Day 5 - Queenstown

We left Te Anau at 8.25 am. The scenery from the coach was simply spectacular.

Kawarau River (white water action) (2" deep at some parts) *starred as the river Anduin in the Lord of the Rings.

Washroom stop

ARROWTOWN GOLDMINING VILLAGE A Chinaman pioneer named Mr Lam and his men occupied this settlement to prospect for gold back when gold mining was the rage. The Chinese presence was evidenced by the buildings left behind.

Orcs chasing the hobbits from The Lord of The Rings.
(Scene shot here)

Coarse Wooden Door

A fruit township with orchards during the gold rush. Kiwi fruit and rose apples were planted in these parts. The Kiwi fruit was not native to South Island. They originated from China and was brought to New Zealand by the first Chinese gold prospectors.

Outdoor Lavatory

AUTOMATED PUBLIC TOILET At this point, we bumped into a bunch of American tourists chatting excitedly about an extraordinary toilet nearby. It was the automated toilet.  At the press of a button, the door slides open. At another press of a button on the inside, the door closed.

Wash Basin Button on the right opens the door.

The toilet bowl looked like those you find on a typical aeroplane except that the flushing is automated. It is good to try this once but I'll stick to the traditional toilet, thank you. Just think how terrifying it'll be to be trapped in such a close space if the toilet were to break down for example.

After a mediocre Thai lunch, we were back on the road. Through unanimous decision, we decided to skip the Bungee and Jet-ski spots and headed instead for the Gibson Valley winery.  Gibson Valley Winery

For NZD18 pax, we get to taste an inch's worth of three different wine with teeny weeny chunks of cheese on itsy-bitsy crackers. While Mr Beady-Eyes announced that the wine tasting was included in our tour package, the winery differed. Arguments ensued and it soon appeared to all of us, that Mr Beady-Eyes had led us to New Zealand with the wrong itinerary.

When Glen (the Coach Manager) heard about the ruckus, he remarked that if we were to contribute NZD18 each, we could have bought an entire crate of wine and intoxicate ourselves silly. An hour and a half had been wasted in this confusion.

Since it was early in the day and we've missed the Bungee And Jet-Ski spot as well as the Gibson Valley winery, we felt a little short-changed so Mr Beady-Eyes was consulted on the plans for the remaining of the day.

"We can go to the hotel, check in and rest until dinnertime" answered Mr Beady-Eyes.

The irate protest was expected.  Finally Glen (Coach Manager) offered to drive us to the Fergburger row of shops and pick us up from there for dinner. We were pleased with this arrangement.

Long queue outside Fergburger

The Beef Burger was amazing!

Walking around in Queenstown, we discovered that there were several licensed maker producing the Lord of the Rings merchandise, with variances in the design. Since we were visiting Hobbiton in a couple of days, we decided to check out the real deal. Concerned that we were taking up too much of the shopkeeper's time without buying the One Ring, we decided to buy the One Shell. That's the Paua Shell.

Paua is a univalve shellfish found only in New Zealand coastal waters. It is unique for its wonderful luster of iridescent blues, pinks and greens. The shell grows to over 8" long and can live well over 40 years. Its flesh is edible and greatly valued by the Maoris of New Zealand, who used the shells as inlays in the eyes of their carvings. Skin divers harvest the shell which has a heavy encrustation of marine growth and lime deposits. This outer crust is removed to expose the shell's full beauty in color and luster. The finest shells are found off the coasts of Fiordland and Stewart Island in the far south of New Zealand. Strict quota limits and controls on fishing methods kept paua a sustainable resource.

Paua Shell NZD15 (pronounced Pah-Wah)

The kumara (sweet potato) does not speak of its own sweetness .....Maori proverb