We left Franz Josef this morning and continued down the coast highway to the town of Haast where we turned inland and headed back into the Southern Alps to the town of Wanaka, then on to Queenstown where we'll spend three nights.
We noticed that the west coast of the South Island is virtually uninhabited. It's dry and windy and there are unpleasant things in the Tasman Sea. So what looks like perfect beaches and places for condos and tourist traps is almost untouched.
We stopped at the Makarora Country Cafe and were surprised to see license plates from all over the world hanging on the walls. I found a couple from Illinois. They say they have plates from all fifty US states.
Then we stopped at Jones's Fruit Stall (stand). They had all kinds of fresh fruit and other goodies. Marsha and I got some dried apricots which we snacked on for a few days. We have to eat them before we leave New Zealand. No fruit on international flights!
Grandma Jones had an extra piece of land on the end of the store, so she planted a beautiful rose garden. They say she did it all herself, but after seeing it, I have my doubts.
We arrived in Queenstown in late afternoon. We had a little time to freshen up before heading for the Skyline to take the cable cars up to the restaurant for dinner. It was fabulous - the view as well as the food. The had everything from sushi to venison to chocolate mousse. WAY too much food!
After dinner, it was back down into town on the cable cars and a bus ride back to the hotel. This is the first of three nights we'll spend here in Queenstown, so we have plenty of time to explore, but for now, it's time to get some sleep.
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