Queenstown 13th/14th November

Queenstown had been given mixed reviews by the people that we had spoken to , most saying it was busy and commercialised so we were prepared to not like it. However it actually had an energy that was fun and the setting was quite beautiful so we forgave it and enoyed it. There was another reason that I shall remember Queenstown which is because I visited the Medical Centre there. A sore throat that had been bothering me since the Peel Forest had developed to such an extent that I had lost my voice. Dave was enjoying this and we had developed a sign language that worked with some amusing consequences mainly because he forgot that even though I couldn't speak, he could! However by Queenstown it was very painful so I asked the camp site owner how to get a GP appointment. He immediately turned his breakfast off and drove me to the Walk -In Medical Centre. The doctor diagnosed me with a laryngeal viral infection and suggested lots of pain killers of various sorts but gave me a back up antibiotic prescription in case that didn't shift it. Thankfully

the advice worked and now 32 hours later I am feeling much more human again although we have decided against rafting for tomorrow. However back in Queenstown we did go on a fun Jet boat ride. Forty five minutes of high spreed spins and going very close to rocks and trees in only a few inches of water.. Lots of spray and squeals. On return to their base we went down below their office and viewed the lake from underneath. The fish had learned that food was readily available from gullible tourists and little black ducks dived down to snaffle some of it too. We went up the cable car overlooking the bay and town where Dave went on the Luge whilst I tested Boysenberry Icecream on Kathryn Snelling , Harby's resident Kiwi's advice. Very nice, and one I shall try again. A Boysenberry looks like a cross between a loganberry and a blackberry and tastes like that too.

Dave also went on another whitewater rafting trip that went through a lot of old gold mining areas on the Shotover River. It was far busier than the one in Peel Forest but was still fun with the highlight being a Grade 3 rapid through a tunnel with a Grade 5 drop at the end. If anyone has heard of the giant swing in Queenstown, a variation on a bungee jump, he also saw that in action whilst on the rafting trip. So Queenstown is very like a gigantic playground full of action things to do. Lots of energy there, in a beautiful setting and quite unlike anywhere else that we have seen in NZ. Lots of cafe's, restaurants, and at least one very nice chocolate shop. But my highest praise goes to the friendliness of everyone who tried to help me when I wasn't feeling well, even if most of them found themselves whispering too.