Sunday 22nd Snow on the mountains!

It had been a very cold night with temperatures below freezing and the LLW did not rush to assume a vertical position requiring several cups of tea, a biscuit and at least an hour with her iPad Telegraph before such exertion could be considered. Ray was very chirpy since the magpies had won 4-0 and one of the nasty competitors for a promotion slot (Leeds United) had lost.

The competitors in the Red Bull Defiance had no such luxury starting their kayaking at 06:00, followed by a mountain bike ride and then a really hard run from the Cardrona Valley uphill through the mountains to Roy's peak (running through fresh snow) and then steeply downhill to the lake and on to the finish at Wanaka's waterfront.

After watching a few of the elite athletes completing the course, we had a walk along the lakeside and swing the views over the mountains decided to drive down to Glendhu Bay to see the views from there. As we drove it was clear that there had been a considerable snowfall overnight and this was confirmed by Radio Wanaka who confirmed that there had been a fall of 30 cm at Cardona!

The photos are not great because it was quite cloudy but I think you will get a feeling for how snowy it is on the mountains - and this is mid summer.

Saturday 21st Red Bull Defiance

Well the LLW was devastated! Upon checking the rules for the Red Bull Defiance, Ray discovered it was for teams of two and in spite of extensive efforts we were unable to find a partner for the LLW who would match her level of ability (?).

We watched the kayaking part of the race this morning, or to be more accurate the finishing straight from  Ruby Island to Wanaka waterfront and the winners of day one finished a good 20 minutes ahead of the second place team.  It seems that NZ commentators are as bad as ours for asking inane questions. The broadcaster greeting the finishers asked the second place team what they would do differently tomorrow and a slightly bemused and very tired competitor hesitated for a while and then said "try harder I guess".

The weather continues too amaze us and after a lovely day yesterday it is grey and quite cold today (as you can probably tell from the above photos).

Dinner was at Bistro Gentil and was very good but quite expensive. They had an interesting innovation which was new to me - a smart card was issued to us and this was used to operate optics delivering small, medium or large glasses of wine. You might expect the wines to be rather poor quality from such an arrangement but quite the opposite; there was an extensive choice and we had excellent Ostler Pinot Gris and Amisfield Pinot Noir.

Friday 20th What a difference a day makes!

The forecast overnight had been for -2C and as we woke it was clearly very cold but the sun was out, the air was unbelievably clear and the view from our window was awesome. The contrast to yesterday could not have been greater and it was one of those very Wanaka days.

After a leisurely breakfast the management committees agreed that it was definitely the day for a cycle ride and off we went, initially to Waterfall Creek.

We were clearly not the first to arrive here and locals were out in force to enjoy the wonderful weather. Boaters galore, walkers, cyclists and even sunbathers were much in evidence.

We retraced our steps to Edgewater and then on to Wanaka town, Eely point, Beacon Point and the outlet to the Clutha River. As I hope you can see the views were stupendous all along the way and cycling was frequently interrupted by photo opportunities. The LLW's cycling has dramatically improved and none of the inclines phased her at all. On a number of occasions I stopped to let her catch up only to find she was right behind me.

We stopped after 25Km and after a short rest at the apartment we decided to drive north west along the lake and see if there were any views of Mount Aspiring from the Clutha Bay area. As you can see there was some light cloud at the top of the mountains but Aspiring can clearly be seen in the distance. (Mount Aspiring, or Tititea in Maori, is NZ's second highest mountain, after Mount Cook, and is 3,033 metres high (9,951 feet))

After a walk around the Glendhu Bay area we drove on further up the valley viewing waterfalls and impressive peak after peak. The road turned into an unsealed surface, which is hard work, and we headed back after about 2 miles of unsealed road.

Back into Wanaka and we went to explore the local butchers which is hidden away high about the CBD. We assumed this was as a result of high rental costs in the centre, driven up by the tourist shops and the need to provide parking. Whatever the case the Butcher’s Block and Smokehouse was excellent and we could have bought half the shop. Instead of which we settled for bacon, sausages and eggs for a brunch tomorrow.

We had investigated recommended restaurants and had decided to try Bistro Gentil which seems to be highly rated. We drove to the restaurant on Golf Course Road, which clearly has great views over the lake. Unfortunately fully booked for this evening but we booked for tomorrow. Back down to the waterfront to consider our options and we finally decided on Big Fig where we had coffee this morning and the food looked very good. It transpired to be an excellent choice, the LLW having slow cooked lamb and Ray choosing the lamb meatballs both accompanied with spiced Aubergines and Rice Pilaf (and Pinot Gris!). Everything was very, very good and it was lovely to eat al fresco in warm, brilliant early evening sunshine.

Immediately next door to Big Fig is a small iSite office and when we had visited this morning we noticed that there was a Chinese speaking assistant. Earlier this week there was also a Chinese speaker serving at Gibbston Valley Wines - a sign of the times in NZ. The slight downturn in tourists from the UK has been compensated many times over by the increase in those from China.

Tomorrow and Sunday promise to be very exciting in Wanaka as the town hosts Red Bull Defiance  which is a "new and unique race format that combines off road running, kayaking and mountain bike endurance disciplines, with the creative element of undisclosed special stages." The first day consists of a 43Km mountain bike ride, a steeply uphill 11 Km run, a 100 metre abseil and a 20 Km kayak - phew!

Ray became very exhausted just looking at the web site https://www.redbulldefiance.co.nz/wanaka-new-zealand but is just heading off to meet the organisers and see if he can secure a late entry for the LLW.

