Day 2 in Queenstown started early with a wrong number phone call from back home. I had a hard time sleeping after that. We got up beore sunrise and ran about six miles along the shore of the lake. I almost lost all our breakfast money when the pocket in my rain shell gave out from the weight of my iPhone bouncing around. At the end of the run I was pulling the jacket off and I pretty much tore the hood and shoulder off in the process. The forecast for tomorrow is rain...
Almost to sunshine bay.
Morning light builds behind the "Remarkables" range.
After our run we walked into town for breakfast at the Vudu Cafe and Larder. It was excellent! Probably the tastiest food we've had in NZ so far. I got buckwheat pancakes with raspberry quinoa mash, candied dehydrated orange slices, vanilla flavored pumpkin seeds, fried banana, and whipped coconut on top. Delicious! I'm still trying to figure out how to order caffeinated beverages in this country. I should probably just read up on it, but I like trying new things. I got a "short black" today.
Pancakes!
My wife's oats
Short Black
After picking up our tickets to the Routeburn Track. We decided to go back to Vudu for lunch to go. I had been wanting to get out of Queenstown for a hike. So we decided to summit Ben Lamond, or rather I decided. I didn't think we'd make it, but my wife convinced me to press on. I'm glad we did.
We made it in just over 5 hours.
Nowhere near the top.
Once at the top, not one, but two parrots appeared from behind the cairn.
This parrots wanted all of our plastic goods.
Lots of pictures needed to be taken.
The reward for a long trudge back down the mountain.
Tomorrow we're off backpacking. I'll try to write more when we're back in civilization.