New Zealand Explorer Motorhome Tour - Days 26-28

The route to Queenstown via the pass at Crown Terrace gave us spectacular views of the Kawarua Gorge and despite the switchbacks at the end of the route, it did not feel too demanding as lorries and coaches are forced to divert on National Highway 6.

Given the short drive from Wanaka, we opted to take the valley road to Cromwell for a look around and ended up chatting to a Butcher in the delicatessen, sampling his tasty pork pies, sausages and smoked mussels. In Old Cromwell there are a handful of buildings that have been lovingly saved and relocated when the town fell victim to the construction of a dam to create Lake Dunstan in the early 1990s.

With three nights in lively Queenstown there was plenty to keep us occupied and the following morning the group were well and truly shaken awake with a ride on one of New Zealand’s famous jet boats. We were hurtled through narrow canyons on the Shotover River, powered by two V8 engines with a total of 700 horsepower. We were supplied with spray jackets which is just as well as some of our group had a good soaking during the thrilling 360 degree turns that had some of us shrieking with delight!

At the jet boat landing we learnt that the adjacent Edith Cavell Bridge only got its name after an aged Gold Miner named Jack Clarke was so determined that the WW1 Nurse be honoured, he took it upon himself to make it happen. When Clark’s suggestion was not approved by the County Council, on the day of the bridge opening, he added  “To Edith Cavell Bridge” to a road sign and painted her name on the bridge itself. Eventually the name stuck!

Not content with the thrill of the jet boats, the two of us then opted to experience paragliding! The sensation of being airborne and gently gliding over the tumbling forest below was fantastic and despite there being no wind, our pilots did their best to gain altitude, all the while waving cameras on sticks in our faces to ensure every thrilling second was captured for posterity!

Our second day in Queenstown was rather more sedate with a leisurely drive beside the shores of Lake Wakatipu to Glenorchy. With beautiful scenery it is no wonder that scenes from Lord of the Rings and The Chronicles of Narnia were filmed there.

We were in for one more treat in Queenstown, a gondola ride to the top of Bob’s Peak for a sumptuous group buffet in the restaurant overlooking the city and the snow-capped mountains beyond.