Up at 6:00 and loaded bags in van and trailer at 6:45 and gone by 7:00. Drizzle all morning, so stops were a bit limited. Folks just didn’t want to get out in the rain. Made a breakfast stop in Twizel, then a bathroom stop later, and lunch at Gibbston, not far from Queenstown. From time to time, we did stop for photo shoots when the scenery called for it. Had one stop where farmer was leading hundreds of sheep in his truck to put down hay for them. And there was the little town where Shrek the wonder sheep had been born and raised. Another one was at a pass over the mountains heading toward Queenstown.
Around 3:00, we spent an hour in Arrowtown. Not much to look at … mostly shops. Did see the restaurant, Saffron, where Jeff and I ate with the Dubinskys, Scotts, and Browns in 2005. Also a neat gold shop where they had huge nuggets of gold found in this area. About 4:00 we headed for the last few km to Queenstown. Staying at the Copthorne Hotel and Resort, near the Copthorne where I stayed in 2012. My room, 1353, is about as far away from the lobby as you can get, but it has great views of Lake Wakatipu.
About 5:45 or so, Jeff, Donna, and I walked downhill into the center of town. We ambled around looking at different restaurants and their menus. There is a festival going on here, so we stayed away from the lakefront crowds. Ate at Captains a wonderful meal – prepared sous vide! Then down the street for ice cream. I had fig pistachio.
Took the pathway up to the hotel. Steep but not as bad as the street. Got here about 8:00. I have faded in and out all day, sometimes feeling better, sometimes worse. Dinner and ice cream did some reviving. Will not do much now and go to bed early. Last night, I was asleep by 8:00. Needed it.
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