A 2 hour car ride back from Waipu to Auckland and a 2 hour flight and we landed in Queenstown- Tourist Central, but stunningly beautiful. I was unaware that it was such an old settlement of historical architecture and narrow lanes, full of bars, cafes and boutiques. A steady stream of ambulances wailing, assured us that the orthopaedics were rubbing their hands with delight at the bungee jumping, white water rafting, sky diving and extreme sports that make Queenstown so popular- and the ski season has not even started.
I had read that the locals are tired of the tourists, especially the Freedom Campers who are using the surrounding area as a great outdoor toilet. I wonder how they are going to police that?
The first night, after checking into our amazing Airbnb in Frankton with the most stunning view over the lake, we ventured into the CBD of Queenstown. WOW. We headed to the much acclaimed Botswana Butchery. The roads were jammed with traffic, parking spaces were unavailable and the joint was packed with a huge assortment of adrenaline fuelled backpackers, wealthy Europeans, masses of Chinese. It was very much ‘ Spot the Kiwi.’
The foreshore of the lake was festooned with hip bars and cafes which spilled out onto the promenade. As the sun set the Scottish pipers farewelled the day. It has been unusually hot, over 38 degrees and being so far south the sun does not set until after 10.00 pm. ( way past my bedtime). The bars and the clubs were just starting to rev up for the night.
The next day we drove to Arrowtown on the River Arrow, a car is essential to visit the area. We were confronted with busloads of tourists and while the town is very picturesque it is also an ultra expensive tourist rip off. Gold was discovered here and boosted the town’s prosperity, and it still retains that old fashioned vibe. It reminded me of Silverton the cowboy town in the Colarado Mountains.
What is a trip to New Zealand without a visit to the wineries! Rippon Wines in Wanaka is truly stunning and is one of the few wineries left that do not charge for tastings. It’s Alpine location above the brilliant blue lake contrasts withe snowy mountain peaks and the warm beaches on the sandy shores of the lake. I felt like yodelling, and breaking out my Heidi dress and Alpine hat.
Onwards we drove to the Mount Difficulty Winery, in contrasting landscape. Dry, barren, rocky decorated with spinifex and cactus. Huge Arizonian buttes and sandy desert formations- how could a winery be here? A winery with an acclaimed restaurant? Over the hill and around a bend and here was another spectacular restaurant with another amazing view. There were bonus cowgirl hats provided because of the heat- quite unusual weather for this part of the world.
The food was probably the best we have had in all of New Zealand- and reasonably priced, prompt efficient service and served with their wine suggestions. But the cowgirls were getting hot! Lamb rack on pea puree with quails eggs, snow peas, blanced capsicum and anchovies- with Mt Difficulty Sauv Blanc or Roaring Meg Rose.
It was a brief visit to Queenstown, the average visit is usually 3 days. I would love to move to New Zealand, it is such a pity about the expensive real estate!
Waipu is 2 hours N.E. from Auckland in New Zealand. Strangely enough it is next to Uretiti,and the locals find these to be perfectly normal names, and frown upon any sniggering and tittering.
It is a very popular holiday destination for Aucklanders, who obviously enjoy camping in the rain. It is lush and verdant countryside, and the reason it is so green is because it doesn’t stop raining, and is very humid- almost tropical.
Dali’s Theatrical Museum in Figueres is a few hours out of Barcelona, and on the way we also visited the incredible medieval city of Girona. Apparently it is now famous for having been the latest setting for Game of Thrones , which I have never seen! It is also where the book ‘Perfume’ was set.
The Jewish Quarter has been preserved since the Inquisition when the Jews were expelled until post Franco. The warren of narrow streets were blocked, and surprisingly only unblocked in the mid seventies! Quite incredible. The perfect setting for the Game of Thrones.
Girona was settled by the Romans and the city walls are built on the early Roman stones. Intricate cobblestoned roads and pathways add extra intrigue to this quaint town on the River Onya. The architecture is a mixture of Roman, Gothic and Medieval.. It also was a pleasant respite from the very crowded, pushy and HOT Barcelona.
Then it was on to Dali’s town of Figueres and his Theatrical Museum. Probably not as shocking or outrageous as it was when he opened it..and NO we did not see The El Gran Mastubador. The museum was overcrowded and very hot..full of pushy sweaty tourists, which I am sure Dali would have enjoyed. The cadillac was at the entrance.
