Day 08 – Day Trip – Crown Range, Queenstown, Skippers
December 30, 2008 8:59 pm Motorbike/Motorcycle, New Zealand, TravelWarning: mysql_get_server_info(): Access denied for user ''@'localhost' (using password: NO) in /home/advent6/public_html/wp-content/plugins/xml-google-maps/xmlgooglemaps_dbfunctions.php on line 10
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We really enjoyed our first night at Luggate, and so we decided to stay put another night and just do a day trip.
Soon after leaving the camp ground, we saw these sky divers near the Wanaka Airfield.
We drove through Wanaka and headed for Queenstown via the Crown Range. Along the way we saw a place that had all sorts of interesting vehicles, including monster trucks. They also had lots of different animals.
We then proceeded past the famous Cardrona Hotel, and on over the pass.
The Crown Range is the highest sealed road in New Zealand.
Views of Queenstown from the Crown Range.
The road is pretty windy, but great for motorbikes … though it was a tad cold.
View of The Remarkables coming into Queenstown.
Rebecca and I found a nice Indian Restaurant and used the 3G coverage available in Queenstown to update our web site and do e-mail. We stayed there for 3.5 hours, before finally departing for Skipper’s Canyon.
En route, we stopped at the Shotover river, a favourite for jet boats, rafting and all sorts of water sports.
The nearby landscape is very beautiful also.
The view from the road heading up Coronet Peak was absolutely stunning (I may stitch these four photos together into a panorama sometime).
The view heading into Skipper’s Canyon.
All that is left of the once famous Welcome Home Hotel.
The road had treacherous drop offs in many places – but stunning views with the river below.
If you look carefully, you can see where the road cuts through the rock on the left hand side of the picture.
Astounding beauty … a read really worth travelling.
Superb Scenery. Notice the building in the forest? It is a school.
Here is a close-up on the school.
More pictures of the road, the scenery and the Bridal Veil (name of the waterfall).
A visitor center.
The school in all its glory.
The bridge on the way to the school.
Final scenery shots as we head back to Queenstown. Yes, it was cold once the sun disappeared.
And The Remarkables in the light of the setting sun.
The TSS Earnslaw. Little did we realise that only three days later we would be on that ship with our motorbike.
We found a Thai Restaurant with a view over the lake, and watched the sun set on the Remarkables while enjoying our food. We finally returned to Luggate via Cromwell by 11pm.