tuesday 10th... really?

The weather forecast is for rain clearing to showers. hmmmmm. so we decide to go for a drive. okay, with some walking.

Te Anau is too far. We decide on Glenorchy. It's about 90 minutes' drive then back the same way. typical for this area, towns at the end of a road. What's at glenorchy? quite a lot, judging by Google maps.

we drive right through the centre of queenstown. traffic is thick but keeps moving. no trouble, we are soon on the open road.

not much traffic, an easy drive. we reach glenorchy, there is very little there... perhaps i should have a closer look at google maps!

we arrive on time for an early lunch... just as well, we set off without any breakfast. we eat at glenorchy cafe, it seems to be known as GYC, perhaps GlenorchY Cafe? Deb has BLT, i have salmon bruschetta, both delicious, both quite large.

i claim that this cafe is "hipster", possibly "country hipster". i review hipster cafes on a separate blog... the food is hipster fancy though without either chia or kale. the music is modern weird, another criterion. but, okay, no obvious tattoos on the staff. not hipster after all, just flash food in a country cafe :-)

we walk towards the lake. then continue along trails. glenorchy is where a river turns into a lake. there are walks around the flat ground where river and lake join. lots of water, mud, swamp grasses. solid tracks and boardwalks. a few small lagoons. all very pleasant and the weather is fine, cool and sunny.

there are black swans in one lagoon. are they native to nz? we watch a plane circle round, getting higher and higher, we wonder what it's doing. then a couple of people fall out -- with parasails -- and all is clear.

oh, forgot to mention: yesterday as we came down in the chairlift we see a woman on the ... high swing? you sit on a swing instead of being tired to a bungy rope -- and are pushed off into space. ten metres of swing rope, another 20m to the ground. wow! 

anyway, today: we walk about 5km, a loop back to town. where we rest, with coffee and cake at the other cafe in town. okay, there may be one or two more cafes but it is a very small town.

a small, peaceful ... village. quite a few tourists but it feels very peaceful. we are glad we came here.

then we drive the same road home again. which is good. the road runs beside a lake, in this direction i actually get to see the lake.

we stop at bob's cove for a walk. a quiet walk beside the lake. to an old (rebuilt) lime kiln then on to the remains of a jetty. back to the car, then back home.

we rest a bit then go out to dinner, to Speights. we were there the first night, i feel the urge to eat there again. even though it is at the bottom of a hill from our place.

Deb has salmon. i have lamb, with vegetables dripping in butter. yum :-)

back home, there's a message from hertz, Where's the car? oops. when i booked i got the date wrong. i email back, confess my mistake, tell them the car will be back tomorrow, Wednesday. all okay.

Then i very carefully check that tomorrow's flight to Auckland really is tomorrow...

end of a very pleasant day. even if i am confused about what day it really is...

Nick Lethbridge  /  consulting dexitroboper
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"The beautiful thing about learning is that nobody can take it away from you." … B.B. King
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