November 24, 2015 Queenstown & Aroowtown, NZ

Today turned out to be a cracker: almost clear sky, sunny, warm (25), no wind... Almost perfect.

First thing then is to get up to the Gondola ride up to Bobs Peak above the town, and while we're there we might as ell have a go on the Luge as well.

Judy enjoying the ride on the gondola. Queenstown NZ

Up and up, 490 metres vertical climb.750m long. Queenstown NZ

The view isn't bad at the top. Queenstown NZ

My mum & dad came here in 1976. Queenstown NZ

So we had to try and recreate the snap. Queenstown NZ

On to the Luge. You walk down a bit to the start where you grab a helmet and then catch the ski-lift up to the start of the track. They are cunning, the ski lift also automatically picks up two luges at a time and takes them as well. At the top, there are two Luge runs: the Blue beginners track and the Red track. All newbies have to do the Blue track first, and what a great little track it is, fast enough and lots of corners to play around with. As we had a two ride package, naturally we went for the Red track next, only to be disappointed: its quite a bit steeper but not as much fun and its all over in a few seconds. It was also all over for my beloved Canon when i dropped it a metre and half onto the concrete - sad days.

Start of the ski-lift and end of the luge ride. Queenstown NZ

Ski-lift up to the start of the luge. Queenstown NZ

Luge track. Queenstown NZ

Last bits of both luge tracks. Queenstown NZ

We then returned to the car park via the gondola.  pretty good fun all-round.

From gondolas we drove the 15km out to Arrowtown, know for the preservation of part of the original 1840's gold mining street, and for 'world famous pies'. We had a wander around, and had the obligatory pie for lunch, which have to admit was pretty good as afar as pies go. Further wanderings around checking out the innumerable trinket shops and then I took myself into the museum, which is in and under the old Bank of NZ building. A really well set out and presented collection of all the usual pioneer, old-world and gold mining stuff.

Arrow town NZ

Arrow town NZ

Arrow town NZ 

Arrow town NZ 

Arrow town NZ

We elected to come back to town via the 'other' road, which as happenstance would have it, goes right past the Shooter Jet facility. Sorry kids, what was left of your inheritance Judy spent on a jet boat ride for me. These are of course THE Shotover jet boats on the Shooter river. There are heaps of others but they are all tame; this is the real deal. The shooter river is very fast flowing, narrow, rocky and has steins of rapid and sand flats. The boat just launches itself at the river, its two 370hp V8s roaring their heads of. We flash through the gorges, literally half-a-metre from the rocky walls, and burst out onto the flats, where we are delighted with 360degree spins and flying along over almost no water at 80kph. If you ever get to Queenstown in NZ, do not miss this.

Spot the hero. Shooter Jetboats. Queenstown NZ