Keeping On The Move Around Queenstown

Around Queenstown … two days … two very different boats … scads of travel-worthy experiences.

QUEENSTOWN, NEW ZEALAND

Just north of Queenstown we stopped to visit Arrowtown, said to be “born of gold”. The Maori knew the gold was there but it held no value to them.

Arrowtown
In the 1860s, prospectors, led by William Fox, found gold. Their secret was short lived; as word spread, miners flooded into the region in search of their fortunes. Arrowtown, today, still retains much of its original appearance with many of the early miners’ homes on display.

When most of the miners, having removed the easy gold, returned to from-whence-they-came, leaving only tailings to be mined by a stalwart few, Australian-Chinese were invited to take up residence and work what was left of the gold deposits.
They established a Chinese settlement on the edge of Arrowtown. Despite considerable hard labor and effort, many of the Chinese made only enough from their prospecting to afford passage home, while the gentleman who ran the store (up behind out-house) did quite well selling goods, opium and the opportunity to gamble to the miners.

The Arrowtown Chinese Settlement is open and free to the public (you can go inside the homes and store), and like so many sites in New Zealand its many information boards allow for self-guided tours. Plan on one to two hours to do the exhibit justice; children will enjoy the small-sized buildings and the settlement’s basic history.

We moved on to Queenstown and checked into our Top 10 Holiday Park accommodations.
With some daylight left, we drove down to the bay, parked and walked around to the other side. It was a lovely walk with the sun just setting behind the mountain that hugs Queenstown. We took a look at the TSS Earnslaw steamship; planning to be aboard her in a couple of days.

The rose garden section of Queenstown Gardens was lovely as were the many sizeable trees in the park. Music from a bandstand caught our attention – young people gathering to celebrate the weekend. Drinking openly is accepted here and with picnics laid out on blankets along with wine and beer it made us think about our boys and their ladies and how much they would enjoy being part of the many lively conversations.

Jet boating through Middle Earth
The morning started with an hour drive to Glenorchy … a small village near the head of Lake Wakatipu. Our destination … jet boating on the Dart River. We arrived early and enjoyed a hot chocolate while watching a local artist/craftsman work with possum skins.

There are approximately 70-80 million possums in New Zealand. Possums are not native to New Zealand; they were introduced from Australia to assist in developing a fur industry. Without predators (other than man), their numbers increased rapidly. With the world downturn in the acceptability of natural-fur as fashion, the market for possum fur nosedived and their population exploded.
Possums eat approximately 20,000 tons of vegetation a night, dramatically reducing natural bird habitat. (Sixty native species of bird have become extinct since Europeans arrived two hundred years ago.) National efforts are underway to eradicate the possum … and if that is not possible at least to control them through an open hunting season and poison. To encourage trapping of possums, new uses for their fur are being developed. ‘Merino-mink’ is one – a blend of 60% Merino wool and 40% possum fur; a very soft and luxurious yarn for feel-good-against-the- skin garments. Craftsmen, like the one in Glenorchy, are tanning the hides and making decorative sofa pillows, carpets and bed throws. The local motto is “Wear possum – save a tree”.

Along with others we donned rain coats and life preservers, hopped aboard a small bus, driven down to the Dart River where we climbed into a jet boat. Our guide/driver gave a short safety talk, a photographer snapped a picture of our group and we were off on a thrilling jet boat ride up the Dart River through scenic Mount Aspiring National Park. The trip included one and a half hours of high speed jet boating (loved it!) through scenery straight out of Middle Earth (Lord of the Rings), a twenty minute guided forest walk followed by a tour bus excursion.

An on-board commentator pointed out numerous natural sights plus Lord of the Rings film sites, including the field where the trees made their assault on the city and the valley in which the Wizard’s mountaintop castle was digitally inserted. What a day!

Another day … another boat …

The ‘Lady of the Lake’ on Lake Wakatipu
The TSS Earnslaw (a twin-screw steamer) was launched on Lake Wakatipu in 1912. She is one of few original coal-fired, passenger-carrying vessels still in operation. Down in the engine room everything is just as it was in 1912. Stokers still shovel coal into the boilers, at the rate of one ton every hour, as she steams across the lake.

