When August came around it was difficult not to once again think if only… August 1 was due to be my eldest brother Stevan and his lovely partner Sue’s wedding day. The whole fam dam would have been together in Ironbridge to celebrate and party and drink great beer… Not to be. We raised a glass of pretty good NZ pilsner in honour of the non wedding day and Steve and Sue had a week away on a non honeymoon. Old covid you pain, you have stolen another fun time.
We encountered a really weird phenomenon on one of our return walks from the Mount. Frequently you come across the odd dead fish on the high tide line, puffa fish are common. On the 3km walk home we counted over 50 puffas spread along the shoreline. No idea why, our theory was that they were by catch from a trawler and thrown overboard as the boat moved along… Answers on a postcard to..
It was perfect conditions for those who love to kite surf. One idiot was swimming.. Its August man, get a wet suit and watch out for spikey fish on the beach!
We decided that we needed to support local tourist business and obviously we had had such a stressful year 😂 we needed a holiday. So a trip to Queenstown it is. We have been around this area a few times but have avoided Queenstown in favour of Wanaka as it always just seemed too busy.
We thought we would go and see what winter is really about as we generally only get a couple of frosts here. The view on the flight was extremely promising with glorious views of mountains in the snow, north and south island.
Arriving in Queenstown airport was a shock to the system. Having not really been out many places in the last few months we were a bit taken aback to walk into this party atmosphere with music blaring, people drinking and generally a good time being had by all, welcome to Queenstown! Having arrived at our hotel and checked out the view, time to hit the town.
We were a little surprised to see so little snow but it meant getting around town was easy. It was extremely evident that there were no foreign tourists, and even though the domestic market seemed to be going well the shops were quiet. The rides on the lake were still doing a great trade with the drone of power boats a constant background noise.
But we weren’t here for any of that touristy stuff we were here to walk and see nice views. We did 2 big, up walks. Queenstown Hill, and up to the top of the gondola, Ben Lomand Park. The only problem for us doing up means there are significant downs, and for us folk with dodgy knees, it means pain! But we grin and bare it like the real troopers we are 😬
No bike! 
We also spent time around the lake, sampling the local fare, interacting with the locals and generally marvelling at the lovely views.
The gardens are worth a visit and no doubt will be stunning in Spring, we were a bit early.
Great little break and on our return thought spring may be on its way.
Seals are regular viewing around the Mount now on our frequent walks but for a change we took in the views up Papamoa Hills.
Rounding out August is dad’s birthday 84 not out and your turn to do the quiz. My goodness you know a lot of stuff that none of the rest of us know. 🤣
Getting the garden ready for spring and summer is next on the job list but that will take me into September….
2020 a year to smell the roses. 