Much of his better work was missing from the exhibits, but there was still plenty to see, and plenty of other tourists to push. His jewellery was quite impressive. We were on a day tour and met a NZ couple who were impressed that The Panama Hat looked like Kif Richards. We thought they were bogan farmers from NZ, but apparently they were huge Rolling Stones fans..you never can tell.
We then moved to Poblenou Beach and a quaint B and B one block back from the beach. It was complete bliss after Barcelona which was crowded, hot and hassly. In fact I think I will avoid majot tourist towns from now on as I find it all so unpleasant and not an enjoyable experience at all. I am so glad I travelled a lot when younger, and experienced a lot of fabulous places without other tourists.
Poblenou Beach is about 30 minutes out of Barcelona and is becoming the ‘IT’ area. A former working class industrial location by the sea, now being renovated and renewed. It is so hip ALL the lifesavers on the beach have man buns.The Ramblas was authentically local, with no touts or tourist hustle. Locals strolled the promenade and sat discussing the local goss. There were outdoor tables festooning the shady Ramblas, whereas the city was just so HOT.
The beach was packed until the full moon was up and shining. No-one seemed to have a job to go to the next day. Music was blaring and the party was happening, but we couldn’t stay up after a jug of sangria.
Now we are off to Doha..waiting in the Qatar Air lounge and winging our way home… Cheers!
My last day in Porto there was the usual thick blanket of sea mist, that pervades the coast of Portugal, where the Atlantic meets the rivers. A micro- climate, but an hour away it can be scorchingly hot. The large intimidating seabirds squark and swoop, they are much larger than our seagulls.
La Pedrera was a little less frantic and was cool inside, except on the roof…ooff it was hot. His mosaicked ventilation shafts and huge attic acted as great insulation. What a fabulous set of apartments they were. Of course I had to go to Sagrada Familia, and only just got a ticket for that. They were turning very disgruntled people away who had not booked. It was still a bunfight and the skip the queue tickets still required queuing in the sun..well that was money well spent!!
We knew it wouldn’t be the best time to visit Barcelona, and it has been way too hot and frantic. I am also a bit over cheap paella, sangria and tapas. We are moving to a beach suburb of Poblenou which should offer some respite, but first we will visit Dali in Figueres.
We were booked into the O Laranjeira and arrived after a long journey at the Hotel Laranjeira, which looked the same on google maps. They are two separate establishments, back to back but owned by the same family.. We had a huge altercation with the owners son, after he had ignored us for 20 minutes. I had the audacity to interupt his Portuguese male pontification and demand his attention. He went ballistic and the family threw us out! I thought afterwards it might have been for our own safety as he was like Faulty Towers on acid.They also refused to tell us where our hotel was. It was very distressing, disturbing and frightening and we nearly went to the police.
Continuing on with our trusty driver- (making our journey so much easier and about the same price as a hire car) we travelled through small Portuguese villages with low stone walls, ancient vineyards and olive trees. The sleepy towns were deserted, except for a few old widows and shepherds.
However the real highlight for me was stumbling across the Anta da Caveda an ancient stone dolmen or burial chamber, reputedly 6,000 years old, just sitting at the edge of a vineyard. We had to really search to find it , and we walked past it twice. There are no signs or information.
We stumbled around very old pathways and vineyeards, past crumbling stone walls, and ancient wells, long forgotten. It was a magical mysterious path to the dolmen. We had just about given up, as the directions we were given were sketchy, and then we found it! Originally they were covered by earth and grass so they were more hidden. Some believe they were not burial chambers but energy transmitters. Either way we were blown away by it. There were no other tourists, in fact the fields were deserted. I had seen dolmens in other parts of the Celtic world which were crawling with busloads of tourists, but Portugal has not succumbed to this as yet.
But we were not alone. There was a huge wedding in progress and part of the palace had been sectioned off, which was annoying. Always check for weddings when booking at the palace! ..old Portuguese saying!
We had a stunning dinner in the refined elegant dining room, we chose to eat outside in the conservatory, and a bottle of the Bussaco Vintage wine. We met some interesting fellow travellers while being entertained by the wedding guests and their drone. What is a wedding without a drone!
The next day our driver took us to Coimbra where we caught two trains to Viana do Castelo at the top of Portugal, in the Minho. Please note I had to prove we were seniors this time to get our discount!