28km Day : 1021km Total
5 March 2015

For the past 2 weeks I have been a tourist.  With stopovers in Greymouth, Christchurch and now Queenstown.  Today I took a dayhike on a section of the Te Araroa trail to get myself back into a hiking frame of mind.

The day started at 7:30am when I caught a bus from Queenstown to Arrowtown.  Arrowtown is a historic gold mining town that is now full of novelty shops catering to tourists.  I stopped for breakfast and had a look around before starting my day’s hike.  I also picked up a half liter bottle of iced tea to take with me as I left my backpack and water bottles at the motel in Queenstown. I was looking forward to hiking with no weight on my back.

For most of the day the trail was well formed and well marked and had public toilets in strategic locations.  It was literally a walk in the park with great scenery to enjoy.

Lake Hayes

Spence Road Bridge

View from Upper Shotover Footbridge

Half way through the day I heard a familiar voice calling from behind.  It was Rory who I had last seen at St Arnaud after we had hiked the Richmond Track together.  We walked and talked together for the rest of the way to Queenstown catching up on each other’s adventures  from the last few weeks. 

We came to one section of the trail that was cut off by construction and fencing and required us to cross busy roadway several times risking life and limb.  I really think this was more dangerous than the Little Rintoul crossing we did last month.

In Frankton we stopped at a cafe overlooking the lake and was served by a friend of Rory’s that works there.  It was a wonderful view and I was very temped to say yes when asked whether I wanted another drink, but the trail awaited.

Frankton Arm of Lake Wakatipu

Queenstown is the ideal place for someone who enjoys outdoor activities.  Beside a lake in the mountains the opportunities are endless.  I talked to a dealer at the casino who says he only gets a few hours sleep per night in the winter because he skis the slopes all day and runs the roulette table at night.

It turns out that Joerg, who also hiked the Richmond track with me, is also in town.  We got together for a Fergburger and beer and spent dinner catching up.  Fergburger is a popular burger joint in Queenstown that almost always has people lined up out the door and up the block waiting to order.  I was not disappointed.  It was an excellent burger and worth a half hour wait.  Joerg and I were lucky with our timing and only had to wait about 15 minutes.  I had the Fergburger Double with cheddar.