Queenstown....

Yes, we're now in Queenstown and haven't we noticed that it has grown since we were here in 2004! After the laidback Wanaka it was a bit of a 'shock' too! lol

As we get nearer to Queenstown we caught glimpses of the lake...

 Also the closer we got to Queenstown, the more snow we saw on the mountains...

First views over the lake...

As we drove into Queenstown we had to find Shotover St...which was easy! That's where we had to drop off Miss Nikki (aka DsD3) at her backpackers' accommodation...

Then we went to find ours...it was easy...just a drive along the shore of the lake...here it is, home for the next 2 nights...pretty swish eh? Clever DH got a special deal...half price rooms! And there was a valet who carried up all our luggage! We're not used to that!

After we got settled and had a bit of a rest, we went to check out the town...

Ha ha...clutching my cloth tote bag and leaning on the wall at the lake's edge.

The lovely old steamship the Earnslaw at the wharf...

Looking out over the lake, past the wharves

This lovely old building dating from the 1860s

One of the streets that we walked up was called Church St. It had a lot of modern buildings but I was determined to find its namesake...and I did. It's both Anglican and a Maori Community church...sort of like the airlines with their code sharing! 

Now I had better explain this photo. We noticed that many cafes/restaurants  had tables alfresco...but at each table there were some woollen throws over 2 or 3 chairs...for when patrons feel the cold! Great idea.

warm throws on some of the chairs

I have one thing that I particularly want to do while we are here...have a ride on the gondola. I plan to do this tomorrow. As the other 3 people I'm travelling with have problems with heights, I think I'm on my own in this venture. I reckon I will get some great photos though.