Queenstown Day 2; TSS Earnslaw and Shotover Jet
The view from the breakfast cafe at the Mercure Hotel is breathtaking. You look out over Lake Wakatipu right at the Remarkables. With the sun rising directly behind the mountains, it was truly spectacular. I drank a couple of flat whites this morning while waiting for Mom and Dad to join me. We were supposed to fly over to Milford Sound this morning, but the weather was "unsettled" so our reservation was moved to the next day. On to Plan B!
Plan B started with us getting back into town and getting tickets on the TSS Earnslaw steamship that takes passengers across Lake Wakatipu. We boarded a little before 10 and had a nice two hour cruise back and forth across the Lake. The Earnslaw was built in the early 1900's in Dunedin.
It was a clear day for the cruise and fairly warm, so it was pleasant to be outside as we cruised to the other end of the Lake.
On the way back, we sat inside near the piano player. He passed out song sheets and got the passengers to sing along as he played -- old songs like Clementine, Bicycle Built for Two, Waltzing Matilda and Deep in the Heart of Texas (played for me, as I was wearing a Texas t-shirt).
We got back to Queenstown a little after noon, so we stopped at a place called Fat Gingers for lunch. We all opted for bacon, lettuce and tomato sandwiches with avocado -- very tasty. We also went back to Pog Mahone's to check out the Super Bowl which was being played back in the States on this day. After a bit of American football and a beer, we headed out to another jet boat trip -- the Shotover Jet. This ride is operated by the same company that does the Huka Jet on the North Island. It's just south of Queenstown on the Shotover River. The company has big buses that take you from Queentown out to their put in spot on the River.
We only had about a half a boat load of passengers this time, so the boat was much faster -- 85kph, so quite speedy. We had a great Kiwi driver named Todd that had a very dry sense of humor. Mom and Dad remembered how wet they got on the Huka, so both opted to sit near the middle of the boat this time and they put me on the edge. It was a great, wild ride. We did over ten 360 degree spins! Todd really gave us our money's worth on this one. About midway through the ride, it started to rain and going along as fast as we did, the rain drops were really pelting us hard! I think I prefer this version over the Huka ride, as there are huge canyons that you run through here and the driver delights in getting you very close to the canyon walls.
We bussed back to town and found a parking ticket on our car! We had parked in a ten minute zone that day and none of us saw the sign. That cost me $30 Kiwis! Ugh.
Our next stop was the Kiwi Bird Park below the Gondola. We got to see a Kiwi (hard to do because you have to be in almost complete darkness to see them -- they are nocturnal birds), tuataras (New Zealand's only native reptile), wood pigeons, rainbow trout, Kea parrots, and pukekos (another native bird). Mom enjoyed it, but Dad was not real impressed. I think we made him walk too much.
Mom wanted to see a Kiwi supermarket, so we checked one out.
We headed back to our hotel then and got cleaned up for dinner. We had a great dinner at Wai (reviewed below) and got to sit outside on their patio right on the waterfront by the Lake. It was a gorgeous night and a great meal.
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The jet boats used on the Shotover ride are designed specifically for this venue. Each boat carries up to 14 passengers. They are powered by twin engines powered by V6 Buick engines each thrusting over 800 liters of water per second. They can operate in water as low as 10cm in depth, so you can get very close to the edge of the river banks and skim across rocks that would cripple traditional propeller driven boats!
The drivers of these boats undergo rigorous training -- and must be required to go to comedy school as well, as they all seem to have the comedy schtick down pat. The ride is amazing -- it includes many 360 degree spins, water spraying every where as you careen up and down the Shotover Canyon. You come so close to rocks, canyon walls, trees and other boats that you forget to breathe!
This ride is a definite must in Queenstown -- and I rate it a higher than it's sister ride on the North Island, the Huka Jet near Taupo. Although both are thrilling -- the Shotover has the canyon walls and "close calls" they provide to make the experience that much more thrilling.
Wai specializes in local seafood, local produce and local wines. They have wonderful oysters, a rack of lamb that is superb, and a bountiful variety of seafood. On a nice night, it is wonderful to sit outside on their patio and enjoy your meal with the amazing views.
My entree was a potato crust basket with banana prawns and sausages that was very tasty. One nice touch here was the use of sorbets made in the restaurant for cleansing the palate between courses. We had three different sorbets: avocado with basil (ugh), pinot noir with strawberries (amazing), and lemongrass melon (my favorite). For dinner, I had a grouper wrapped in proscuitto. Others in my party had local salmon and a rack of lamb. All of our mains were excellent. For dessert, we tried the white chocolate mousse.
The wines were great. The only item that failed the taste test (besides the avocado basil sorbet) was the decaf coffee at the end of the meal. It was some the most bitter coffee ever. Guess that is why I normally stick with port!
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