Thursday, March 7, 2013

Queenstown, Friday, March 1, 2013, Morning

Panicked when saw this sign.....we have been booked for 6 months!!!  But I did not reconfirm any  of the reservations.....and so far, so good.  Ah, well...Queenstown is a big town...



Thank goodness, we were part of the "no vacancy".....however, only limited wifi or we have to pay....I objected, saying I was told that it was included...."never", she says...."and besides", she continues, "you are on holiday.  You shouldn't be using it.  We are trying to get people to stop!"  Nearly lost it....first time we had ANY problem....whom is she kidding?  Would probably have been OK without her "lecture"....moving on...


Having just encountered the above experience, we walk down the hill and see this!!!  Wonder if that young woman graduated from here.....I doubt it, because the hospitality has been beyond gracious....but then, come to think of it, this is the first "hotel" we have stayed in, as opposed to a small in or a bed and breakfast.


The POLICE station???  Looks like a love home, huh?






Our favorite place to eat breakfast is connected to this church.  Unfortunately, I don't have a good picture of the restaurant.  It is called "Halo, the forbidden bite"!  The waitresses wear shirts which say "angel" or "worship me" and the waiters wear one which says "demon".  Very clever.  One morning, the pastor was out inspecting his front yard and waved to all of us....and guess what!!!  The Halo serves ALCOHOL!!!!  No silly laws here about being so many feet from a church or school!










Down by the wharf, there is always a lot of action....or rather, inaction.  Very laid back.  


Pedestrian mall area


A pleasant mix of old and new buildings...We noticed that last night, EVERYONE was under 40!  This morning, everyone is OVER 40!  Quite certain that is because the under 40 crowd was still singing in the streets at 4:00 a.m!!!!!



Why this picture????  Well, a word about the toilets....and that is what they are in NZ....toilets, for goodness sake.....not a "rest" room....it's a TOILET and that is what every sign indicates.  Each town, no matter the size, has in "i" center, the tourism information center....and it always has toilets, sometimes in the building, sometimes a few meters away.....and they are SPOTLESS!!!  ANY, and I DO mean ANY, public toilet is clean, well equipped....and the restaurants, the gas stations, the roadside stops, the national parks, the city parks......what a difference from our culture, where you definitely take your chances!!!  It has added to the pleasure of this trip for sure!!!!



Pressure washing the rubbish bins!!!!  New Zealand, or at least what we have seen so far, is clean and green!






We are starting on a walk, looking for Sunshine Bay....another notable thing about New Zealand....again, each town, no matter size nor location, will list its "walks" (short, less that 3 miles, and well marked).  We have learned that a "tramp" is a looong walk.....days!!!....and you must reserve huts, no open camping, and they are NOT as well marked.....anyhow, we are going on a "walk"


One thing "walk" descriptions don't always mention is the topography....we are climbing!!



This is where those hospitality/tourism students live......quite a hike from the school, but most ride their bikes



We are lost, but who cares?  It is beautiful....turns out, we misread the signs....and they are in English!!  We think we did 4 miles....seems like most of it was UP....gorgeous weather and scenery



On our way DOWN.....to be continued....