The View And The Cruise

Day 13 was a free day and we rose and breakfasted a little later than normal. It was forecast to reach 25 and cloudy with plenty of sunshine between breaks in the clouds. Our plan was to walk into the town and board the gondola to take us up very high on one of the mountains for views over Queenstown and the surrounding areas.

The views were spectacular from the top and we spent plenty of time taking in the magnificent views. After riding the gondola down, we found a cafe for coffee before Ron and I left Lesley and Joan to visit the many shops that had sprung up in Queenstown since my last visit. When their foray round the retail area was completed, we met them for lunch.Ron and I had walked round the wharf and checked out the departure of the TSS Earnslaw as were to cruise on her later that evening.

There is a famous Hamburger joint in Queenstown called Fergmaster Burgers. Bree had reminded me of it on Whatsapp that morning. Joan and Lesley had already given it the once over on their window shopping sortie and reported a queue that would take at least 30 minutes to get through. The same establishment had a bakery next door and we were in and out with our purchases in a jiffy compared to the Burger joint. The rolls were very acceptable so we were fed and contented.

We were being picked at 5pm that evening and it was well into the arvo at this stage so a Nanna Nap seemed like a great idea. We walked up the hill to the Millenium and after resting up, we were ready for the cruise this evening.

Dave collected us at 5pm and off we drove to board the Twin Screws Steamer, Earnslaw. Launched in the same year as the Titanic, the TSS Earnslaw’s maiden voyage was on 18 October 1912. She provided an essential link between the isolated farming communities along the lake and the outside world. At 48 metres long, she was the biggest boat on the Lake and carried passengers, sheep, cattle, mail and supplies.

Tonight she is to take us across Lake Wakatipu to the Walter Peak Station for dinner and a shearing and sheep dog demo. Now, we have seen sheep shorn and we had attended a sheep dog demo, both in Rotorua. A replay of each seems superfluous but who am I to argue?

The cruise across the lake took about 2 Heinekens. The only other beers available were South Islands craft specials, Monteith I think. One was fairly dark and the other was a “a never tried it but don’t like it” bitter so I stuck with one that I knew. Ron liked the Monteith’s Cider so he went with that. A Villa Maria Sauvignon Blanc was the choice for the ladies and they seemed happy sipping that.

The lake was as flat as the old nightman’s hat so everyone was nice and relaxed we We disembarked for dinner at the Walter Peak

Walter Peak High Country Farm apparently is steeped in history. Its sheltered bays were used as camping sites by Maori travelling to the Mararoa and Oreti Rivers on Moa hunting and pounamu (greenstone) gathering expeditions.

European settlement commenced in the 1860s. At its peak, the station was one of New Zealand’s most famous with 170,000 acres, 40,000 sheep and up to 50 full time employees. The original homestead block of Walter Peak Station is now known as Walter

Peak High Country Farm.
The main building originally built in 1902, iwas carefully reconstructed in 1977 following an accidental fire. We are dining in rooms of the homestead overlooking the lake.

The meal, a hot and cold buffet of almost every variety of food possible, was fantastic. There were no oysters or crayfish in the seafood section but that was about all. The clams were very tasty and the fish just melted in the mouth. Roast Chicken, pork, beef and lamb were all served up with plenty of cold meats and the pork belly and crackling was special. So was the lamb but I couldn’t sample everything although I did attempt to.

Desserts were served in little pots and there would’ve been over 10 available at least. Then there was a lolly station. For someone like me with a sweet tooth and a belly to match, it was heaven. It was all just as good a buffet as I can remember and that was not just my opinion.

We had a wander through the flower rich gardens and they were also of a very high standard although I haven’t received a report from the curator of the Kellyville Botanical Gardens on his assessment as yet.

The finale before reboarding the TSS Earnslaw was the shearing and sheepdog demos. Trying not to be too critical but these did not reach the standards set by the rest of the evening and the venue. Back on board the old Earnslaw, we steamed onwards to Queenstown, arriving back at the hotel at around 10.15pm. I fell straight into bed as this touring caper can be very exhausting.