Journey to the (adventure) center of the world

While we wouldn't say this family & friends site classifies us as bloggers, today Katie definitely looks like one. Blair is battling a sore throat, so in an effort to let him sleep (and suppress the outward excitement that comes with exploring a new city!), Katie popped over to Vudu Cafe, a quaint coffee shop that's a block over from our new accommodation, Sofitel Queenstown. MacBook open, drinking a long black and snacking on oat granola with rhubarb, we are starting to look the part :)

Yesterday we awoke to a blanket of fresh snow, which gave us a new perspective on the mountains we'd come to love at Aoraki/Mount Cook. We packed up and headed out early, and after a few photo stops to capture the new landscape, we were out of the park and on our way to Queenstown!

We retraced our route beside Lake Pukaki, then headed southwest toward our first pit-stop at the Clay Cliffs. The cliffs are on private property, and you pay a $5 honor fee before opening a gate and heading another 1km on a dirt road to reach the site. Originally formed by glacier flow millions of years back, the cliffs are made of gravel and silt, and stand tall and proud. We climbed up and around the rocks for 30 minutes, then got back in the car for what would become one of Katie's favorite parts of this trip...

On our way out we were confronted with hundreds of sheep that were in the process of being herded into a new pen. Two dogs (purportedly Australian Shepherds) worked in tandem to coax the sheep down the middle of the road, alternating sides and moving the crew along. We had a front-row view as Katie's squealed with excitement and took many pics and videos. After 15 minutes, the traffic jam cleared and we resumed the drive.

Our journey took us through winding country roads and a smattering of different landscapes - some of them lush, green and dotted with cows - others snowy and mountainous - and some that whitened Blair's knuckles as we drove around cliffs and hairpin turns. One of the more striking vistas was at Lindis Pass, where the snow had covered the ground from the night before (photo on our homepage).

We carried on to Queenstown and arrived in time for dinner, where we treated ourselves to one of the "romantic dinners" that was gifted to us for our wedding. The choice was The Bunker, a highly regarded local joint serving incredibly delicious food! After splitting a bottle of local Pinor Noir and ending with a kiwi pavlova to die for, we were down for the count and turned in for a good night's rest.