TSS Earnslaw/Walter Peak

Our plan today was for a slow morning and that was what we did. Every once and awhile on our trips together, Gayle hits the wall and needs a rest day so her back can recover.  Today was that day.  After I ate breakfast in the hotel I called an Uber and headed down to the waterfront.  We were booked for a 1 p.m. trip on the TSS Earnslaw, the oldest working, full-sized fire-tubed boiler in New Zealand, in other words a coal-fired steamship.

I headed out early so I could experience the waterfront.  It has the typical tourist shops and brand name stores.  There are also amazing restaurants, street musicians and lovely scenery. A statue of William Gilbert Rees graces the waterfront.  He was an early settler here in the Wakatipu basin and is regarded as the founder of Queenstown.  We are staying in the Rees Hotel.

Because I was there early I got to see the truck loaded with coal arrive and at the appointed time dump the coal onto the boat while three men shoveled it down to the boiler room of the boat.

At the appointed time we queued up for our trip on the steamship.  It is a large ship.  There is a lot to keep you interested as you travel along the lake.  You can watch the men stoke the fire with coal, 

or order drinks at the bar and listen to this lovely man sing songs by John Denver, Elton John, Simon and Garfunkel, Ed Sheeran and more, 

or stand on the front deck and freeze, 

or just people watch.  Most of us were headed for the Walter Peak High Country Farm.

Some people were there to enjoy a delicious BBQ lunch. Some of them came to ride horses.  I was with the group that was going on a farm tour.  Our first stop was to see the kunekune pigs.  The name “kunekune” means “fat and round” in the Maori language.

Then we got to feed the donkeys. They were so much fun.

We fed the cattle next.  I loved the fluffy cows called Highland cattle.

There are two alpacas on the farm….

And lots and lots of sheep.

After our tour to feed the animals we were served afternoon tea.  Then we all headed back outside for the farm show.  Our guide showed us how to sheer a sheep.  She did an amazing job but I found it hard not to feel sorry for the sheep.

Then we saw a sheepdog do its job of herding sheep.

The grounds at Walter Peak are lovely.  As we waited for our return trip on the TSS Earnslaw I wandered through their gardens.  I have never before seen this color of hydrangea.

We were all loaded back onto the boat for the trip back to Queenstown. The view of the Remarkables mountain range from the boat was gorgeous.  New Zealand is so beautiful.  It was very, very cold today, however.

Once we returned to the dock I decided to walk over to the Queenstown Gardens.  I am so impressed that gardens in New Zealand are free.  What a lovely, civilized country.

I was hungry by then.  Our afternoon tea, while lovely, did not fill me up.  I headed to Fergburger.  Before every trip with Gayle I create a Google sheet of possible places to eat in every city we visit.  Fergburger was on my list.  There is a lot of hype about this place that advertises itself as a gourmet burger stop.  It is notorious for long lines that move quickly.  I got in line.

While I waited for my burger, fries and onion rings (why not try it all) I saw the couple Gayle and I rode with on the helicopter ride back from Milford Sound.  Time went by quickly as we talked about rugby.  I didn’t even have to wait 15 minutes for my food.  I had a lovely Uber driver return me back to the hotel.  The food was still warm by the time I got to our room.  The hamburger was okay.  I am a huge fan of an In-n-Out burger and nothing ever seems to equal it for me.  Gayle and I shared onion rings and French fries as we updated each other on our days.