of the Shotover Jet Boat (next day).

At the wharf, looking west along the lake

One thing we had quickly worked out in our time in NZ is everything seems to be built on the sides of steep hills. Hotel St Moritz was no different, and it's a steep climb. Before we headed out I asked the staff at reception is there was any type of shortcut that would make things easier. They suggested we walk up to QT Hotel a couple of doors up, and go through their lifts to get to their rooftop bar, and then down to the street level. We used that route many times during our stay. We did spend some money in the QT Rooftop bar to pay our way so to speak - it has a happy hour and great views too.

We wandered along the wharf area with its many bars and eateries, all having happy hours to try and attract trade. It was very busy with most places being nearly full. We found a couple places to get a drink or food, and then headed back to Hotel St Moritz, via QT,

 

[kookaburra75]

We spent three nights in Queenstown, to check out the place and use it as a base to look around the area. Back in 2000 I had gone on the Shotover Jet Boat ride, at what was a small operation with three boats. I was keen to try it again, and MrsK was up for it as well. I had also visited the Gibbston Valley Winery, which then was a shed and a cave. I booked in our ride on the Jet Boat, and off we went.

We drove out the Shotover River, and as with everything round Queenstown, the operation had expanded massively. It was a very well run operation. They got through a large amount of people, and had you out on the water on time. And it was so much fun! The typical jet boat rides you see on on Sydney Harbour, or even on the lake in Queenstown have nothing on racing along the river, through the rock canyons.

Watching boats come in to the pickup/drop off point.

We bought the video and some photos of the experience.



While both of us have dodgy backs, you sit in what is a bucket seat and an brace yourself against the floor - neither of us had any issues. The only one was trying to gracefully get out of the boat after the ride.

After that thrill ride we drove up to what was the original bungy jumping site in New Zealand, the AJ Hackett Kawarau Bungy Centre at the Kawarau Gorge Suspension Bridge, which started in 1988. In 2000 I dropped into the place to check it out, it was a very small operation but busy - and no, I didn't try it. What I and a couple of others found amusing was an award from NZ Tourism for the setup. We were chuckling at the thought of going into the bank with their business case to get a loan.
"What are you going to do?"
"We're going to tie ropes around tourists' ankles and throw them off an old railway bridge, over a gorge"
"Including Australians?"
"Yes"
"Well then, here's the money"

Like everything, the operation has grown massively too. We watched a few poor souls take a leap, cheered on by their 'friends' at the lookout area.



After watching people for a while, and listening to their screams we headed back to Arrowtown in search of lunch. It's an old gold mining town with many original buildings. We managed to get a park, which despite it being quiet was a challenge. I'd hate to see it in peak season. I think you'd be better off getting the normal bus service from Queenstown.

We found The Winery, which had tapas style snacks, and a lot of local wines. It has a good setup, where you get a charge card, which you use to get pours of the wines from a Coravin type system. They also served several wines by the glass. We had a great lunch. MrsK stuck to the Quartz Reef Blanc de blanc, from just up the road at Cromwell. I had a couple of tasting pours of NZ reds that weren't pinot noir that I hadn't tried before, including the Stonyridge Pilgrim 2022, which was brilliant.

The view from our table at The Winery in Arrowtown

Seeing that the Quartz Reef winery was relatively close, we headed up the road to Cromwell. As the Gibbston Valley Winery was on the way, we dropped in for tasting flight. Like everything, it was a lot larger than when I visited in 2000, although I'd say not for the better. The wines back in 2000 were extremely good, and now they seem just average. A nice setting through.

The gardens at Gibbston Valley Winery

We headed onto Cromwell and on our way in we thought that Google Maps had got it wrong, as we were heading into an industrial estate, but that is where they have their winery operation and cellar door/shed. The vineyards are just out of town at what is known as the Bendigo Region.


The unassuming Quartz Reef operation, with the obligatory snow capped mountains in the distance

We chatted with the staff at winery, which included the owner Rudi Bauer. We enjoyed all of their wines, and as a bonus they have several outlets in Australia, including the IGA Ainslie in Canberra. MrsK was very happy.

We headed back to Queenstown and after freshening up, walked to the wharf area for dinner. We picked the Italian Public Kitchen as we were feeling like italian, and it was a good choice. We sat outside, the food was excellent, waiter provided some good advice on NZ reds other than pinot noir - I do like NZ pinots noirs, I just wanted to try something different. We then traced our steps back via the QT's lifts to our room.

 

[kookaburra75]

Our next day in Queenstown was spent wandering in and around central Queenstown. We looked at different lake cruises that were available, including those on the ESS Earnslaw, but those trips were connected to lunch or evening bbqs with farm experiences like herding sheep. Not really our thing. We booked with the Million Dollar Cruise for their afternoon cruise, which gave us a loop around the arm of the lake back towards Kawarau Falls. It was good to see the 'posh' areas of Queenstown, and where the water buses/taxis went to.

After a in room breakfast of yogurt and fruit we ventured out for brunch/lunch and exploring Queenstown. MrsK was seeking a hairdresser where she could get a shampoo and blow dry, with maybe a little bit of a curl. We found a hairdresser next in the casino building (which we didn't realise existed) but she wasn't entirely happy with the result. She said the hairdresser 'Brenda' wasn't to be messed with.

MrsK and her "just a hint of a curl please'"look

We checked out the different activities around the lake, including the Hydro Attack boats. While it seemed like a good idea, we just couldn't see what the attraction was in being closed up in a water version of a motorbike and jumping around. It's the sort of thing that would spill your coughtail.

The Hydro Attack boats at the wharf

While wandering around, we noticed that there were gulls of different persuasions, but they really didn't hassle people for food. We spotted Southern Gulls, and Black Billed Bulls. But the real bullies were the ducks. They would gather around people eating food on the seats and benches, and stand around looking at them, up close. It had big vibes of Hitchcock's Birds.

Ducks - don't turn your back on them

In the early afternoon we boarded the Million Dollar Cruise., and sailed out into the reach off the lake. It was choppy going out of the Queenstown harbour around to the reach. It wasn't a day to be out on the lake proper. The tour and the commentary was good and provided a lot of background to the why and where these parts of Queenstown had been developed. One thing that was interesting, is that the wharfs around that part of the lake are serviced by water buses/taxis, which includes the Hilton Queenstown and DoubleTree. If we come back to Queenstown that might be an option.

Cruising on the lake

After a good day on the water we retired to our room. It was a good size with space to spread out. But, the choices of art work left a bit to be desired. The image of the rabbit on the wall bordered on creepy. Its eyes followed you around the room.

Not quite Monty Python Holy Grail, but close