Heavy Misses – 01 January 2008

Following a good night’s rest we arose and had the best breakfast of the year. Of course, it at the time was the only breakfast of the year, however, certainly our best breakfast since being in New Zealand. Bed and Breakfast with cooked to order fresh food is a true delight, and made Hayley a happy camper with the bacon cooked crispy and in the style to her liking.
Upon packing our bags and loading the car we were off to Glenorchy so Hayley could do the Ride of the Rings. Making our way on the Cardona Valley Road (SH 89) we floated along the Cardona River until we climbed our way through the Crown Range Road, peaking at Mt. Scott then ever so gradually scaling our way back down into Arrow Junction. The slow serpent of roadway down the mountain side was reminiscent to me of the turns on Lombard Street in San Francisco, only on a much bigger scale and more beautiful – from what I could see in the few glimpses I managed while steering and breaking. Finally reaching SH6 at the bottom we made our way through Queenstown and continued onward for Glenorchy.
As we waved goodbye to Queenstown, Hayley’s seat went back, ear plugs went in and she dreamt her way off to sleep. Meanwhile, I continued to plug forward, stopping to take a few pictures periodically of the Thomson and Humboldt Mountains, along the upper reaches of Lake Wakatipu.
Descending down into Glenorchy gradually Hayley came back alive. We arrived at Dart Stables, home to “The Ride of the Rings.” We were a bit early for our 130pm gathering so we ventured into town, what little one it is, and stopped for a bite to eat at the Glenorchy Café. What a surprise that was since Hayley was able to get real lemonade, well sort of. This was lemonade, only it had carbonation, but nonetheless it was lemonade, not Sprite. With satisfied tummies we returned to Dart Stables only to find out we were early. I had misread the information in our itinerary. Our 130pm time slot was for us to be picked up back in Queenstown, we did not need to be here at Dart Stables until 215pm. It was okay however. We managed to get Hayley checked in, purchase a t-shirt and then relax a bit before she was to ride off. As a bonus, we were able to have stopping power along the way to and from Glenorchy for our “5 Minute Photo Stops.” While waiting and conversing with Stephanie, the woman that checked Hayley in, we found out she was from New Jersey. I asked her what got her to move to New Zealand. She told us she was touring South America then came to New Zealand. While here she ran out of money and got a job. Six months later she is still in country and loving it. A LOTRs side note is her nickname is “The Hobbit” because she looks like one when riding on a horse.
The rest of the Ring Riders arrived, checked in and they all, Hayley included, boarded a bus to Paradise where they would collect their horses. Hayley will fill in the details of the Ring adventure. As for me, I did not make the trip because in the health interest of the horses there is a maximum weight limit and I exceeded it. No worries here though. I made a trip down to the waterfront, walked out on some exposed land in the lake and was able to capture some beautiful images of the surrounding mountains along the water. Afterward, I took a forty minute tramp out to the lagoon and snagged some more gorgeous pictures of the mountains. Returning from my walk, I returned to the Glenorchy centre of town and refueled the car, grabbed a cool liquid beverage and made my way back to Dart Stables to wait upon my Princess’s return. While waiting I downloaded last night’s fireworks and today’s adventure photos into the computer.
Upon Hayley’s return we made our way back to Queenstown and checked into the Coronet View Bed & Breakfast. Following the unloading of the car I made a call to our adventure vendor on January 3 to confirm our reservation on the Te Anau Glowworm Caves tour. Amy on the other end confirmed our spots and assured us that the ground and transports taken will be more solid than those we used up in Waitomo. While still on the phone with Amy I was also able to check our status on the Doubtful Sound Overnight Cruise the following day. Bonus information we received is that for the Doubtful Sound trip we will be picked up at our bed and breakfast in the morning. Woohoo!!!
With confirmations in ear it was time for dinner so we headed into the center of town. While driving around looking for a parking spot I took the liberty to scout out additional parking locales for tomorrow morning. Also, while doing this my eyes lit right up when I spotted a Starbucks. I had not seen one since Auckland last year. Can you tell I have been missing a good caffeine kick? Once the car was finally parked, on our way to finding a restaurant we happened upon the spot we need to check in at for tomorrow’s adventures. While Hayley looked through the gift shop I confirmed at the counter we were set for our white water rafting trip and our skydive. All set for the 815am meeting to white water raft the Shotover River. One potential issue with the skydive, weight. I had to walk down the road five shops and weigh in to see if I was under the max. Yup, you guessed it. Although it was only by five kilograms, I was overweight. Once again, yet another honeymoon event I was unable to do due to my love for some good food. I broke the news to Hayley that I would not be able to jump. After a brief discussion, she decided not to make the jump either. In the absence of the skydive we rescheduled our afternoon to fly and cruise Milford Sound instead. With tomorrow’s plans now in order we located the Beefeater Steakhouse, recommended by our B & B hosts. Here we dined on what Hayley considered her best meal yet, a filet mignon. She was doing the “Snoopy” Dance as those taste buds came alive.
Following dinner we retired for the evening to the confines of our B&B room where I now sit typing. It is nearly bed time now and I need to get my backpack ready for tomorrow’s excursions.
Cheers,
Bob & Hayley