True Grit in Queenstown

The hillside QT Hotel in Queenstown is excellent in all respects, location, room comfort and amenities. Our ninth-floor room has a beautiful view over Lake Wakatipu.

Emma awoke on our first morning in Queenstown so weak from coughing and a low fever that she didn't have the strength to brush her teeth. We had breakfast in the hotel and went back to bed  until 1 PM.

Then, she was ready for action. Before leaving, the hotel prepared us with macaroons.

Off to the gondola station and to the top of the mountain overlooking the city.  The gondolas are fitted to carry mountain bikes.

Once up there we scouted out the area. Aside from the expected restaurants and shops most of the attention is paid to artificial thrills such as a gocart/luge track, bungee jumping, parasailing and mountain biking. 

The views from the top were impressive.

 We did manage to find some poorly-marked walking trails and, by good fortune, blundered into a long access road which wound down the mountain through pine forests all the way back to town. 

Along the way, many mountain biking trails ran alongside or intersected our trail. At certain points the city actually supplies bicycle tool stations.

For the most part our hike was quiet.

 

 

 The hike took us about two hours and left us, weary but triumphant, very near the hotel. We dropped our gear and headed for a mediocre dinner at Finns on the waterfront. Our meal was highlighted by the appearance of a hydroflyer on the water. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flyboard
Attached by a hose to a jet ski, two powerful water jets emerge at the bottom of the feet to allow a person to do acrobatic feats, rising far above the water and "porpoising" in and out of the water in a very graceful way. You Tube has examples of this recently invented sport.

 

The second day in Wellington was rainy. That didn't stop Emma from leading a hike around a peninsula/park accessible from downtown Queenstown.

 On this hike we found signs of Japanese tourism.

And signs of visitors from more primitive cultures.

But, overall, the dominance of New Zealand culture was clear.

We had a passable but unexceptional lunch in town, bought supplies in the supermarket for our full-day trip tomorrow to Doubtful Sound and returned to our hotel at about 3 PM to rest. The weather appears to be clearing up somewhat.