Eastbound to Dunedin
Friday morning, March 3, 2023. I’m riding the InterCity bus from Queenstown, New Zealand to Dunedin on the South Island’s east coast. It’s a four-and-a-half hour trip. And the bus doesn’t have a toilet. What do passengers do when they get the urge? Fortunately the bus allows for two pit stops. One is at Cromwell. […]
Queenstown Sojourn
While in Queenstown I learned at least a couple things. (1. Electrical outlets have switches. To get the electricity, you have to flip the switch. Image from nzpocketguide.com I found this out the hard way when I tried to recharge my cell phone overnight. I had purchased a new adapter and thought the problem was […]
The Shear Experience of Walter Peak Farm
Thursday, March 2, 2023. On my second full day in Queenstown, New Zealand, I elected to visit Walter Peak High Country Farm, which is on the western shore of Lake Wakatipu. To get there, tourists take a steamboat trip on the TSS Earnslaw, a.k.a. “The Lady of the Lake.” The boat provides a snack bar, […]
“The Eighth Most Dangerous Road in the World”
I found two companies in Queenstown that offered Lord of the Rings half-day tours: Nomad Safari and Pure Glenorchy. They scheduled an hour or hour-and-a-half break between the morning and afternoon trips. I took Glenorchy’s tour in the morning, but both groups had already booked their afternoon jaunts. (See this previous post for details.) Nomad […]
Isengard in Paradise
Morning of March 1, 2023. Paradise Valley. Otago Region. South Island, New Zealand. East side of the Dart River. Where Peter Jackson filmed scenes depicting the Lothlorian Forest … and Isengard. The Pure Glenorchy Scenic Lord of the Rings Tour took us to Acadia Station, the site of Isengard and Saruman’s castle, placed there by […]
The Road to Middle Earth
New Zealand is known as the shooting location for Middle Earth. It’s also the home of Weta Workshop, the production company that created the makeup, armour, weapons, costumes, and special visual effects. So naturally, I had to take a Lord of the Rings tour. Researching on the web, I found one “My Queenstown Diary” webpage […]
The Best Burgers in Queenstown
The itinerary for my trip was to travel from south to north, starting in Queenstown on the south island to Auckland on the north island. February 28, 2023 Air New Zealand landed me at the Queenstown Airport at 3:20 p.m. The place was surrounded by mountains. None were snow-capped, this being the autumn time of […]
