Big Drive - Beautiful Day

Hello! It was a long day, but it's an early night as we made it to the Franz Josef Glacier area and checked in and....there's not much of a night life over here compared to Queenstown. I really did like Queenstown. The place we stayed was a 20 min walk from the town center so we just walked there instead of driving, and if we did things outside of the town, it was easy to get out. We did have to lug our bags up and down 4 flights of stairs, but once those were taken care of, easy peasy. But yeah, loved Queenstown. Loved being able to explore in and around town - loved the vibe on the weekend, and even trying to navigate it during the marathon wasn't that terrible. We had a small hiccup when we were trying to get to the pick up location for the canyoning - the marathon made it impossible for the van to get to the normal spot, and for some reason we didn't get the updated info, so with 10 min to go, we check in with the company and they go, "Oh yeah no, we're not there. We're here." So we had to hustle to the correct spot - made it to the van only two minutes late, so we called that a win. All of Queenstown was a win. I know we have a lot more to see, but I'm def gonna miss Queenstown. But onwards! Today we first started by going the wrong way actually. It was on purpose. We wanted to check out the town of Glenorchy - another Lord of the Rings stop! It's the place they filmed Lothlorien, Isengard, Ithilien Camp and Amon Hen. The town was having a small fair, but unfortunately we couldn't stop. Not for long. The scenery was beautiful though. So we heard that the drive from Queenstown to Glenorchy is one of the most beautiful drives in New Zealand. You know, it might be. We drove on a road overlooking Lake Wakatipu most of the way, and the day was beautiful - blue skies, bluer lake. We actually saw a thing that you can sign up for in Queenstown called a Shark Ride? A submersible that apparently rockets to the surface. We saw it as it jumped out of the water. Pretty cool! Then after we saw Glenorchy, we headed *back* to Queenstown to then go up to Franz Josef. It wasn't even a matter of the scenic route vs a direct route - there just isn't a road that connects. The mountains totally block the way. Not even sure a crow could fly honestly. As we started up the road from Queenstown to Wanaka and then to Franz Josef, we'd be on these roads and driving along and you'd look up and not even see blue. Just because the mountains are blocking the sky. The road was worth it though - this road, Queenstown to Franz Josef - is the other contender for the Best Scenic Drive in New Zealand. I think it comes down to what your personal preference is. But this one was much longer. We From Queenstown we passed through: Cardrona Wanaka Lake Hawae Minaret Bay Makarora Haast Paringa Bruce bay Karangarua And technically we're in Fox Glacier area, which is 20 min from Franz Josef but close enough? We stopped for lunch in Wanaka and to check out some famous tree #ThatWanakaTree

We ate by the lake and enjoyed watching everyone enjoy the water of Lake Wanaka. Kayakers, swimmers, sailors, people just lounging on the shore. We also saw someone who had parked illegally get a ticket. But mostly everyone was having a good time.

Couple people playing instruments around the town. Stopped in a cute shop called the Thieving Kea. Which, I didn't mention Keas on the day we went to the Milford Sound! At least, I don't think I did. Keas are New Zealand's Alpine Parrot. They are incredibly smart (as most parrots are) super curious, and mischievous. I saw one try to hop into one of the tour busses. They're a beautiful green bird - even when they're sopping wet - and have red underwings so when they take flight it's this explosion of color. I did get a chance to see it in person! Look, I'm having a great time being an amateur birder enthusiast here. We stopped at Bennets bluff on the way to Glenorchy, and Sarah was able to get a picture of a tiny bird with a bright yellow head I've been trying to get for a while. The other bird I've become a big fan of is the Fantail (pun intended). And we passed a waterfall with the name fantail falls! We got excited and absolutely ruined our planned time of arrival trying to see it. We missed the sign of where it actually was, and just saw some light rapids, were very confused, then eventually found it. But it went from a 2 min stop to a 15 min stop? I dun goofed.

It wasn't even my favorite stop, but I felt I had to share. Eventually we had to power through the drive and...stop making stops. We got here at 8pm. And we don't have an early day tomorrow, but I was driving a lot today. I needed to be done. As I said at one point, I am in charge of my driving destiny. I love being able to stop whenever I feel like, but I need to be responsible for myself as well. Which....I say that, and I do need to go to bed. I'll have more tomorrow! We got one big thing to do, and it'll be another early night I'm sure. but until then! Enjoy the pictures from today and yesterday! Minus my phone pics. (I don't bring my camera *everywhere* )