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Sunday Morning 7am - Queenstown, New Zealand
Deja Vu time. Eight years ago I was here in Queenstown preparing to board a scenic flight over Milford Sound - New Zealand's jewel in the crown.
Tony Worthington was my room-mate that morning in November 2001. It was the day after the 370kms Guide Dogs for the Blind Bike Ride from Christchurch to Queenstown.
He'd been up since 5am watching Arsenal v Man United. When Paul Scholes put United 2-0 up I naturally turned over and went back to sleep. Well, the post Bike Ride celebrations over the other side of Lake Wakatipu at the Walter Peak Station and around a few bars around Queenstown did go on a little late.
That morning the phone rang at 7am. Low cloud meant visibility was poor and the the trip was off. Gutted, Tony and I sulked and we headed of to Sydney a day earlier than expected.
This time I woke at 6am to throw the curtains open to find the weather was not brilliant but ok filling me with optimism.
But at breakfast around 7am, my mobile rang. It was the flight company. Although the weather seemed fair around the Queenstown area, heavy turbulence along the route made it unsafe and a heavy cloud covered Milford Sound.
Disaster. Instead of dashing off again in a hissy fit, we tried to reschedule the trip for later that morning.
Around 9-45 we got the dreaded call. The weather hadn't improved and all flights were cancelled for the day.
Ah well, missing out again means we'll just have to come back to Queenstown again. Next time we'll spend a few days here giving us a better opportunity to complete the trip.
Nevertheless, the Queenstown scenery soon compensates and a stunning lakeside trip to Glenorchy is just the tonic.
Later that day we conclude our visit to New Zealand with a return to the Walter Peak Station for dinner. The TSS Earnslaw (pictured) a fantastically well preserved steamer dating back to 1912 carries across the lake on a 40 minute trip. After dinner, there's a sheep shearing demonstration where the shearer accidentally 'nicks' (his words, not mine) the sheep. The 'nick' is more like a six inch gash with blood oozing out. "Don't worry folks, the lanolin produced by sheep will soon mend that."
Even so, everyone's left feeling a little uncomfortable by the gaping hole in the sheep's chest. Mind you these are the same people who an hour earlier were tucking into a succulent roast lamb dinner!"
So that concluded the New Zealand leg of the trip and I hope it's not too long before we return. Milford Sound - third time lucky?
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