Monthly Archives: May 2023

Invercargil: The Southern Tip

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Invercargil is the southern most city on the south island of New Zealand.  It is known for its sweeping landscapes, unique museums, and quirky attractions.  We come here to access the ferry which will take us to Stewart Island.

We had a leisurely 2.5hr drive from Queenstown.  It was a brisk morning, but no rain or cloud cover which is a nice change.  We did not have anything “scheduled” to do in Invercargil, but there were a few museums we wanted to visit.

Bill Richardson Transport World

Bill Richardson spent decades restoring vintage vehicles – now, his family has infused his collection with their own interests to create a world-class experience. There are over 300+ vehicles, memorabilia, toy cars, antiques, and more.  

We were a little gun shy after our disappointing visit to the National Transport and Toy Museum in Wanaka.  But, we were so happy we came to the Bill Richardson Transport World.

This museum is gorgeous, clean, orderly, and filled with surprises in every room.  I did not go crazy taking photos of all the cars because, well frankly that would be boring to blog about. But here are a few of my favorites.

A few old, and very small BMWs

And even a few fashion designs made of the most unusual recycled items (including tires, stamps, balloons, gloves, stickers, and more).

Classic Motorcycle Mecca

Our next stop is the Classic Motorcycle Mecca which takes up an entire city block!  From motorcycles (classics, antiques, racing), to bicycles, bikes and side cars, a few race cars and more.

I am not a huge motorcycle fan, but I sure can appreciate a beautiful bike!  I am particularly fond of Harley’s, Indians, and Nimbus.

And they had the actual bike from the movie “The World’s Fastest Indian.

Wouldn’t be a good day if we did not have a few photo ops.

We enjoyed another tasty burger at Burger Fuel and walked around the fairly large town.

  • Kilometers traveled: 195km
  • Hotel: Langlands
  • Kilometers Walked: 4.2km (gesh)

Events from this day occurred in early March.  Our blog posts run 10-12 weeks behind live events.  In our last blog, we visit Milford Sound by bus, boat and plane.

Milford Sound

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Milford Sound claims to be the 8th wonder of the world.  Evidently, many places make that claim, but I can surely see why the folks in Milford Sound feel that way!

We take an amazing tour with Southern Discoveries Tour.  We hop on a bus in Queenstown (that has a glass roof, bathroom, and reclining seats).  It takes 6 hours to drive the 291k to Milford Sound with several stops along the way for photo opportunities, bathroom breaks, and snacks.  We then board a boat and take a cruise of Milford Sound by sea, and then back on the bus for a 5 hour return to Queenstown.  A very long day.  

We meet before dawn to load onto the bus with 43 other people.  Our driver, Brad was amazing.  He shared stories and the history of places along the way. A constant narrative with just enough humor to keep you interested. 

We had beautiful views along the way to Milford Sound with low clouds, fog, and mountains.

And the landscape keeps changing.

Mirror Lakes

On the way, we stop the iconic Mirror Lakes which were absolutely stunning!  I think this is what Lake Matheson would have been like had we been there on a sunny day.

I asked as stranger to take our photo and unfortunately she didn’t capture the mirror lakes behind us.  But it still is a pretty picture.

This view certainly takes your breath away.

Pride of Milford Sound

After almost 6 hours in the bus we finally arrive in Milford Sound.  We move from our bus to our boat, the Pride of Milford.  This boat must hold well over 500 people.  You get in the buffet line immediately upon boarding.  Food wasn’t terrible for a buffet but it was a true buffet.

The very first thing we see as we leave the dock is the beautiful Bowen Falls.  It is a very powerful waterfall that was stunning thing to see.

It is a quick trip out to the Tasman sea and then past another spectacular waterfall called the Sterling Waterfall.

The Sterling Waterfall is beautiful and even more so when you are up close and personal.  The captain nosed the boat close enough to the falls to feel the spray on our face.  Ignore the label on the bottom of the photo as this is the Sterling Falls (not the Bowen Falls).

A Plane Ride Home

We decided to take a flight home rather than sit in the bus for another 5 hours.  We hopped in a GA8 Airvan that showed us around Milford Sound from the sky.  Oh my goodness, I highly recommend seeing Milford Sound by air as it is far more impressive than by sea!

There are so many lakes, rivers, and waterfalls.

After about 45 minutes, we arrive back in Queenstown and get a pretty view of this lake side town from the air.

An absolutely spectacular day in Milford Sound.

