Sunday - steam boats and horses

We woke up late this morning after a later than normal night yesterday, followed by some rowdies shouting in the campground when they came back even later than us. It was a quick dash to have breakfast, top up our water tank, then move the van to a place we could leave it for the rest of the day.

Then it was down to the lake front to pick up our boarding passes for the MSS Earnshaw steam boat. It's a lovely boat, dating from 1912, and is fully working with coal fired triple expansion steam engines. Real Journeys bought it in 1967 for $1 but with a promise they would keep it running.

It took us across the lake to the Walter Peak station, which is in two halves; a fully working cattle and sheep farm and a tourist centre around the original station buildings. It's been beautifully laid out with flowering gardens at the front.

Horse trekking was the first activity for us, which gave us a chance to ride over the hill towards the working farm, and to get a complete account of how farming works in this area. Back at the 'Colonels Residence' we were fed tea or coffee and scones, before our next activity, a luxury BBQ lunch. Some delicious salads, then as much beef, lamb, pork and chicken as we could eat!!

 

The boat came back with more guests, then we went on a farm tour, though just in the tourist half of the station. A very knowledgable guide talked about the origins of the station, then demonstrated how the NZ border collie was used to gather the sheep in. He used two dogs, and the control and training of the dogs was mind boggling.

Then it was into the wool shed for a demonstration of sheep shearing. When the sheep was turned on his back he was incredibly docile, or was sulking as our guide put it.

 

 

 

 

After shearing the sheep looked a lot more comfortable, and was much livelier as well. The size of the fleece was surprising as well, and even a light touch on it left the feel of lanolin on the skin.

 

 

 

 

Then it was back to the wharf to wait for the boat to give us a ride back to Queenstown.

After returning we spent a bit of time by the van posting the last few blog entries and checking our emails, then drove to the famous site by the Kawaru bridge where A J Hackett started his bungy jumping business. We arrived too late to see any actual jumping, but will try again tomorrow. Then we drove up to the Remarkables ski area to our freedom camping spot for the night, on a turning point on the road called Windy Point. They weren't lying with that name, we are having to hold our chairs to stop them blowing away whilst we sit out here waiting for the sun to set over Queenstown.

 

 

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