NZ 2023 Day 6: Queenstown to Wanaka
DAY 6: 29 NOV 2023
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| That Wanaka tree |
Since we had such long drives yesterday, we planned for a relaxing day today.
I booked a famous onsen hot pools for us at 10.30am.
The booking was done on Klook using NZTT's 10% off promo code.
In total, we paid S$120 for 2 pax.
We drove about 10 minutes from Melbourne Lodge to get there.
Check in was a breeze and we chose our snacks and drinks which were included in our package.
We chose ice cream as our snacks and as for the drinks, I took a glass of white wine while Zhi Sheng took a chai seeds drink.
After a short wait at the reception, we were finally guided to our room.
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| View from our hot tub |
The onsen was gorgeous and we had the view of the shotover river.
The warmth from the onsen helped us to relax and wind down.
We also spotted the shotover jets cruising along the river!
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| Ice cream and drinks |
The ice cream was really good and you must order this as your snack!
The white wine tasted good but nothing out of the ordinary.
The dark red cherries mainly clustered at the top of the trees which required us to use the ladder.
The experience lasted for 1 hour and sadly it was time for us to leave.
Reminder buzzers were installed in the room to allow us to keep track of the remaining time.
There was also a shower in the room but I chose not to use it.
Instead of getting dressed in the bathrooms, we decided to do it in the room due to the larger space and hanging hooks.
After the onsen experience, we drove to a Pick-Your-Own (PYO) cheery orchard, Cheeki Cherries.
We were so lucky because the orchard was open for PYO!
Each adult has to pick at least 1kg and the owner told us how to gauge the 2kg mark on the bucket.
The cherries were going for 17 NZD per kg which was reasonably priced.
Like many PYO experiences, we were taught how to pick cherries and identify the sweet ones.
The dark red cherries are the sweetest and we were directed to a row of trees which had loads of them.
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| Zhi Sheng picking cherries on the ladder |
The dark red cherries mainly clustered at the top of the trees which required us to use the ladder.
We were only allowed to taste our first few cherries and the rest has to go in the bucket.
It took some time for us to fill 2kg worth of cherries.
We went tree to tree in search of the dark red cherries.
Eventually, we did it!
We picked 2.096kg of cherries, such accuracy!
Now that we had 2kg of cherries, we didn't have to fret about what fruits to buy every day.
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| Roses in front of Cheeki Cherries |
We spotted roses and lupins just in front of the orchard and we walked over to snap some photos.
I thought I was safe from sandflies since I have left Milford Sound.
Unfortunately, I got bitten by a sandfly while taking photos of roses.
The bite was more painful than a mosquito bite and it swelled for a few hours.
It took a few days to darken and become a scar.
Oh well.
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| Sanga's pies |
As it was lunch time, we popped by a famous pie stall located in the vicinity called Sanga's Pies.
This place is top rated on Google and it is located in an industrial area.
I had the creamy chicken pie while Zhi Sheng had the steak pie.
Both were good and comparable to Fairlie Bakehouse!
Since we were in Cromwell, we popped by a gold mining centre just for fun.
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| Goldfields Mining Centre |
Since we were in Cromwell, we popped by a gold mining centre just for fun.
We were curious about the price for gold panning which turned out to be pricey.
So, we enjoyed the surroundings and continued our journey to Wanaka.
We spotted Jones family fruit stall beside the highway and we stopped to have a look!
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| Jones Family Fruit Stall |
We spotted Jones family fruit stall beside the highway and we stopped to have a look!
We were rather intrigued to see pinecones being sold and wondered how do you eat them.
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| Rose garden |
Also, to our surprise, there was a rose garden next to the fruit stall.
We had the entire rose garden to ourselves so we spend a bit of time exploring and taking photos.
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| Famous Cromwell fruit structures |
Then we drove to the famous fruit structures in Cromwell.
Cromwell is famous for their fruit produces which explains the presence of these structures.
We originally wanted to play mini golf but decided not to.
We strolled towards the park and found a giant sequoia tree near a flower garden!
Since Wanaka has Patagonia Chocolates, we definitely had to have it again.
So off we went to Wanaka to visit #ThatWanakaTree.
This tree is just a tree partially submerged in water.
There were many like us who came here to take photos of the tree!
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| Giant sequoia tree |
We strolled towards the park and found a giant sequoia tree near a flower garden!
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| Patagonia ice cream |
Since Wanaka has Patagonia Chocolates, we definitely had to have it again.
We arrived at 5pm and managed to have double ice cream scoops before they close at 6pm.
We tried different flavours but they are not as special as the hazelnut cremino.
Still good though!
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| View from Beacon Point |
As we had some time to spare before dinner, we drove to Beacon point.
Beacon point had a quiet beach and nice views of the mountains.
After hanging around for some time, we shopped at the supermarkets to get food supplies for tomorrow.
Thereafter, we had dinner at Red Star Burgers.
This burger place is popular amongst the locals as many did take-outs.
The patties were juicy but nothing special.
The fries were yummy!
We scheduled a hike tomorrow morning and we had to get enough rest tonight.
So we decided to head back to our accommodation, Clearbrook Motel and Apartments.
We were staying for two nights and we paid S$207 per night.
This was one of the best accommodation we had in this trip as we had a stream and views of Roy's peak right in front of our balcony.
Another reason why I booked this apartment was because of the in-room washer and dryer!
The apartment provided laundry powder which made doing laundry hassle free.
And that marks the end of day 6!
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