Family time

For four days my sister, brother in law and little nephew were in town. Part of their epic road trip around New Zealand, I had been looking forward to their visit for months. This is the first time I'd had family come and visit me overseas and it felt good. Like most people out there, missing my family is a real challenge for me. In the digital era, Skype, emails and mobile phones, things are a lot easier than for those who traveled twenty years ago. But there is nothing like the real thing. I miss drinking tea with my mum, talking crap with my oldest friends and watching action flicks with my dad.  For a brief time I got to have some family time.

 Unfortunately I was working two out of the fours days they were here, but all in all, it worked out well.

Our activities in town had to accommodate a toddler, but I think we did pretty good.  For the first two nights they were in town we hung out playing cards, celebrated somebody's birthday dining on steaks and chatted about life.

Then at the weekend the fun continued.  On the Saturday we took an excursion to Wanaka, driving through the mountain pass.  I cannot tell you how great it felt to be in a car,watching the scenery roll by. Once in Wanaka we had some fun at 'puzzle world,' an attraction committed to illusions and er,  puzzles (bringing a toddler along did bring entertainment here - although the maze proved a bit too much).  After watching out over the lake, we headed to Arrowtown (my third visit!!!) which was covered in icicles.

Our Sunday, was spent at the Kiwi bird life park, which was a bit too expensive for my taste, but I did get to see my first Kiwi Bird which are a lot bigger than I had been led to believe.  Then in the evening, we had the family round for a roast and farewells.

Like all good things, our weekend had to come to an end. Thank you to my family, for spending a few precious days in Queenstown.

Arrowtown in Fall

My SLR (A.K.A my baby) didn't make it to my second visit to Arrowtown. It was just me, my friend Lou and my trusty little Canon IXUS 95 IS.  Sometimes I'm just not in the mood to carry a chunky camera around with me. My little camera might be looking a little worse for wear these days, but until I can afford a new one, she'll make do.

With Autumn almost over, I'm glad we took the bus out to this little town. The vibrant colours of the trees were just amazing.  We spent a lot of our time walking along the stream and debating what else we should do before Lou heads back to England in two weeks.   Except for our coffees at the Arrowtown bakery and cafe and Provisions, we spent very little time in the main street. It was all about staring at trees.  This little country town is making me want a car so badly.  I would love to visit more places like this without the fuss of public transport.

With my second item ticked off my Queenstown Bucket list, we hopped back on a bus and back to Queenstown.

Arrowtown

A couple of weeks ago, I decided to make the most of the sunny weather and make my first escape from Queenstown. With my other half and good friend from home busy working (at this point the only people I knew in town), it was time for a solo adventure. This involved a half hour bus ride to Arrowtown, the ex-gold rush town embracing its passed.  Arrowtown could be described as a little bit 'twee' with its boutique sewing shops and well maintained flower baskets. I'm pretty sure all the other tourists had done at least one wine tour and only ate organic produce.  But I have a soft spot for twee. It usually goes hand in hand with picturesque settings and great hot beverages.

 This town also added in a little history, which sealed the deal for a history geek like me.  The thing I find most fascinating about New Zealand's history is the diversity of immigrants carving out a life here. From the Maoris reaching the shores via Wakas to the European Settlers, its a story of people searching for a better way of life, or just to live at all.  The Chinese miners of Arrowtown are an example of this.  Their reconstructed huts next to the river are a fascinating look at  New Zealand's history.

Beautiful, easy going and visitor friendly, Arrowtown was a great place to spend a few hours.  I can't wait to get back and try out a few walking trails.