30/4 - Lake Wanaka; Queenstown

The next morning started with a decent buffet breakfast at the Resort, after which we were picked up by a van along with another couple for a short trip to the marina where we would board a boat to explore the lake. The temperature was around 10° with a stiff wind from the north. It turned out the wind produced a heavy chop against which the boat struggled for 30 minutes before our guide decided to divert from our original destination, Mou Waho Island, to an alternative, and more sheltered, island.

The island, although uninhabited, did feature a naturalist station where efforts were being made to reestablish the Weeka bird. The bird is threatened by ferrets, which were introduced to New Zealand. We spent about an hour exploring the island on foot, culminating with a tea break on the sandy beach.

After returning to the Edgewater Resort and checking out, we were transferred by van to Queenstown and the Heritage Hotel overlooking Lake Wakatipu. Our room had a balcony overlooking the lake, and the magnificant panorama took our breaths away.

We used a hotel-provided bus pass to ride into town for a walk and dinner at the Boardwalk restaurant on Steamer Wharf. Although the restaurant had been recommended by two different guidebooks, one of our meals was cold and a salad came with the wrong dressing. Also, the restaurant was overpriced.