A day to prepare in Queenstown
Glenorchy view
Stuart had been hiking for the last three days and had returned the day before. We decided to meet for breakfast in a café in downtown Wanaka. It was the opportunity to meet up one last time before a long time.
He did the Gillespie pass, which frankly looked pretty tough, and he confirmed that it was a big challenge. His photos look awesome.
After a good time with Gayle and Stuart we set off for Queenstown. Barely 10 minutes on the road and the car starts making strange noises. At first, we suspect pebbles, and figure out that as we drive along they'll pop out. But the further we go, the more the noise persists. We stop several times to check the tires, underneath and in the trunk (in case there's something moving there). It's worrying. There's not much road left to our destination, and there's a Budget agency there.
We go there to explain the problem, and they change the car immediately. We went from a hybrid sedan to a 4x4. Not bad for the boot, but it uses twice as much petrol! Anyway, within 30 minutes we were on our way, and I have to say that Budget's service was impeccable and super-fast. I'm really pleased that for once I didn't use a low-cost rental agency.
We decided to drive to Glenorchy, as we'd been told on our last visit to Queenstown that the hour-long drive there had been designated the most beautiful in New Zealand. The road is magnificent, with views of the lakes and snow-capped peaks in the background. There are plenty of scenic stops along the way to enjoy. We find a picnic table by the lake for lunch.
On the way, we pick up our little code box to put the key of the car for the relocation service we've booked (Trackhopper). They'll drive the car from one end of the hiking trail to the other, so it's waiting for us on arrival and we can take our time walking without having a deadline for catching a shuttle.
Once we're in Glenorchy, we feel a bit tired. We find ourselves a coffee shop and take a short tour of the lake before getting back on the road.
We still have to pack our bags, do some final shopping for dinner and the hike, and we're back at the hotel to rest up before an early start tomorrow.
