Queenstown

The morning started around 4 degrees - my purple hands were a good indication of the cold (or that I have poor circulation). We packed ham rolls and some nibbles and set off for Queenstown. The parking in town was tricky so Nick had to park the bus far out and walk back in - otherwise we would have been constrained to spend no more than 30 minutes in any one location. Decided to splash out on one of Queenstown's main attractions - the Gondola up Bob's Peak and Luge ride, both very well worth it. Mom was not put off by the door closing on a slow-boarding lady and entire cable works grinding to a halt forcing a wheel to fly off the top of the car into the window right in front of us, making a hole in the window and causing shards of glass to land right at our feet. I was terrified already and this did not help me :)  The lady ended up on the ground but was fine otherwise. It's a scary trip in the cable car if you're not keen on heights. We scouted around the Skyline complex and cafe, looked at the gift shop and gorgeous views over Queenstown and Lake Wakatipu and then onto the luge. We talked dad into giving it a go although at the sight of the chair lifts to the start of ride I nearly chickened out. It was harmless though and good fun - the luge carts were very easy to steer and brake. The attendants give you a crash course on the lever by way of "green is go, red is stop and black is hospital"!  

Above: the gash in the mountain is where the gondolas go up and down.  Below - what a view, and what a cloud formation!  Paragliding happening here...

Whoop whoop - whooshing (at a gentle pace); Aaron following and Dad behind him.

Ice-creams and slush at the cafe (by now it had warmed up to about 27 degrees - HOT); thus refreshed we embarked on a 30-minute walk through the woods on a small part of the Southern Alps. Mom tires quickly and struggled with the uphills, but we were confident that she'd thank us later and 'forced' her to continue!  Back down on the gondola again, then a quick walk through town again while Nick fetched the car. 

Fear factor...Nick was almost jumping around the car taking photos.

We were back in Arrowtown at 4 pm; in tour-guide style we allowed 10 minutes for coffee and recovery then walked to the swimming pool for the boys to swim. After a mildly tasteless packet-made bacon carbonara for tea, Nick and I went for walk to the Shot-Over River where we were attacked by sand flies while Nick tried hard to dam river.