Day 27 Queenstown

We made the short but scenic journey from Wanaka to Queenstown today (so named because it was said to be fit enough for Queen Victoria).  We stopped first at the old gold mining town of Cardrona.

 Parts of it are kept as it was in the early 1900s.  We were told that when prospectors first came here in the 1860s they found gold nuggets just laying on the nearby river bed!  It was a very active place for a time but then gradually died but has reinvented itself as a ski resort with good slopes nearby.

The ground either side of the road was sort of "scrubby" and I suppose when the snow comes it is OK.  The road is highest metalled road in New Zealand (1076m) and a bit later on we had some fantastic views. 

We had to descend down a twisty road to lake level and then took a quick detour to another mining town of Arrow Town which again has retained some of its buildings.  We spent a couple of hours in the museum, having a picnic and doing some shopping.
A great little stop-off.

Arrow Town

View from balcony

We then made our way to the hotel where we are staying on Lake Wakatipu and took a picture from the balcony.