Steamships And Snowdrifts
The boys were keen for another day in the snow today but since Molly’s ankle still wasn’t up to being squeezed into the world’s most uncomfortable footwear and Maisy was feeling a bit under par with her cold, we decided to split up today along gender lines. After breakfast, Ross drove Sam and Toby up the steep ascent to Coronet Peak, jaw-dropping views behind them of Wakatipu and the surrounding alps. The skies were blue and the sun shining and despite the predicted -11 degrees, the roads were not icy and the best part; there was no need for chains!
The boys said the crowds had thinned dramatically since the beginning of the week and the slopes were topped up with freshly fallen powdery snow. Conditions were PERFECT! Gaining confidence as the day wore on, the three of them thoroughly enjoyed hanging out together and coming down the same runs. Feeling a little more ambitious, having more or less mastered the Green Runs, they decided to tackle the next level up and hit a Blue Run. Egged on by his persuasive family members Tobes bit off a bit more than he could chew and had thrown his skis off in despair, ready to walk down the steepest part of the mountain. A lovely lady who happened to be training to be a ski instructor came to his rescue, helping him get his skis back on and guiding him down the mountain safely. What a legend! Ross suggested in true Phil Dunphey fashion that this might’ve been a good ploy to “pick up chicks”. Tobes looked disgusted and said “Dad! She was forty years old!” Maybe Phil needs his eyes tested.
Sam happened to run into a friend from school in the ski hire shop yesterday, who was visiting Queenstown too. They arranged to meet up the mountain today and had fun skiing for a while together. After a huge day on the snow, the boys finished off with rumbles and snowball fights before heading back down the mountain. Ross won the prize for the day’s biggest stack and also got the medal for knocking one skier clean off her feet, when, minding his own business, traversing down the slope, he became a human target when she slammed into him! Ross stayed on his feet but she toppled over. Though it was far from his fault, he still felt bad, seeing her sprawled all over the snow.
Meanwhile, Molly, Maisy and I became moviegoers, putting some cash into the New Zealand box office, seeing “Inside Out”, the new Disney Pixar movie. We all loved it! We did a spot of shopping after the movies, taking shelter from the fridge-like temperatures outside and enjoying the heating in the shops. New Zealand probably isn’t the place to shop if you want to save money and unless you want to buy quality winter woollies (or possum socks), it’s not really a destination you’d come to for the shopping. Everything is just a little bit higher priced than back home so our shopping expedition was largely a browsing one.
On the recommendation of a friend (thanks Pam) we booked ourselves in for a relaxing lake cruise on the historic TSS Earnslaw, a majestic timber steamship built in 1911. Though not radiating an ounce of warmth, the sun was out, making Lake Wakatipu shimmer with its signature blue. The surrounding peaks were also gleaming in the sunlight and it was a gorgeous day to be out on the water. Wall-to-wall with Chinese tourists, who had their own interpreter and were nattering loudly in their native tongues, made it hard to catch the commentary, which would have been interesting had we been able to hear it! The girls were happy staying warm below deck in the Saloon so I went up on the top deck where there was an old-time sing along around ye olde grand piano! The old chook on the piano was belting out favourite after favourite, like “Daisy, Daisy”, “Clementine” and “Roll Out The Barrel” but unfortunately crowd participation wasn’t at an all-time high with these songs obviously not such familiar old favourites in China. I did feel a bit nostalgic, thinking of Mum, grateful that she’d taught me all these gems from a bygone era, singing them while she was peeling potatoes as we were growing up.
Things I did discover about the Earnslaw were: it was originally used for shipping stock of the four-legged variety up and down the lake and was a main mode of transport for both people and supplies before the road was built years later. The Captain pointed out a big forest of Eucalyptus trees along the water’s edge, making those of us hailing from the land girt by sea feel quite at home where the kiwi resides. Apparently the saplings travelled across the ditch with some Aussies seeking to make their fortune in the New Zealand Gold Rush of the late 1800s and they are now standing tall and proud in their new home. The ship made a stop at Walter Peak Farm, a pretty little working sheep farm nestled into the foot of the mountain. They offered a farm tour featuring sheep shearing and the chance to get up close and personal with some Scottish highland cows. Having just recently been to a sheep farm in Australia, we decided to give the farm a miss and just stick with the cruise.
On a side note, during our walk home this afternoon, Maisy had a coughing fit that resulted in her throwing up again. The urgency meant there was no time to find a nearby bush and regrettably she up-and-undered right there on the footpath! I had nothing to wash it away with but thought I’d come back later with a bottle of water. To my surprise (& horror!) by the time I made my way back to the not so secret spot, the unsavoury little puddle had frozen solid and wouldn’t budge. Eww! We had to walk past it several more times today, pangs of guilt flooding me every time we spotted the frosty little pile. Sorry Queenstown.
We had tried to book at The Cow restaurant for dinner tonight but alas, they didn’t take bookings. By the time we rolled up, there was a hungry crowd, spilling out the barn door of this historic stone shack. The Cow – a Queenstown institution, standing alongside the Fergburger for a firm spot in the local dining hall of fame – is named after the cute laneway in which it now stands, where cows were brought in from nearby paddocks around Queenstown to be milked, quenching the thirsts of the hoards of gold diggers in the 1860s. We were told the wait for a table would be an hour…minimum. Walking in, the place had almost a fairytale quality to it with low timber-beamed ceilings, crooked walls, a big roaring open fireplace with a thick timber mantelpiece and single silver candlesticks on the tables. The warm, rich smell of garlic was permeating every nook and cranny and enticing the would-be diners, many of whom were standing around the fire or sitting on small wooden stools, admiring the last ever photograph taken of Queen Victoria, in their ski suits, as if kicking back in their own lounge rooms. The atmosphere was fantastic but the wait was long. Sam and Ross decided to do a reconnaissance of other potential eateries and discovered a free table at the creatively named “Pub On Wharf”, which was exactly where you’d have thought it would be. Reluctantly, we left the warm quirkiness of the Cow and met the others at the wharf for what turned out to be a great venue with delicious food as well.
After dinner, Ross granted Maisy’s wish and took her to the Odyssey Sensory Maze, somewhere she’d been lobbying hard to visit all week. It totally lived up to her expectations – if not exceeding them – with entry into a hexagonal space tunnel with multi-coloured fairy lights, culminating in an emergence into a big white room with coloured blocks for chairs…and that was just the trip to the counter! It was an assault on the senses including a scented dance floor (blotches of different colours that gave off different aromas when you stood on them!) There was a pitch black room, a mirrored room (where Maisy and Ross got lost), a room full of exercise balls, luxury shag pile carpets with soft dangling things to touch and a jungle room with a cave. (*Taken from Maisy’s recollection but heavily summarised).
A friend of the kids – Aaron – had told them he was coming to Queenstown today and Sam, Molly and Toby were hoping to catch up with him while we were still here. In an incredible coincidence (or God’s great planning), I was standing by the window of our apartment when who should walk past? None other than Aaron himself! What are the chances!? In all of Queenstown, he just happened to be walking past at the exact time I was looking out and he saw me! He ended up coming over tonight to watch a movie, while Ross and I got all packed and ready to leave this beautiful country tomorrow morning. Farewell Aotearoa, it’s been a fantastic trip!
