Thursday 13th Cool and wet in Queenstown

A very grey morning with intermittent rain so after a leisurely start we decided to drive up to Glenorchy at the head of Lake Wakatipu. For those of you who watched the television series Top of the Lake this, Diamond Lake and Paradise a few miles away were the settings for the drama series. It was a very dark piece of television and it was no surprise to discover that the locals had absolutely no interest in publicising their geographical connection with the series.

In spite of the grey weather the drive up the lake was spectacular and in places the lake was a brilliant turquoise. It's difficult to explain to people who have not seen it and photos simply do not do it justice but I have only seen lakes of this colour in NZ, quite beautiful.

The mountains including Mount Earnshaw further up the valley from Glenorchy were still very much snow covered and we were surprised at this since February here is equivalent to our August. There was certainly much more snow on the mountains than during our last visit which was in December and the locals all said that it had been a very poor summer.

The LLW decided that coffee and cakes were in order so we found a pub/cafe and indulged! Both of us have come to the conclusion that the OZ/NZ Flat White coffee is superior to Latte or Cappucino! Similar in many ways but more coffee and less milk and very smooth. I was unwise enough to use the WiFi to check the football results and the less said about that the better!

On our return to Queenstown I walked into town whilst the LLW worked some more on her current deal. The town was fairly quiet today and perhaps all of the gap year youngsters had moved on or had a very heavy night. I did see the most enormous rainbow trout swimming very close to the wharf; not sure if the photo does it justice but it was huge.

Shortly after I returned to base camp it was time for dinner and the slide out BBQ was unleashed with perfect timing between showers. Sausages from the Mediterranean Market with mushrooms and Avo salad were the order of the day. After a couple of glasses of wine the LLW announced that these were the best sausages she has ever tasted.

Tomorrow, Valentines Day we head off to Moeraki on the coast and a celebration lunch at Fleurs Place which is a very well known fish restaurant. An early start as it's close on four hours drive.

Wednesday 12th; Gibbston Valley and Cromwell Vineyards

Wednesday morning dawned dull and cool so after breakfast we decided to tour the vineyards in Gibbston Valley and Cromwell. Gibbston Valley is close to Queenstown and for a wine area is quite a narrow valley populated by small, boutique but very classy wine growers. The Pinot Gris from Gibbston Valley vineyard itself is justly famous and we had  tasted it on our last visit at Tim Wilson's (Rosemary's cousin) house.

Before entering the cellar door we visited a very good cheesery on the same site and having tasted a number of their cheeses inevitably bought some for supper.

A very knowledgeable young man talked us through the various wines and the Pinot Gris did not disappoint; very pale, dry and less flowery than many Pinot Gris's, it is a very elegant wine. We bought two bottles and a Pinot Noir.

On then to Peregrine Wines a favourite of ours when we last visited. An equally knowledgeable young lady this time told us all about the Peregrine wines and apparently these are now available at Majestic and even sometimes at Hennings in Pulborough. The Pinot Noir is excellent and yes we bought some more and a bottle of their very good Riesling.

Further north along the valley after the Kawarau Gorge are Cromwell and Bannockburn home to some of the slightly larger and more well known vineyards such as Felton Road and Mount Difficulty. We had stayed at Cromwell on our first visit to NZ and this area is also the fruit growing centre of the south island. The LLW wanted some cherries and inspite of the cherry season being over was determined to find some. Luckily for the crockery in our van we did spot a cherry emporium fairly quickly and duly purchased 2Kg!! And very good they are too!. 

However, our particular target in the Cromwell area was Wooing Tree vineyard which had been introduced to us by David Dixon last time we were here. They do a really good Pinot Noir and having purchased some we had lunch there before starting back towards Queenstown.

We stopped briefly in Arrowtown an old (in NZ terms) gold mining town and then I suggested a stop at HJ Hackett's which apparently is the original bungy jumping spot. We watched a few jump off the bridge and swing around, heads very close to the swirling Kawarau river, but we were not tempted.

Back to base camp but out plans for a BBQ were thwarted by intermittent rain.

Tuesday 11th picking up the campervan

Tuesday morning was cooler and overcast and after a breakfast at our hotel with stunning views over the Frankton arm of Lake Wakatipu we took a taxi to the Maui campervan depot. Again we had an interesting taxi driver, this time explaining that he had lived in north London for a short while and had enjoyed exploring the history of his father who as an NZ fighter pilot had been based in Kent and Sussex and had flown Spitfires and Hurricanes during the Battle of Britain.

The Maui lady gleefully announced that we had been upgraded to the larger 4 berth campervan with a double bed above the drivers cab. However, this meant that we would not have the justly famous slide out gas barbecue and the LLW was having none of it! A major international incident was narrowly avoided and we were eventually allotted our original choice.

We drove along part of the lake to Kelvin Heights where we had been once before and parked our campervan in the golf club car park. The LLW was all for taking the spaces marked President and Captain but I eventually persuaded her that this would not go down well with the members, We enjoyed coffee and cakes on the terrace with a fabulous view across the lake to Queenstown.

Time to head for the supermarket to stock up and then find our space at the campsite. Unfortunately work now intervened for the LLW and we very close close to things being thrown! After a couple of hours it all calmed down and we had a lovely stroll into Queenstown where the views across the lake were spectacular.

Back to the campsite to fire up the famous BBQ for a excellent steak accompanied by salad with Avos and of course a central Otago Pinot Noir. All is well with the world again!

Monday 10th; leaving Sydney

Monday morning was cloudy; much cooler and clearly it had rained overnight. We left at 08:00 and our taxi driver, who did not stop talking, informed us that his family came from Eastbourne. We enjoyed a fairly comprehensive history of his family whilst he negotiated the very heavy rush hour traffic.

