Around Queenstown & Area

Sky Line Gondola

• After breakfast, the first order of the day was to ride the Skyline Gondola to the top of Bob's Peak
• the plan was to walk to the gondola bottom station,which on the map was at worst 1 km away from the hotel; and, the concierge at the hotel assured us, was an easy 10 minute walk
• there was a trail, starting right across from the hotel, that would bring us to the road leading to the station after an easy walk through a pleasant forest, so said the concierge
• about 30 minutes later we were still stumbling around on steep uphill, then steep downhill trails, none of them marked, nor on my hand-held GPS
• eventually we switched the GPS to compass navigation, using our destination as an end point, and simply going along trails going in approximately the right direction
• somewhere in this process June twisted an ankle, and we were very glad not longer after to emerge onto an actual city street, which was on the GPS map
• I parked June on a handy wall in front of a house, marked her location on the GPS, and then used it to navigate back to hotel, on city streets
• even that had its moments, as some of the "streets" turned out to be staircases done the steep hill back to lake level, the along that back to the hotel
• eventually picked up the car, and drove back to pick up June
• then we headed downtown, for the first order of business, getting a walking stick; found a Leki "Wanderfreund" collapsible hiking stick in one of the many adventure outfitting stores, and bought two, as I had previously thought of getting one for travel use on off-road trails
• if you don't know Leki, they are a German company that make hiking sticks of all varieties; they are extremely light and very strong (made out of aircraft alloy), and most are collapsible
• the "Wanderfreund" - "hiking friend" is a walking stick with a very comfortable ergonomic cork handle and wrist strap, with spring shock absorber, weighing less than 500 grams, and collapsible down to under 18 inches for packing; it has both a rubber foot for use on city streets, and a tungsten carbide tip for use on rock and hard surfaces, and is considered the Cadillac of hiking sticks
• thus equipped, we headed on, by car, to the downhill station of the Skyline Gondola
• and, we got lucky, with finding the 2nd closest parking spot just vacated
• the ride in a two-person car up to the top station is along a cut through the forest in a natural "dip" with sheep grazing below, gradually revealing more and more of a view of Queenstown and the surrounding land, mostly mountains
• the top station is a very elaborate complex, and not quite at the top of Bob's Peak
• there are several dining venues, lounges where one can sit, enjoy refreshments and the view, and outdoor viewing platform covering almost 360 degrees, and the obligatory gift shop
• to the north is the continuing slope up Bob's Peak
• there is a chair lift that can be taken to the top of the "Peak" but not for skiing, but for a wheeled "bob-sled" run along a paved track - it looked interesting, but, given June's ankle, we passed
• other directions give views of Queenstown and the lake, and the various approaches to and from the city
• prominent in the view is one of A.J. Hackett's (many) bungy venues
• this one is both a simple (one cord) bungy jump, from a platform cantilevered well out from the slope of the mountain, and the possibility of a "swing"  with two bungy cords attached at about 45 degree angles from vertical (you jump off the platform, the cords eventually bring you to equilibrium, and then you can swing by pumping your legs for as long as you want - eventually, they haul you back up with a rope attached to the harness you are wearing)
• after thoroughly exploring the view, we lunched in one of the lounges, enjoying the view, before taking the cable car back downhill, and going on to

Kawarau Bridge (with Bungy) over the Kawarau River

• not too long a drive to the Kawarau River gorge, and the Kawarau Bridge
• built 1878 - 1880, this suspension bridge is memorialized by the Institute of Professional Engineers of New Zealand as a significant part of New Zealand's engineering heritage, creating a vital transportation link for travel and commerce in Central Otago province
• but, in modern New Zealand history, the Kawarau Bridge is the site of A.J. Hackett's first bungy jump
• I have not been able to find sources that would explain why Mr. Hackett thought it was a good idea to tie, effectively, a rubber band to his feet and jump off a bridge, but the result is a uniquely New Zealand sport that has gone around the world
• of course, it has been refined into a science; at this particular site, and at others involving jumping over rivers, the jumper can decide to just dip into the water, or not
• the check-in desk automatically weighs the jumper, and calculates the length of rope in addition to the bungy cord needed to achieve the desired result
• jumping is not cheap; for an adult, the 1st jump is NZ$175, the second, should you be so crazy(?), NZ$60
• we watched a number of people jumping, and one deciding not to jump (there are no refunds), including one pair of French guys who decided to jump roped together
• we couldn't figure out what the incentive for that was, until we noticed the two very attractive young French women cheering them on; ah, testosterone! 
• interesting was how the jumpers were retrieved; after settling down they hag upside down some distance above the river
• a motorized Zodiac maneuvers under them, and they are lowered down by the jumping platform, and pulled into the Zodiac using a hook on a pole; primal, but effective
• after watching the jumpers for a while, we walked across the bridge, and inspected the jumping platform
• it is a highly technical operation, with safety first, and all kinds of checks and balances, to ensure the safety of the jumpers
• but, no way would I do this!
• what is not obvious, unless one has read up on Lord of the Rings film sites, that just beyond the Kawarau Bridge is the fairly brief scene in "The Fellowship of the Rings" of the Gates of Numenor; the scene where the Fellowship is drifting down a river gorge in boats, and comes to two huge statues of ancient kings on each side of the gorge; the statues are inserted digitally, but the rest of the scene is the same
• then a return to our hotel, via some small villages, and a stop for gas and picking up some nutrient bars, as tomorrow's departure will be before breakfast is available
• dinner at the hotel, checking e-mail and posting blogs, then to bed, ready for an early rising and departure