Amy is an avid hiker and she convinced me to attempt the Ben Lomond track in Queenstown for some breathtaking 360 degree views of the city. This hike was much more difficult than either of us had anticipated, but Amy (being much more conditioned than I was) made it up the mountain like a little billy-goat. While I huffed and puffed my way up to the top, seriously contemplating turning around more than I’d care to admit. Overall it took us about 6 hours (maybe longer) but it did prove to be one of the highlights of the trip. The views on the way up and from the summit were absolutely stunning and we couldn’t have asked for a better day for the views.

After a few gorgeous days in Queenstown, we headed up to Fox Glacier for an attempt at a heli hike up on the glacier. We spent the first night drinking and dancing in one of the three pubs in the one-street town of Fox Glacier but due to the moody weather the next morning, we weren’t able to fly up for the hike and instead took a long walk up to view the face of the glacier before heading back towards Queenstown and Wanaka.

 

 

 

 

 

Next stop: Wanaka. Again, the weather was pretty overcast and cold but we made the best of it and visited an adorable little lavender farm complete with rows of lavender, rose bushes and farm animals. On our last day we hiked up the Mount Iron track for another panoramic view, this time of lake Wanaka. Such a gorgeous country everywhere you turn.