Hi everyone,

It was an early morning as we had a full day activity planned today. Nan and Julian had their own plans to explore the town and go shopping while we began our drive to Glenorchy.

We arrived a bit early and decided to grab a coffee. The coffee here was very expensive and to reduce waste they have a cup return program where you but a metal cup with a rubber lid for $4 which is returned to you when you return to the cup to them or other stores that do this. It meant the coffee was over $10NZD which was a bit much for an average coffee. We’re yet to find a better than average coffee in NZ, but the quest continues.

Last time we were in Queenstown we had this activity booked but Aimee became pregnant in between booking it and coming to Queenstown so we had to cancel. We were stoked to do it this time. The activity is the Dart River Funyaks.

The day starts in Glenorchy where you get a safety briefing (no pregnant women!) and get geared up into our wetsuits, booties, fleece jackets and spray jackets.

Then we hopped on the bus for a quick 5-minute ride to get on the Jetboats. These Jet boats are the exact same as the ones we did on the Shotover. We got front seats this time which was awesome. The jetboat hooned around the lake doing 360’s and stuff for a bit. The views of the lake and mountains around Glenorchy are just spectacular. We loved just cruising with the wind in our faces and taking in the views. The boat went all the way up the dart river as it came off the lake. This lasted about 40 minutes which was so good.

When we got to the top of the river we jumped out and split into our groups and paired up with our guide to get a safety briefing and into the funyaks. Funyaks are basically a hybrid between a kayak and an inflatable raft. We shared ours between the two of us but you can have up to three people in the funyak. We were also getting eaten alive by the sand flies here so it was very nice to get onto the river.

You start by going on a slow paddle down the river. The river was up today due to the rain we had yesterday so there were a few dicey parts that we had to avoid. It was funny seeing the Chinese tourists get caught in the tides. The guides had to do a lot of hard work to get them out. They were never in any danger, but they would’ve never made it down the river if the guides didn’t pull them out. It was really peaceful and serene on our slow paddle. The scenery was stunning. To the left of us were the misty mountains from LoTR and the mountain where Gandalf fought the Balrog.

Eventually we got to a part of the river where we pulled over for lunch. But not before having to walk the funyak upstream which was very difficult. We walked up into a clearing where they had a lunch station. We were able to make a big meat and salad roll with some egg tarts. It really hit the spot. By this point we were very hungry and craving healthy food. It really did the trick. We also got two desserts which was a brownie/caramel slice thing and a jam/iced vovo type cake. They were both absolutely delicious.

Before we hopped back into the funyaks we had the opportunity to jump into the water for a little swim. Ronnie took the opportunity to plunge in from the rocks. This water was absolutely freezing, like all the other water in NZ. It is literally melted snow that trickles down the mountain, summer or winter it is always very cold water. Certainly shocks the system.

Right next to the lunch spot is a little canyon. There was a chance we may not have been able to go up into it today but the water level dropped enough so we were able to. It was beautiful. You paddle up into the narrow canyon. The sun shines through the crack in the top, the water is crystal clear (so much that you can drink it – which we did!). We took some photos in there and Ronnie lost his sunglasses as the arm broke off and the glasses fell into the abyss never to be seen again.

After that it was a fun paddle down the stream taking in the views and having fun on the water. It was a really great activity. It was definitely expensive but we would say it is absolutely worth it for a great day out.

We eventually got back and hopped on the 4WD but to Glenorchy to return out gear and finish up. As we were walking back to the car we spotted a little ice cream shack that was selling fresh fruit ice cream. We had to try this. We got a mixed berry ice cream each and ate is as we walked to the car. It was so yummy. The fresh fruit had a strong flavour mixed the the vanilla from the ice cream and it was divine. Sometimes it is the unexpected stuff that is the best.

We made the drive back into town which is just a really picturesque drive back to Queenstown. We picked up Julian and Nan and walked down into town to have our dinner. Tonight we ate at a place called Boliwood. As you can imagine it is Indian food. We sat at a booth right at the window. It was a bit awkward because we had to go up stairs to get in which meant taking the pram up. It is not very accessible and they didn’t have highchairs. This should’ve been our first sign to not eat there, but we pushed through. We order batata vada (a spicy potato fritter) butter chicken and a chicken tikka masala with some garlic naan. It was all really sub par. The sun was shining right through the window which made it very hot in there and it was just uncomfortable. We definitely have better Indian food in Bathurst.

We did a slow stroll back to the accommodation and put Julian to bed for the night. We weren’t done though. We got in the car and drove 10 minutes to a spectacular activity that we did last time we were in Queenstown that we just had to do again. It was the onsen hot pools. This time we ordered the deluxe experience.

We hopped into the onsen which was so nice and warm. The view over the shotover river and the mountains was just incredible. Sitting in the hot tub, drinking wine and watching the sunset with that view…heavenly. This is relaxation done in the best possible way. We had 45 minutes to soak which we spent every second enjoying.

After the onsen we were lead upstairs to a room with two massage tables for our full body hot stone couples massage. This was sensational. We both laid down and received our massages. It is a traditional full body massage with oils but they also use hot rocks to rest on your body and to massage you with. It is hard to describe it, but it was lovely. This was an hour long massage and honestly, it felt like 5 minutes. It was over so quickly but it was so nice. This is a must-do if you are in Queenstown. An absolute must-do.

They provided us a little cake and tea or juice when we got out, which was kind of weird and not great, Aimee also spilled the juice everywhere. It didn’t really matter though as we were feeling relaxed. We drove back to the accommodation and fell asleep after what was truly an amazing day.

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Much love,

Ronnie, Aimee & Julian.