We had a quick coffee this morning at Marmolada cafe whilst waiting for our tour bus to take us to Milford sound. It was as good as the one yesterday
The trip to Milford is about four hours by bus and approx 1 hour away they stop at the town of Te Anau where you have an opportunity to grab a brew and some other food etc
Got into the queue and wasn’t expecting much as they were in a real mess just taking orders, it took 10 minutes to take the order of two people in front of me. Was about to find somewhere else. This would normally be a sign that the coffee would be terrible.
Coffee arrived and it was awesome! Coffee in NZ has been outstanding.
We also ordered some pies. Pies here in NZ are fantastic. Sharon had a venison pie, I had a lamb and mint.
Just after Te Anau we stopped at the Mirror Lakes (really just a small pond). When it’s still the water is very reflective. We had a mild breeze so didn’t get the full effect
However it is a lovely forest walk
Forrest walk
Someone has even set up a coffee van there! the coffee scene in NZ just gets better by the day
Last year we did a marvellous wine tour to the north of Barcelona, I rated it in the top three things we did in Spain, so I was keen to replicate that experience here in NZ, so before we jetted across the ditch I did some research and booked a wine and lunch tour through Altitude Tours.
The tour took us to three wineries around Queenstown (in the Otago region of NZ), starting at Gibbston Valley Wines who kicked off the Otago wine industry in the mid 1980s.
The story goes that everyone told them (including the department of Primary Industries) that they were crazy and there was no way grapes would grow near Queenstown as it was too far south. They gave it a whirl anyway, and discovered that Pinot and Riesling did quite well. Of course many then followed and how its a massive money spinner for this part of NZ.
Wine Cave
Gibbston also have a fantastic “wine cave” which is a cellar they dynamited out of the side of a hill back in the mid 1990s.
The second winery was the Allen Scott winery, where we sampled even more delicious grape based beverages before heading off to the “Stoaker Room” near Cromwell for lunch.
I’d actually book the Stoaker room for dinner next week after hearing great things about it, however when I found out it was on this tour I cancelled that booking to free up the night for another amazing dining establishment.
The “Stoaker” is basically a BBQ built into an old French Oak wine barrel. They even sell them for about $NZ2500 should you so desire to purchase one (You won’t fit it in your hand luggage though).
They cooked a variety of meats in it, Orange Roughy Fish with coconut cream and slaw, BBQ Duck with honey mustard, Goat Ragu with Smokey tomato sauce and polenta, Pork with pear and orange marmalade and Venison with Cherry Sauce and roast veg.
The third winery was the wonderful Church Cellar Door and Cafe, where we also had cheese and biscuits with more wonderful wines.
The tour was essentially complete at this point, however as we had time the guide took us through arrowtown (which we visited on Tuesday) and then we dropped in to the new Ayrburn estate that has some amazing restaurants and bars to explore. Apparently they spent NZ$200 million making it like it is, and it looks divine.
Before the wine tour we have today I walked down the hill to tick off the next cafe on the list. The hill we are on is incredibly steep, although the pictures don’t quite show how steep it really is
I’d forgotten it was Saturday morning so not all the cafes are open this early, and the one I’d planned on visiting wasn’t. No issue as a quick google check confirmed the other one I’d been considering was open so just walked across the road to that one.
The cafe I’m at (Marmolada Cafe) also benefits from being at the bus pickup area for many of the day bus tours that leave from Queenstown. We will be back at this one on Sunday when we do a Milford Sound bus tour.
Coffee was great and lived up to its rating on Google.
The Hooker Valley Track was on my NZ bucket list, and was something I had to do. Had also paid a small fortune for a night at the Hermitage Hotel so another reason I absolutely wanted to do it today.
We got here a little later on Thursday than I’d anticipated and it was searingly hot and I was already sunburnt, so I thought it better to do in the morning. To get back in time to checkout and have breakfast I’d calculated I needed to start just before 6.
The only real trouble is that sunrise was at 6:20 so I’d be starting when it was dark. Overnight an air raid siren went off at 3am (don’t know why) and I dozed on an off, eventually deciding I’d leave the hotel at 5 to start the walk even earlier, with the only light coming from the moon. At least it was (or close to) a full moon.
So here I am, in the parking lot near the start of the track at 5:20 am. I’m looking for the start of the track with my iPhone as a torch and Google maps.
I’m also thinking I’m breaking a few trekking rules here, I’m in a wilderness area, I’m alone, it’s near pitch dark, and I have no first aid kit. Mentally justifying all this thinking it’s one of the most popular tracks in NZ, it will probably be packed with people in about an hour, its only 10km return, its flat and wide, what could possibly go wrong…..
The family will get a decent insurance payout if it does all go to cactus, so I continue along.
At least I’m carrying water. That’s one rule I’d never break. Would I be doing something like this on a track in Australia ? Absolutely HELL NO. New Zealand doesn’t have snakes so there is zero risk of accidentally stepping on one. No wolves or bears either.
After about 20 minutes the light started to appear and any fears I was having started to vanish. The worst that happened was a rabbit darted out in front of my feet less than a metre away in the dark. Scared the crap out of me, but no damage done.
Apart from not dying, I really did manage to luck in on this one. The weather was 100% perfect. It wasn’t cold, 8c (which is a great walking temp) and it was clear sky. That’s very rare in this area.
The walk is visually stunning in every direction. Lakes, remnants of glaciers, fast running water, amazing vegetation and rocks, three suspension bridges.
Not that I needed to, but I was wondering about the toilet facilities on the track. Surely a track this popular they can’t have people just all going behind a rock. Then as I rounded a corner about half way on the walk, question was answered. There was one there just off the track a little.
Not a flush toilet and not a long drop either. They have a drop over a holding tank, which they then helicopter out occasionally. Here is the article about it.
If you are visiting this part of NZ, you should consider this walk. There aren’t too many steps, the majority of the track is flat. At least go to the first suspension bridge.
I was back in the hotel by 8:30 and was able to make the breakfast. I did the walk in just under 3 hours.
Mount CookHooker Valley Track Toilet SystemWalking by Moonlight
The accomodation package we have at the hotel includes a three course dinner and breakfast. Wine and coffee are an extra payment.
We started with a drink in the hotel lounge, I had a wonderful local Gin and we just sat for a while admiring the amazing view as what little cloud coverage remained vanished to reveal the mountain completely.
Dinner was spectacular. I honestly wasn’t expecting anything too great considering it’s the only real dining option in about a 100km radius. There are other accomodation options here in the village, but if you didn’t bring your own food, you are eating here or in the hotel buffet. Although the food is included in the package, you can eat a three course meal for $110 per person, and considering the amazing quality of the food it’s a bargain.
We both had the carrot and ginger soup to start, I then had the lamb and Sharon had the salmon. The cheesecake for dessert with three different apple toppings was also stunning.
It's all about the coffee 