Known affectionately as ‘The Lady of the Lake’ she first took passengers back and forth to remote settlements and isolated sheep stations not accessible by road. Eventually, as roadways were opened, passenger use was no longer economical. With the start of the Second World War, tourism passenger service ceased and the TSS Earnslaw was used for livestock transport. Cattle and sheep were packed in tight on her handsome wood floors under original decorative brass lanterns.

She was in pretty bad shape on the outside and in worse shape inside – the TSS Earnslaw was close to being classified as a wreck – when Fiordland Travel Ltd. purchased her for the tourist trade. When refurbished she still retained the main deck wood floors and the brass lanterns in the salon. A Heritage Protection Order states she must be used for tourism only and can never be removed from Lake Wakatipu.

Today her excursions take her from Queenstown across Lake Wakatipu to Walter Peak Station, a journey of approximately one hour each way.

Most passengers disembark at Walter Peak Station for a farm tour and tea. Some extend their experience with a BBQ or horseback ride. We did the farm tour; watched a sheep shearing demonstration, saw some of the Station’s livestock (including sheep, deer and Highland Cattle) and had tea on the terrace of the original homestead building. Sheep shearer, Janet, and a couple from England joined us for tea. A lively discussion on raising sheep the New Zealand way ensued.

Another most pleasant day!

SIGHTSEEING AROUND QUEENSTOWN

DART RIVER
Dart River Wilderness Jets & Funyaks offers an exhilarating experience in one of the most amazing locales for jet boating in New Zealand, the Dart River. If you’re looking to give up the speed and thrill of a jet boat for a more natural, but none-the-less-fun, adventure amongst the Dart River’s hidden gems of sidestreams and chasms, opt for funyaks. Can’t make up your mind … do both!
Website: dartriver.co.nz
email: reservations@dartriver.co.nz
Address: Queenstown Information Centre Corner Camp & Shotover Streets Queenstown
Address: Dart Visitor Centre, Mull Street, Glenorchy
Phone: +64 3 442 9992
Free Phone within NZ: 0800 327 853

TSS EARNSLAW STEAMSHIP CRUISE
One of the best ways to appreciate Queenstown’s scenic beauty is from the deck of this iconic New Zealand steamship on Lake Wakatipu and be among the elite (Queen Elizabeth, Prince Philip and President Bill Clinton come immediately to mind) who also enjoyed the cruise. Ninety minutes allows plenty of time to visit the engine room, tour the bridge, join in a sing-along and, if you prefer, relax with a beer or wine along with offerings from the Promenade Café.
To avoid disappointment check out their website for dates when the TSS Earnslaw is undergoing maintenance (When you’re over a 100 years old and your engine and body are original, you too will probably require some repair from time to time.)
Contact: Real Journeys
Website: realjourneys.co.nz/en/experiences/cruises/tss-earnslaw-steamship-cruises
email: contact@realjourneys.co.nz
Address: Real Journeys Visitor Centre, Steamer Wharf, 88 Beach Street, Queenstown
Phone: +64 3 249 6000
Free Phone within NZ: 0800 656501

WALTER PEAK FARM TOUR
Your experience begins as you board the TSS Earnslaw for the trip across Lake Wakatipu to be greeted by a farm host who will show you around the farmyard followed by a stroll through the gardens to the Colonel’s homestead for tea. Be amazed at the skill of sheep dogs and see sheep shorn before your cruise back to Queenstown. Check their website for more information.
Contact: Real Journeys
Website: realjourneys.co.nz/en/experiences/tours/walter-peak-farm-tours
Email: contact@realjourneys.co.nz
Address: Real Journeys Visitor Centre, Steamer Wharf, 88 Beach Street, Queenstown
Phone: +64 3 249 6000
Free Phone within NZ: 0800 656501

THE ARROWTOWN CHINESE SETTLEMENT
A pleasant day trip from Queenstown to Arrowtown and if going, it would be a shame to miss The Arrowtown Chinese Settlement with its history and lessons in perseverance.
Website: Department of Conservation – Arrowtown Chinese Settlement
Brochure: Arrowtown Chinese Settlement (PDF,1,150K)
Address: Off Buckingham Street in Arrowtown
Phone: +64 3 442 7935 (Queenstown Visitor Centre)