Day 7 : Queenstown - Te Anau

That morning was our last in Queenstown. We needed to check out by 10.00 a.m. But before that, there were plenty to do. First, we had cook breakfast. The menu that morning was instant noodles with broccoli and eggs. Then, we also needed to cook lunch and pack our luggages and bags to go off. Thankfully, we managed to keep to the time.

After loading our bags in the car, we walked along the beautiful Lake Wakatipu for the last time, and and decided to go for the "Million Dollar Cruise" since we were in time for the departure at 11.00 a.m. It was NZD25.00 per pax and the trip was about 90 minutes long.

We departed from the Million Dollar Jetty in a luxury motor launch. Once on board, my friends and I climbed up to the open deck. Why be cooped up inside when we could enjoy the magnificent view outdoors. Basically, we cruised up Frankton Arm and back again to the jetty. We were quite lucky that the weather was beautiful that day. It was cold, but at least it was sunny. And the sunlight really enhanced the the beauty of the lake!!

Picture perfect ...

New Zealand's most famous mountain range - The Remarkables

We also did some last minute shopping at Queenstown Mall. What's a holiday without buying souvenirs, right?


We had lunch at McDonald's again. The car park, I mean. We ate in our car. Lol. For lunch, we had rice with stir-fried cabbage and sausages. The day before we all found the sausages too salty. Hence, I sliced up the sausages and stir-fried them with onions and chutney. The spiced fruit chutney was sweet, and that balanced out the saltiness. Everyone liked it, so I was glad about that.

My lunch box

After lunch, we hit the roads again. We were driving South West to Te Anau, via little towns like Kingston, Garston, Athol, Lumsden and Mossburn. The whole journey of about 170 km would take about 2 hours and 45 minutes. It promised out to be a scenic drive as well.

On my left ... Wow ...
Aotearoa. Land of the Long White Cloud.

On my right .... the azure waters of Lake Wakatipu glistening in the sunlight

Soon, the terrain changed, and we could see sheep grazing in the rolling green pastures.

There's more sheep in New Zealand than there are human beings !!

It was dusk by the time we arrive at YHA Te Anau. I loved the notice I saw on at the reception!

There! Take it!

I like YHA Te Anau. It was modern, bright, warm and comfy. Our rooms were on the ground floor.

My room with 2 twin beds. Room No. 9.
The heater is fixed on the ceiling and it kept the little room warm sufficiently well.
It's by far the warmest room I've stayed in so far.

The lounge with a furnace to keep guests warm

Since it was already dark outside, we proceeded to make dinner. We had fried rice, a chicken soup and also a stir-fried capsicum, fresh white button mushrooms, cabbage and carrots. What a funny combination. We just wanted to use up whatever we had. Lol.

Stir-fried capsicum, mushrooms, cabbage and carrots

After dinner, we wound down with the local beer. We decided to go for Tui - brewed in Mangatainoka, North Island of New Zealand. To me, this beer is light and refreshing. I loved it, and drank 2 bottles.

Tui Pale Lager
Tui is actually a name of a bird.

After dinner, we did go around town but all of the shops were already closed. It's understandable, since Te Anau is a really small place. We did not even get to see the lake - Lake Te Anau is the largest lake in the South Island of New Zealand - as everything was pitch black. We left the sightseeing for the next day and went back to our hostel to rest for the night. We needed to wake up real early the next morning.