Queenstown, our next destination, is about 1 1/2 hours away. We leave Lake Hawea at 10:30 am and can check into out next Bach officially at 4pm. How to fill the time? Wineries and food of course!
After going the opposite direction for 15 minutes to the nearest gas station, we plug our first winery into Google Maps. We drive to Māori Point Vineyard only to find a sign out front that the tasting room is closed today. Bummer. No worries, we will see if there is another winery open on our way to the second spot we have picked out.
After going the opposite direction for 15 minutes to the nearest gas station, we plug our first winery into Google Maps. We drive to Māori Point Vineyard only to find a sign out front that the tasting room is closed today. Bummer. No worries, we will see if there is another winery open on our way to the second spot we have picked out.
As we pull into the city of Cromwell there are signs for a number of vineyards. Wooing Tree Vineyard shows it is open, so we stop for a tasting. They have six wines all from Pinot Noir grapes. The first is Blondie, a Blanc de Noir. A pressing of Pinot Noir is completed, as is done for champagne, but the wine is fermented dry and without the sparkling wine methods. It's unique and refreshing. I proceed through the tastings ending with their dessert wine, then decide to buy a bottle of the Blondie. Across the way from Wooing Tree Vineyard is Cromwell's signatory giant fruit sculpture. Lol.
Another 30 minutes down the road we stop at Gibbston Valley Winery. In the early 1980's, the owner Alan Brady (an immigrant from Ireland) was the first to try planting vines in Central Otago. After a few years he found that Pinot Noir did very well. The 2000 Pinot Noir Reserve won several world-wide competitions.
Another 30 minutes down the road we stop at Gibbston Valley Winery. In the early 1980's, the owner Alan Brady (an immigrant from Ireland) was the first to try planting vines in Central Otago. After a few years he found that Pinot Noir did very well. The 2000 Pinot Noir Reserve won several world-wide competitions.
We take the cave tour, which takes us into the space drilled and blasted out of the schist mountain behind the winery. There is a special storage alcove (almost a shrine) for the aging bottles of the 2000. We enjoy tastings of their Riesling, Pinot Gris, Pinot Noir and dessert wine while in the cave.
The next stop is Arrowtown and it's Chinese Settlement park. After a late lunch we walk through the small park which includes the story of Chinese immigrants who came to work the goldfields at the tail end of the boom. The story is interesting. The first structure we come to is the single-person community outhouse. It is followed by the small cabins built and inhabited by the single men or very small families.
15-20 minutes later we are driving along Lake Wakatipu and into Queenstown. Our bach for the next three nights is a three bedroom / four bath home built up a hill behind other homes. Level 1 is the garage and clothes dryer. The bedrooms are on level 2 and level 3 is the kitchen/dining/living room. As we walk up to the top level we see an incredible view of the lake. Now we understand why the home was built this way. A great place to enjoy Queenstown.
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