New Zealand: Jet Boats in Paradise / Feb 24, 2010
Queenstown is an adrenaline paradise that resembles a typical Colorado ski resort town but with more to do. If you can dream it, you can do it here. They’ve got a variety of different activities for every thrill junkie and of course are very effective at emptying one’s wallet for the endeavor. Nonetheless, it’s a great, vibrant town and we loved our too-brief trip on the jet boat (below). These million-dollar babies can skim along at 50mph in a mere four inches of water, slow a bit, and then turn a 360 on a dime. It was soooo much fun! There are three rivers in the South Island that offer these type of boat rides, and we chose the Shotover River boat because it winds its way close to the river’s tall canyon walls. You could, if you were eager to break your arm, reach out and grab the rock wall as the driver expertly guided the boat around various obstacles. Highly recommended.
Want some action? Check out our cheesy little flip video we made from the Shotover Jet ride. And take your dramamine beforehand.
It’s hard to pass up the opportunity to watch the beautiful light that the sun casts across the mountain range just north of Queenstown as it rises, even if you’re on holiday. There was a cloud that persistently remained just above the summit that was interesting to watch. Despite a morning breeze, it just stayed there because of the different climate at that altitude.
This frame was rather electrifying, as Bill had to lean over an electric fence with the tripod to take a photo of this creek. He didn’t know it was electric at first, so that served as a little wake-up call in lieu of coffee that morning.
One afternoon, shortly after a relaxing lunch at Glenorchy Cafe, we drove out to Lake Sylvan for a hike around the lake and to hang out in the water for a spell. Some of the afternoon light falling through the old and twisted pine trees was absolutely beautiful.
On the way back we stopped on the side of the road and stood on top of the car to get a shot over the fence of this hay barn in the distance.
The next morning Bill (the morning half of Anne&Bill) awoke super early for the half-hour drive out to Paradise. It was so peaceful out there and he saw absolutely no one until returning back to the inn for breakfast. What a wonderful way to begin a morning.
The millions of sheep are usually pretty skittish, but they’re also curious. Especially if they think we might have food.
We saw the most beautiful light on this windmill.
We spent our last afternoon there going around to various wineries. One of them, Chard Farm Vineyards, is set on a hill overlooking the river. The only access is via dirt road that has on its side a steep drop off down a cliff right into the river. No guardrail, no nothing. It used to be the main thoroughfare to Queenstown but now serves as a not-so-gentle reminder to visitors that they need a designated driver for tastings at the vineyard. You can see the buildings to the left of the frame below.
On the way back, we stopped by Amisfield for some chilled wine and cheese to help cool us off from the very warm afternoon and for an appetizer before heading over to Saffron restaurant in Arrowtown. Angela and Webster had previously dined there and had a wonderful experience with the creative fare, so we were eager to try it. Of course we wrapped up with their version of Hokey Pokey ice cream over moist chocolate cake. What a nice, relaxing meal! It was the perfect way to wrap up our trip to these scenic islands. We most certainly look forward to returning, especially to the South Island, and hopefully sooner rather than later. Next up…some images from our portraits done with Angela and Webster!
