We got up early yesterday morning to catch a plane to the South Island. An amazing plane ride looking down at ocean, beaches, and then the southern alps with glaciers and craggy peaks. As soon as we got off the plane near Queenstown and got our rental car, we shopped for a picnic at a farmers market and then drove along the side of a wonderful glacial lake, Lake Wakatipu: clear brilliant green water, with huge, craggy, snow-topped mountains on all sides. We drove to the end of the lake at Glenorchy and then up a valley with a braided stream to park for a 5-mile hike up the Routeburn Track through a beech wood: cool, mossy, with a rushing, green river alongside, several suspension bridges, views of snow-topped peaks. Stunning. Reminded me of the poem: "Up the airy mountain, down the rushy glen..." Very hard to turn around instead of hiking onward.
Lake Wakatipu
Jennifer on the beach in Glenorchy.
Boats on the lake near Queenstown
Lawn bowling at Queenstown Gardens
We saw people lawn bowling (bocce ball, boules) around the world: Laos to Iceland.
Ready for bed and another day of hiking. Rich gives 2 talks on the South Island and then we're back in Auckland for 2 more weeks.
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