  • Kilometers Traveled:  0 Arrived the day before
  • Hotel: Whistler Holiday Apts.
  • Total Traveled: 291km by bus, 20km by boat, 310km by airplane
  • Kilometers Walked: 5.4 (on a bus and boat most of the day)

Events from this blog occurred in early March.  Our blog posts run 10-12 weeks behind live events.  Be sure to read about our escapades in Queenstown in our last blog.

Queenstown

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Queenstown is the adventure capital of the world and yet we find a bunch of other activities to fill our day!  We are not total thrill seekers so we skipped the bungee jump, skydive, zorbing, and other crazy ridiculous life threatening activities.  We did go on a jet boat ride, hung out in an ice bar, and enjoyed a fabulous gondola to the top of Queenstown.

Skyline Queenstown

We arrive into Queenstown on a cloudy rainy day, but nothing that would stop us from exploring.  We start our day with the Skyline Gondola ride to the top of the mountain overlooking Queenstown.  It is a cold day so we are bundled up!  Each car takes 4 people or 2 people and 2 bikes.  You can ride up the gondola and take a mountain bike trail down or a luge down.

We hop on the gondola car and enjoy a leisurely ride up the mountain.  Unfortunately, it was still a cloudy, drizzly day once we got to the top so our views weren’t spectacular, but they were still very pretty.

We had planned to luge down the mountain, but the cold and rain made that a very unpleasant option so we just enjoyed a nice leisurely ride back down the mountain in the gondola.

Fergbruger

One of the best burgers in town can be found at Fergburger!  It is so popular that you are guaranteed to wait in line for at least an hour just to place your order.  But, it is soooo worth the wait!  This was truly one of the best burgers we have ever had – even better than In N out!  Yummmy, highly recommend it if you visit Queenstown!

Shotover Jet Boat Rides

Our first adventures in Queenstown is a jet boat ride with Shotover Jet Boats.   We start out with a few photo opps just because we could…

We get suited up in our life jackets, stowed our hats, and jumped in the flatbottom boat.  Our driver Peter gives us the safety protocols and we are off down Shotover river which is exclusively dedicated to Shotover boats.  The landscape is wall to wall pristine beauty and canyon action.

I’ve never been on such a thrilling ride in my life. We were inches away rocks, boulders, branches, and canyon walls.  It was exhilarating, frightening, and completely amazing!

These boats reach top speeds of 90 kilometers an hour and can fly over water in depths as shallow as 2″!  The drivers train for 8-10 weeks before they are allowed on the river.

Peter, our expert driver puts the Jet Boat through its paces, riding the rapids and performing thrilling, gravity-defying stunts within a hair’s breadth of the awe-inspiring cliff faces.

We did dozens of 360s, zipped up and down the river, and screamed loads of joy for 35 minutes!  One of the best rides of my life!  They give 1100 people trips per day with each driver making 12 trips evert day!

The Ice Bar

For some reason, they have several ice bars in Queenstown and I had to go to one!  We decided to go to Minus 5 Ice bar which is right on the wharf.  Not really sure why I insisted on going to an ice bar when it was already 15C outside (which is pretty darn cold).  But, I had to go!  They provided us with cozy warm jackets, gloves, hats and special rules for being in the ice bar.

The ice bar  is made of solid ice and the temperature is -9C!  The walls, the bar, the furniture and even the glasses are all made of ice!  They even have a half dozen ice sculptures around the bar.  Ice makes up the solid bar and benches for seating.

They have amazing sculptures throughout the bar.  Artists touch up the sculptures every 3 months and replace them every 9-10 months.  Every 45 minutes the staff rotate in and out of the ice bar so they do not have to endure the cold for too long.

The drinks are delicious and served in pure ice glasses.  You pre-pay for your drinks and we paid for 2 each.  We drank rather quickly as it was freakin cold in there!

We had a fabulous 45 minutes inside before we decided to get out and warm up!  Matt wore flip flops (or jandals as they are called here) inside the ice bar!

We stepped in next door to the Public Kitchen Bar where they had the most tasty desert cocktails.

Recap of the Day:

All in all it was a spectacular day with a gondola ride, jet boat ride, and a trip to the every so cool ice bar!

  • Kilometers Traveled: 70km
  • Hotel:  Whistler Apartments
  • Kilometers Walked:  8.3km

Events from this blog occurred in early March.  Our blog posts are 10-12 weeks behind actual events.  e are puzzled at Puzzling World and make a stop at the Transport and Toy Museum during our last blog – check it out.