Day 5!!!
Last blog I left off by saying that the holiday was almost over in a split second which was true.
At our free camp at Lowburn, there is a pontoon with a ramp going down to it. The morning came and there was fog everywhere and I could see a moody image in the making. I took a few images from just before you walk down the ramp and as i walked down the ramp, my feet went from under me as it was icy and I landed on my back with a huge thud. The wind was knocked out of me and I was struggling for breath for a few minuets and was trying to call for help. Seeing I was the only brave sole out of their motorhome, no one came. I managed to get my breath back and get myself back up the ramp and to our motorhome. It felt like I had been hit in the back with a baseball bat and found normal things like bending down almost impossible. I managed to find a Physio in Cromwell and I had an appointment within 45 min and we were about 10 min away. In the end my fall had led to Intercostal strain which is where your ribs attached to your spine and I can tell you is very painful. I have had trouble walking at normal speed as it puts strain on your ribs and and sudden movement takes my breath away. I also have not been sleeping much as when you lay down, the Intercostal nerves radiate pain around from your spine to your chest. So after a 30 min session with "Helga's house of pain" AKA Aimee the physio, I was on my way with a suggestion of some exercises and to ice it for a few days with some pain relief.
So after all this, we made our way to Queenstown which was only a short 50 minute trip but felt like a lot more while driving with sore ribs.
We pulled into the Lake View caravan park which is where we usually lob for a few days with views of the Remarkables and a short stroll into town and down to the lake.
We went for a walk around the lake and our Son took delight in the huge playground they have at the waters edge and there is a great cafe there where you can get a meal or just a hot drink to stave the cold off.
Day 6
We started the day getting used to the -5 morning temperature and then made our once again back into town where we went to one our favourite cafe called Patagonia Hot Chocolate and you guesses it got an ice cream. Well the other 2 did I got a hot chocolate and it's like liquid chocolate fudge going down and can recommend it if you like that sort of thing.
After we had some time browsing the souvenir shops and walking to the park again, we made our way up to skyline which involves a gondola ride to Bob's Peak 450 meters above Queenstown. We arrived around 1.30 and had a late lunch in the cafe and the food was of good quality, fresh and not too over priced. From there went up to the luge track and watched the speed racers come down bumping into each other and having fun. We waited in the comfortable lounge while having a coffee and then I jostled for position on the observation deck to capture the sunset.
I did not have a tripod with me, but I found a sign on the rail that showed a map of what you could see from the observation deck that happened to be perfectly straight. Remember to use what you can find and improvise as that we do as photographers most of the time.
I managed to get these mages.
Day 7
We left Queenstown and stopped to see people paying money to jump off a perfectly good platform with a rubber band around their leg. Never appealed to me but everyone was screaming with excitement and were all smiles after it...
After this we drove to Cromwell to get some supplies from the New World and have lunch at the scene of my accident, yes Lowburn rest area. It was very foggy on this day and very reminiscent of the day I went down on the ramp so I had to take some images of the pontoon.
After lunch we drove through the fog all the way to Lake Wanaka were I visit my tree. I have never seen the tree in fog and it made for a very moody, minimalist look. What do you think...
We booked into the local caravan park and the fog hung around all night and lifted a little in the morning.
Thanks for viewing my blog and will have another report soon....