“That’s not a telescope, that’s a camera lens”

After a good night’s rest we awoke and headed to Arrowtown. As usual, we got an early start, found great parking, and most of the town wasn’t even open yet. But we did find a café open to purchase a Long Black and get directions to Dudley’s Cottage. We had rented bicycles from Queenstown Bike Tours for the day and that’s where they are based.

Dylan and his female coworker were very friendly and got us outfitted with bikes, saddlebags, and helmets. Fred’s oversized camera backpack had to be left behind, but they outfitted him with a handlebar bag for his lenses. The trail was beautiful along the Arrow River and mostly downhill. Our only snag was when a twig I ran over lodged itself into the bike chain. But Fred’s experience with bikes came through and he fixed my bike on the spot and we continued.

The trail crossed the AJ Hackett Bungy Bridge and we stopped to watch the jumpers. Since neither of us could convince the other of parting with almost $200 for a 6 second thrill, we continued on. We chose to cross the highway at this point and ride up the hill to Chard Farm Winery.

I’m not adept at bike riding, but by golly with the lure of wine tasting at the end, I made it. We propped our bikes outside the entrance of the tasting room and went inside. There was only one other couple there.

This was as good a wine tasting experience as it gets! The pourer was very charming, wines were great, tasting room rustic, and the views were wonderful. We were offered to go down into the cellar to take photos and we picnicked onsite with a glass of Pinot. Fantastic! We purchased several bottles with the knowledge we wouldn’t be anywhere near a winery for 5 days.

Fred wanted to pedal back a bit to get photos of the canyon view. Dylan picked us up from that viewpoint to drive us and the bicycles back to Arrowtown. (Can it get any better than this?!) By now, the town was very busy and we were anxious to head out.

The drive Arrowtown to Manapouri was a bit ho-him and seemed longer than the 2.5 hours. We found Kepler Mountain View Cottage easily and there was a couple there, waiting on the grounds. They seemed to hover around us as we went to the door and I retrieved the key from the keysafe, having been emailed the code. English was not their native language (German? Dutch?). They seemed to think we were the owners letting them in to the cottage. They kept saying they were renting the cottage. After a bit of sorting out and explaining we were not the owners and I think they were mistaken, they presented their documents. It became apparent they were missing a page of information. They had rented a cottage run by the same owners of the one we were currently at, attached to the owner’s home. But their cottage was in town. They went on their way, but what an awkward moment!

We settled in and Jessie, the owner, soon showed up and introduced herself – with a bottle of wine! She gave us a rundown of what to do in the area and how to avoid the tour buses on Milford Rd (leave late). I asked about the other couple and she said it wasn’t the first time that a European travel agency had given incomplete information. She was heading there right away to see that they got settled all right.

It was a clear and beautiful day today, but clouds were looming and the forecast was not great for the next few days. This was important, as we had hoped to do a scenic heliflight the following morning.

The Adventure Continues>>>