NZ2024 - Leg 3 - Auckland to Queenstown to Te Anau

The fllight from Auckland to Queenstown was mostly smooth but cloudy below so we couldn't see much till just before landing.  That's the best part anyway, and it was fully sunny in Queenstown.  Fortunately, I was able to get a video of the entire landing, about 10 minutes.  I remembered from the first time I was here in NZ and flew into QT that the landing was a really hard stop at the end, because you drop down over the mountains and then have a pretty short runway as you come in.  If you overshoot flying in over the mountain, you go over a "bit" of a hill, but if you come in the other direction and overshoot the end, you plow into a mountain.  

Lovely airport, waiting for our baggage took a bit of time.  The plane was fuller than we thought.  But... when we went to get our rental car, the same thing happened as last time we were here - we were last to the counter, and had a choice to upgrade for free to a larger vehicle.  So we got a small SUV instead of the midsize car, a Kia Sportage.  Perfect.  Very comfy.  And much cheaper, it runs on diesel, which is incredibly fuel efficient!  And diesel is less expensive than regular gas here right now, but almost 20 cents per liter.  

Off we go to Te Anau, as we had stayed in Queenstown last time we were here, and it was busy, and expensive, and we really just wanted to get away from the city.  The further we drove, the less traffic we saw, and we stopped frequently to get photographs of the amazing scenery, filling our eyes, and our hearts.  There are many small pulloffs anyway, so that slower vehicles can move over and let people pass.  It's important here, because the roads twist and turn and visibility is never awesome.  

Merlin - my bird idenitifcation app - recognized the Tui in one spot that we stopped.  I saw it, but it was moving too fast - and hiding too well - to actually get a shot of it.  Hopefully I'll get one before we leave.  Glad I downloaded the library of New Zealand birds, although it isn't complete.  We're also noticing many birds that look like magpies - and a friend who lives here says that they are magpies.  Yet another invasive and non-native species that is taking over and causing problems for the native species.  

We reached Te Anau about 3:30 p.m., and found our favourite B&B from last time we were here.   New owners since we were here last, but that's ok, they are lovely, and the place looks the same.  Breakfast has changed a bit, but that's ok.  Our room is at the front this time - last time we were at the back.  Still a quiet spot, and the room is very spacious, freshly decorated, and spotless.

We rest for a bit, get settled, and then head "downtown" to find a pharmacy for bug spray and sunscreen, and then to find a spot for supper.  Since we haven't made reservations anywhere, we're advised that we might need to go early to get a table anywhere.  Plus it was a Tuesday, which means many places are closed - staff need a weekend too, so they close a lot of places Monday and Tuesday.  Tipping here isn't expected and in many cases frowned on, and if people tip, it doesn't go to the staff directly, it usually goes to charity or some other specific cause or event.  Why?  Because they believe in paying people what they earn, instead of expecting their customers to pay twice.  Makes sense to me.

We settle on The Ranch Bar & Grill, which appears to be exactly that, a bar, but with great food.  I had a Cheeseburger, just the way I like it, and the fries were seasoned.  It seems everywhere we go, the food is served quickly, and hot.  Wish it was like that at home!  

After supper, we stop at the liquor store to pick up some wine for the next couple of days, and laugh a bit because the liquor store is open 7 days a week and till 10 pm and most of the restaurants are only open 5 days a week and not super late (often only till 7 or 8).  The liquor store had awesome and unique (and new to us) selections - dangerous!  Especially the Flat White liqueur.  We're already starting to talk about how to ship a case of bottles home....

There is still a couple of hours till sunset - almost 3 - so we opt to go for a drive and check out a place called Te Anau Lions Lookout.  It is amazing.  It has a brass dial that shows where all the mountains are that we are surrounded by and their names.  The view itself is absoluately incredible, and with the clouds drifting over the mountain and the sun going down very slowly (we're pretty far slouth), the scene and the light on it continues to change and present a different view every few minutes.  

After filling our eyes and hearts for almost an hour, we opt to try and get lost, so we continue on the gravel road that got us to the lookout - but in the other direction.  Mostly what we see is incredibly green hills with cows, sheep and deer grazing.  We estimate that by the time we're finished our drive we've seen a few thousand deer - but then, venison has become almost as popular here as lamb, and we had seen it on the menu at The Ranch.

The drive is amazing, and although we tried to get lost, all roads seem to lead back and we wound up back in Te Anau quite easily.  A glass of wine, some blogging, and the eyes started banging shut.  More adventure will soon be coming.