That may sound a bit Game of Thrones, but in fact today’s map was Mt Iron, on the edge of Wanaka on Hidden Hills Drive, about 60 kms from Queenstown. It rained most of the night and into the morning, and no-one was enthused.  But by 9am the rain cleared, the cloud lifted, and we had the beginnings of a beautiful day.  After yesterday’s non-event I was expecting the worst, but on arrival everything seemed to be working, the sun was shining, the start was right next to the finish, and the hillside looked pleasant rather than terrifying.

The map consists of lovely open clearings and semi-dense vegetation of the sort we’ve become familiar with this week. There were plenty of tracks, and some steeper sections.  I was pleased to see my course was perfectly manageable contour-wise, and I didnt need to perform a single bum-slide or scramble; I stayed on my feet the whole time.  The descent from the last couple of controls was quite long but on a good track and I had no trouble; in fact I would have been happy for it to be a bit longer; it was probably the most enjoyable course of the whole trip and providing lovely views from the higher sections.

After basking in sunshine, we headed for nearby Wanaka and the delights of the Lakeview Bar for lunch; exactly as it’s name suggests, we had splendid views of the lake and the Aspiring Range with its snowy peaks.  I really liked Wanaka; unlike over-developed and over-commercialised Queenstown and its traffic snarls, Wanaka sits gently at ease in its surroundings. There is no question that Queenstown’s scenery is more dramatic, but Wanaka is lovely and much easier to stroll around in. It would be far more relaxing as a holiday spot.

On the return trip we zoomed past the infamous Bra Fence at Cardrona, which has become world famous; no-one knows why the first brassieres were strung up on a random piece of farm fence in the middle of nowhere, but now there are thousands of them, and dozens of tourists photographing them. I confess we passed too quickly to stop, so I borrowed a photo to share.

We traversed the Crown Range road, which at 1076 metres is the highest sealed road in New Zealand. It swoops dramatically down into Queenstown via a series of tight hairpins, a thrill for the passengers but not much fun for Ilze, the driver!

Wheeeeee!!!

Descending into Queenstown

Simon is flying out tonight and we have reminded him about 5000 times to pack his passport.  Tomorrow night it will be our turn. The O-shoes are scrubbed clean, the leftovers have been eaten, and all there is left to do is the long drive back to Christchurch, and the 9pm Jetstar across the Tasman.