Explosion at Waterfall Creek

A glorious sunny day in Wanaka doesn't have to be spent skiing the white stuff on the hill, although it's pretty tempting to do just that. But this year I told myself I'd do more than just ski, that I'd try and be more of a tourist as well, so last Friday I hired a bike and headed off around the lake to cycle to Glendhu Bay.

Glendhu Bay is a sheltered inlet which hosts a caravan park and not much else. Spectacular mirror like reflections of the surrounding peaks, a vista of snow covered mountain ranges and Mt Aspiring in the distance make this bay a really popular summer holiday destination. But at this time of year the water temperature is a chilly 10 degrees, so the caravans sit in abandoned rows waiting for Spring.

A trail exists from the town centre all the way to Glendhu Bay, so with a packed lunch, the iPhone and Olloclip I headed off for the day. I cycled along the shore to the solitary spindly willow in the water (google Wanaka and you are sure to see a shot of this tree) and dutifully took my own mini series of photos, before heading off again.........only to find I had a puncture.

Since I was still in town it was a mere 15min walk back to the hostel to grab another bike, then I was off again. The path meanders along the lake shore, through some small forested areas then joins the lake again at Waterfall Creek. I'd jogged out to here last year, from now on it was all new territory.

Crossing the creek on a bridge, the path begins to climb as it hugs the cliffs above the lake. Formed by glaciers, most of the lake's circumference is steep and rocky, with only a few small beaches and inlets. It makes for great elevated views and a fairly rigorous ride. But flying down a hill and around a corner I am suddenly brought to a stop by a very loud explosion! I look around to discover nothing more spectacular than a full blowout of my rear tyre. Bummer!!

Still within mobile coverage I call the hostel, and soon Ian drives out to try and fix my second puncture in an hour! A new inner tube won't solve the problem of a rip in the tyre, so I abandon the bike with Ian, and continue on by foot. Much slower, but in actual fact easier to appreciate the magnificent scenery.

Lunch is enjoyed at a picnic table down a minor track with a million dollar vista.

A cliff walk above a rocky shoreline with two shags drying their wings - I would have appreciated the zoom lens for that shot.

A secluded beach

Mt Aspiring peeks out from some wispy clouds

At the end of my walk it's a simple matter of thumbing a lift back into town from one of the many cars returning from the ski fields.

links to all the rest of my New Zealand pictures here

Food porn in Queenstown

What to do when the weather looks lousy and you don't feel like heading up the mountain to ski in zero visibility yet again? Go on a road trip of course. Where to on a wet rainy day? How about Queenstown to eat oneself silly.

I managed to convince two Japanese girls with a car to join me, so one Monday we headed off to Queenstown with a list of eateries to visit. Ami planned to buy a Go-Pro, but both Ai and I had only gastronomy on our minds. First stop Cafe Vudu for their pan au chocolat, but unfortunately already sold out. The rest of the pastries looked pretty good too, but just nearby was Patagonia Chocolate, which has divine hot chocolate with chilli, even diviner icecream, and some pretty awesome looking chocolate as well. Having devoured our hot chocolate and icecream it was time to visit what is a Queenstown institution, and the main reason we'd made the trip.

Fergburger. It's so popular they don't even bother advertising. The queue waiting for their gourmet burger means you can wait a good 45 min, and people happily do.  I think we only waited 20 min, enough to down a half of Speights at any rate! And when it arrives you tuck in to a rather large succulent beefburger. Yum!!

And the verdict? Well the hype doesn't live up to a better than average burger I'm afraid. But I'm happy that I've tried the Ferg because I can now confidently side with a lot of the Wanaka crowd who declare Red Star Burgers are better. Yep, I agree. Fergburger, you just ain't worth the trip!!

Following our Fergburger we hit a few sports stores, Ami bought her Go-Pro, Ai and I loitered in the tourist office, then we headed back to the car, past the British Lolly Shop. Gobstoppers, humbugs, all sorts of sweet temptations. Oh well....

Next stop Arrowtown, an ex goldmining town just out of Queenstown. It has some quaint old buildings, a museum, numerous ye olde worlde shops and some nice cafes and restaurants. It's also now the preferred place to live rather than tourist and hotel infested Queenstown down the road. I can see their point, especially when the first cafe we spied on leaving the carpark was, ummmmm, Patagonia Chocolates again!! After more icecream and cake, we wandered around, through yet another lolly shop, then rolled back into the car for the drive back home to Wanaka.

And guess what? Next month Wanaka gets its very own Patagonia Chocolates store. So there'll never be a need to go to Queenstown again!!