Out flight to Queenstown was with Virgin Australia which is the RyanAir/easyJet equivalent and whilst very efficient it was without any frills.

After a very uneventful 3 hours, during which Rosemary heard from her Chicago based neighbour that he was attending his son's wedding to a Japanese lady in Queenstown, we arrived in said destination with a very spectacular approach through and very close to the mountains.

Our taxi driver from Queenstown airport was originally from Huddersfield and having worked as a BT engineer arrived here via the Shetland Islands and Brisbane!

Out hotel was the Goldridge Resort and after sorting ourselves out we decided to walk the 4Km into Queenstown seeking sustenance. A beautiful walk along the lake and we ended at a very small restaurant close to the Botanical Gardens with a stunning view across Lake Wakatipu. A very good meal with the usual excellent NZ wines.

Sunday 9th February More exploring of Port Jackson

The dinner at O went very well yesterday evening. All diners were well behaved and seemed to get on very well together. The revolving restaurant was 47 stories high and gave us some superb views of Sydney and the harbour both in daylight and after darkness ascended. Good food, excellent wines and stimulating conversation - a very good evening.

Once again today is cloudless and hot with the forecast high around 29C. We decided to explore Port Jackson further by taking a round trip on the ferry to Parramatta and then going on to Watson's Bay for a swim.

It was a very interesting trip and we saw a lot more of the harbour than ever before. As we went upstream and west the harbour slowly narrows until it becomes the Parramatta river and navigation seem to end at Parramatta town. Lots of very expensive properties along the waterfront to start with and then becoming quite wild with mangrove like swamps.

The ferry to Watson's Bay was very busy and clearly lots of Sydneysiders had decided to escape the city heat by heading down to the slightly cooler parts of the harbour and Doyles the fish restaurant was doing a roaring trade as usual. We enjoyed our swim and then took another crowded ferry back to Circular Quay.

This evening we will probably eat early down by the Rocks before getting ready for our flight to Queenstown tomorrow.

Saturday 8th, Paddongton, Coogee Beach and Watsons Bay

Another lovely hot day with cloudless skies and the sort of intense sun you only seem to experience in the southern hemisphere. Not entirely sure why that is but there are theories about holes in the ozone layer down under. Whatever the real reason it does seem to be the case.

We had decided to buy a day ticket on the buses and ferries and head off to the coast via the Saturday market at Paddingdon. Eventually we found the ticket office and headed east to the suburb of Paddington which consisted of wall to wall designer shops which did not appear particularly upmarket from the outside but did seem to require a new mortgage if one entered.

The market was interesting with mainly clothes, paintings and craft items. All very good quality and the market clearly attracts large numbers every Saturday.

Off to the bus stop again and having surveyed the options for a beach visit we had decided upon Coogee which is some way south of Bondi. The journey involved a change of bus at Bondi Junction where a very helpful lady directed us to the bus station as a priority over finding her lost husband.

The bus to Coogee duly arrived and off we went via the busy and attractive suburb of Randwick.

As we descended down the Hill into Coogee we both could see that this was a good choice and the beach looked great. 

Braving the threat of great white sharks, box jellyfish, Mitchell Johnson and other Aussie nasties we launched ourselves into the surf.  It was brilliant! Crystal clear warm water and exciting waves. We loved it and could have stayed much longer but the sun was so strong and respite was needed.

Off then back to Circular Quay to take a ferry trip around Port Jackson via Watson's Bay. 

The harbour looked stunning and I have never seen so many yachts and dinghies many of whom seemed to delight in tacking as close to the ferry as possible.

By now we really had experienced enough sun and it was back to the hotel for a cup of tea - how very english!


This evening we are having dinner with Geoff and Genevieve Norman and Anthony and Louise Alexander. The two couples have not met one another but Geoff is a client of Rosemary's at Stafford and Anthony was a partner at Oppenheimers when Rosemary first started as a lawyer. The restaurant is called O (apparently O for organic) and is on the 46th floor of a building in Australia Square. Should be an interesting evening!

Friday 7th January Sydney in the sunshine

A beautiful morning in Sydney with clear blue skies and mid 20s temperature. The LLW had some work to do so I headed off for a walk to Circular Quay and the Opera House.

It was peak commuter time and the ferries from all around the harbour were arriving laden with workers heading for Sydney's CBD. Just as I arrived at the Opera House a huge P&O cruise ship the Pacific Jewel crept slowly round the point and inched its way to berth at Circular Quay - quite a site.

Work finished for the LLW we headed off to explore some areas of Sydney that we had not really seen before. A long walk though the botanic gardens on past Woolloomooloo, up the steep McElhone steps to an area known as Potts Point , where there were lots of Georgian and Victorian villas.

After Potts Point we descended to Elizabeth Bay where a very welcoming breeze from Sydney Harbour helped cool us a little. BTW, henceforth we will refer to Sydney Harbour by its proper name Port Jackson.

After a quick pit stop at the Bird & Bear coffee shop we walked south through Kings Cross, Darlinghurst and Surry Hills where we had a light and very good lunch at the Clock pub. All very interesting and totally different to the areas of Sydney we had visited on previous occasions.

We took a bus back to our hotel which is very close to Circular Quay and after a short
rest the LLW walked to the offices of Quay Partners and Stafford, one of her clients where she had a meeting with Dom Tayco. I joined Rosemary, Dom, Daan and Megan a little later for drinks at a pub in the Rocks district.

Afterwards Rosemary and I had dinner at a very nice restaurant at Campbells Storehouse with a wonderful view across to the Opera House slightly obscured by the very large rear end of aforementioned Pacific Jewel. Offense was clearly taken about the large rear end comments and with much hooting, and shepherded by tugs the cruise ship left in a huff! Seems a great shame to visit a truly great city such as Sydney and only spend ~12 hours there.