Thursday 19th January. Lake Hawea

It was certainly a cool start to the day and, after a leisurely breakfast, we decided to drive the few miles to Lake Hawea. As we walked out of the apartment we could see fresh snow on the mountains to the north west.

We turned off the main road (which eventually crosses the Haast Pass and on to the west coast) at Hawea town which is at the southern end of the lake. The LLW (who has a remarkable memory for such things) remembered that last time we were here we had very good savoury scones at a cafe so of course we needed to stop and test the quality again; which was excellent. At the cafe, Ray was able to use their wifi to check the football results and was delighted to discover that the mighty magpies had defeated Birmingham 3-1 in the FA Cup.

North via the western side of the lake enjoying the fantastic views which were almost more dramatic and moody as result of the clouds.

Back at the apartment we can see the clods lifting slightly and a cycle ride may be on the cards later.

Tuesday 17th Queenstown

Today we are off to Queenstown, driving there over the Crown Range and then back via Gibbston Valley (wine territory) and the Kawarau gorge. The weather was quite good but clouds lurked over the mountains and some rain is forecast later.

Queenstown is incredibly busy and we were amazed to discover that no parking spaces were available anywhere in the town. We had to drive out on the Glenorchy road before finding somewhere to park about 3/4 mile outside the town. Last time we visited, the town was busy with gap year kids but this time the tourists seemed older, more affluent and largely Chinese (this time there are very few Brits in town)! The affluence of the town is reflected in a new Louis Vuitton shop near the lake front, which is not what I would have expected of Queenstown. There has clearly been a property boom and those who bought about 5 years ago have probably doubled their investment.

The management committee has agreed that Queenstown would be a good place to stay for our final night in NZ before catching the flight from Queenstown to Auckland en route to London. We noticed a Novotel in a good central position (with car parking) and enquired about availability. We were informed that since it is the Chinese New Year that weekend, the hotel was only taking bookings for a minimum of two nights!!  We declined their offer and left.

We walked around the lovely botanic gardens and back along the waterfront. It really is one of the most lovely settings you could imagine and even with the changes, it is still a great place to visit.

Out plan was to stop at Gibbston Valley vineyard and have a late lunch before returning to Wanaka. We were not disappointed and had a lovely meal in their courtyard which was sunny but very blustery. We are fans go their Pinot Gris and a glass each was just the thing to accompany the meal.

Ray has a Skype call with Catalysts this evening so will try to keep away until 23:00; I don't think the LLW has plans to

Wednesday 19th Rain in Wanaka

There is a very strong weather front moving through NZ and whilst Wanaka will miss most of the problems we did have a day of cool and wet weather. Parts of the country have experienced torrential rain and winds of 140kpm.

The area around Wanaka is generally arid and rainfall is one of the lowest in NZ; the vineyards and orchards thrive because a sophisticated irrigation system is in place channeling the rains from the Southern Alps to the farming areas. Bush fires are more common than heavy rain at this time of year and just before the rain started we were watching a news clip about a fire in Coromandel which destroyed a number of houses just outside Whitianga.

We did get out and about quite a lot for coffee as usual and a couple of short walks. We had an interesting conversation with a Kiwi who had just moved to Wanaka to escape the rat race of Auckland. Sounds like the same problem the world over.

The forecast is for another day of cloudy and cool weather and then things will brighten up

Monday 16th Lake Dunstan, vineyards and kite surfers

The weather forecast for the day was mixed with some rain expected so after completing a few work and admin items we convened a full meeting of the management committee to discuss potential action. After an often heated debate, there was a unanimous decision to visit Lake Dunstan, some vineyards and possibly have lunch at Mount Difficulty.

Having driven down the western shore of Lake Dunstan, we found ourselves back in Cromwell where we stayed in the camper van and then drove through to one of the major wine areas, Bannockburn situated in the hills overlooking Cromwell. Great disappointment! As we approached the Mount Difficulty vineyard, it was clear from the car park that they were very busy and our assumption that being a Monday, they would be quiet was entirely misconceived.  The restaurant was heaving and there was even a wine tour stopping for lunch so nothing available until 14:30. The LLW was not amused but luckily Ray spotted a small, very unpretentious cafe in Bannockburn village which turned out to be very good so as they say in W1A "its all good then".

On to one of our favourite Central Otago vineyards that of Wooing Tree just outside Cromwell. The lady who served us was born in Worthing and later lived in Ashington. The aforementioned wine tour had followed us here so Wooing Tree was also very busy.

Also on the agenda was a visit to the fruit growers. The area around Cromwell is (along with the Bay of Plenty, which is well named in agricultural terms) probably the stone fruit growing capital of NZ. As always the LLW was determined to ensure her 5 a day and we, of course, had to stop at Jackson's which seems to operate as a kind of cooperative for fruit growers. They operate from a very large shed at the side of the Cromwell/Wanaka road and fruit sorting machines are prominent, mainly manned by gap year students as far as I could see. The Jacksons bought lovely apricots, grown in Newcastle from Jackson's. How cool is that?

Back to Wanaka and a cup of tea back at the apartment allowed us to watch the end of an extraordinary test match between New Zealand and Bangladesh in Wellington. Having scored 595 for 8 declared in the first innings, Bangladesh managed to lose by 7 wickets!

By now the wind was really fierce and as we walked back into the town it was clear that this was perfect weather for experienced kite and wind surfers. A few provisions secured and we fought our way back into the headwind to Edgewater. Apart from the wind, which is very hard to ignore, the weather had been much better than forecast.