Welcome to the final installment of my New Zealand: The Sights series.
The weather wasn't always the best, but it never got past the point of being terrible. Even during the rainy days, like our one wet Queenstown morning. Refusing to be held hostage by the crappy weather, we visited Caddyshack for an amusing mini golf session. This indoor park had eighteen holes with varying degrees of difficulty but equal amounts of fun. Each hole had its own unique set piece full of marvellous intricacies and the odd novelty (like a golf ball ski lift).
Whether I was scoring birdies, eagles or well beyond a bogey, I was having a blast of a time. So fun, that Carolyn and I found ourselves repeating the course, trying to tackle the different routes that each hole had set up. Except for the eighteenth hole, since that would finish the session by taking your ball. In exchange for completing the eighteenth hole, you're gifted a small lolly which came as a pleasant surprise. For the odd twenty NZ dollars, it was a pretty steep price to pay - but we got our money's worth.
With the rain clearing, we hit the roads once again. This time, travelling southward from Queenstown to Devils Staircase. While not your typical location with an outright landmark, it was quite the sight. Although, it was more so the case when we were returning to Queenstown. Just stopping and starting every now and then, we soaked in the beautiful sights.
The next day saw me at my worst mood, possibly to date... This cascading mess started with an early morning hike at Mount Crichton. Not even a minute in and I was already sour about this loop track. From the parking space, I was trying to wrap my head around where the loop started, but it turned out the walk didn't even officially start until much further down. Adhering to the voices of those who have trekked it, we took the counter clockwise route for an easier experience. All lies, it's a terrible experience regardless.
Steep inclines and sharp declines were aplenty, inviting burning quads and calves. And with a butt tonne of weight strapped to my shoulders, I was inching ever so closely to that tipping point. Clocking in several kilometres now and I still hadn't seen anything of interest besides the usual green trees and gravel path. Along the way, we did get snippets of sights and sounds of a waterfall, which eventually came after much lamenting.
At this point, I should have turned back. The notion definitely crossed my mind, as I thought it couldn't get better than this. Feeling rather masochistic, we continued the walk - tired, sweaty and all. It was another hour or so of mindless walking and constant bitching/moaning until we reached a crossroad. Faced with yet another detrimental decision - do I continue this snoozefest of a walk or take on a new path? It was a lose-lose situation, but I somehow managed to choose the hidden third option of really fucking lose. After much deliberation, I decided to divert our journey down the Lake Dispute walk, thinking that it would eventually rejoin the loop track.
It didn't.
Initially, things were looking good - great even. The change of scenery was refreshing, and upon seeing the lake, I had high hopes for some fantastic shots. Seeing the open valley and the reeds by the lake, I was visualising what masterpieces could from it. Traversing down the many hairpin bends, I didn't seem to get any closer to the bottom...
The hairpins went on for another twenty bends (at least). Funnily enough, I had thoughts of turning back again, but submitted to my stupid pride and continued marching on. Getting closer to the lake, it was becoming apparent that things weren't going to go my way. The descending path took us nowhere near as close as I wanted and all hopes were lost. At least the rest of the track brought some beautiful scenery in between the misery.
Finishing that train wreck of an experience, we continued on our merry way. hah! Recalling the moot thought of the lake walk rejoining the loop track, we are presented with what tipped me over. After hours of a gruelling walk without much to show for it, you can imagine the glee when I found out there was more walking to be had. Although it was just over a kilometre to the car, the combination of exhaustion and hunger made it feel much longer. How fun.
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Refusing to call it quits, we moved onto the next location at Bob's Cove. Having aired out the sweat and fuelled on food, we were raring to go, albeit at a slower pace. If there was anything positive to take from the Crichton loop track, it was that we had the place to ourselves. And it was very much the same here. A short walk from the car park took us straight to the track. Compared to our previous debacle, anything was going to be an improvement and this definitely surpassed that. With waves gently lapping and seeing the undisturbed beauty of New Zealand's landscape, how could I not.
The next and final day saw us making the least of our last moments. With only half a day-ish, I decided to be a bit lazy. Upon looking out the window, I saw the fieriest of skies. Of all the days it decided to be moody goodness. Hauling my ass out of bed as quickly as I could, we bolted to the closest place that would have a decent composition. Ultimately, it was a missed opportunity despite nabbing some shots. Oh what could've been...
In my two weeks spent in this gorgeous country, I travelled from Christchurch down to Queenstown with all that's in-between. With each progression, I grew to love the country more. Even though we didn't always have positive moments, you just can't go wrong with a place as beautiful as this. I hope you've enjoyed my journey recap. Thank you for reading and join me next time for a new chapter of Luantics.