Queenstown NZ - March 2009- Helicopter ride

A helicopter ride to the top of the "Remarkables" was a wonderful experience. We were lucky enough to have a perfect day & the views from the top of the mountain were breathtaking.

When we first arrived at the top of the mountain our pilot discovered that there was a wedding in progress right where he had intended landing our helicopter.

Our pilot opted for another spot on the mountain which had great views backover Queenstown & beyond. Peter had never been in a helicopter before & is not fussed on flying in any type of plane. He was most impressed once he was safely back down to the bottom & agreed that it was well worth doing.

Queenstown NZ- March 2009 - Eating out

We had a good week in Queensown having six couples from Gosford Golf Club travelling together on the tour. We chose to eat at a different place each night and there were plenty to choose from. Queenstown is a tourist mecca with wall to wall restaurants and activities.

We had fish and chips on the waterfront one night just to be different. We had three wedding anniveraries while on tour so there was always a reason to go out and celebrate.

The Peppers Resort that we stayed in had a nice BBQ area that was great for "happy hour"

As we walked to the town each night we appreciated the fact that our accommodation was not a difficult walk to town. Something to consider when staying there. I did notice that there were a lot of hotels & units further up the hill with a better view - but a long way to walk back late at night.

Milford Sound - New Zealand - March 2009

The Milford Sound Video taken during a cruise of the sound. Click on the forward arrow to view.

The boat captain was giving a commentary on the history of the waterfall at the time that the video was taken.

Our day excursion to Milford Sound was quite an interesting day. We left Queenstown by bus stopping at Te Anau for lunch and some photo opportunities at the Mirror Lakes and the Chasm (see previous posts) .

Our cruise boat was one of the smaller versions available for cruising but that meant that we could get up very close to the waterfalls and seals basking on the rocks. We were lucky enough to have a nice day except that there were high wind warning which meant that we were unable to have our scheduled light plane flight back to Queenstown. That was very dissapointing as I was very much looking forward to seeing the Milford Sound to Queenstown stretch from the air.

As NZ is renowned for small aircraft crashes we were not wishing to be a statistic so we agreed to return to Queenstown the same way we arrived. Our bus driver was named Karen & she went to a lot of trouble to try & arrange our flight home. Karen was a very competant driver & we were happy to have her company on the home stretch.

A second video of the waterfalls at Milford Sound. Click on the forward arrow to view.

The Chasm - New Zealand - March 2009

During our week in Queenstown we took a day trip to Milford Sound. The Chasm is one of the stops along the way.

It is amazing to see nature at work and the effect that the sheer force of water vs rock can create such a huge chasm. The power of the water is so awesome and this is nature in the making.

Mirror Lakes - New Zealand - March 2009

During our week in Queenstown we took a day trip to Milford Sound. Mirror Lakes is one of the stops along the way and well worth a visit.

The photos do not capture the true beauty of the mountains reflecting in the still waters of the lakes. It is a magical spot for photographers and a very calming place to spend some time.

Lake Pukaki - New Zealand - March 2009

Lake Pukaki was our first stop after Lake Tekapo and is just before Twizel and our lunch stop at Omarama. It is a very pretty lake area which would have been more spectacular on a sunny day.