Packing a Sense of Humour for the Unexpected

We flew from Auckland to Queenstown. The weather was clear and the view of the mountains quite spectacular. Given the mountainous terrain, it was hard to believe there would be an airport. But the pilot flew the plane along the Lake Wakatipu valley and into the Queenstown airport with relative ease.

We toured the Queenstown area. The town is 100% tourism based. Restaurants and adventure companies were everywhere. Bungy jumping, tramping, cycling, jetboat rides in the gorge, kayaking, extreme golf via helicopter, white water rafting, skiing, sightseeing and more. To take advantage of the rugged terrain, there are multiple companies for every sport.

This morning, the plan was to tramp the Kelvin Peninsula on Lake Wakatipu, but there were rain squalls going through the area, so we didn't hit the track until almost noon.  Near town, the track was easy, but due to the late start, we didn't get as far as hoped.

This afternoon, we're to pick up a rental car then at dawn tomorrow, head for Fiordland. More specifically over the next two days, we'll be going to Te Anau,  Lake Manapouri and Doubtful Sound on the west coast. Doubtful Sound leads out to the Tasman Sea. The Tasman Sea is between New Zealand and Australia. Doubtful and the better known Milford Sound are arguably the most rugged and scenic places in the world.

According to the Guiding company, the recommended things to bring are, wet weather clothes, lots of layers, and a sense of humour for the unexpected.

Click here for the next story in this series: http://travellingwithsteveandmarlene.blogspot.ca/2014/03/doubtful.html