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We are just about to leave for Franz Josef Glacier to do some hiking and sightseeing.

This has been a beautiful trip. But then of course, it’s very difficult to find anything not beautiful in New Zealand!

Will post pictures of our trip today and yesterday later tonight.

We took the gondola up to the top of the mountain, explained in one of the previous posts. It was a beautiful ride up the mountain. At the top, we first shopped then we hiked around a bit before doing the luge ride. Then after that, we hiked a bit more through some forest and up and down the mountain before heading back to the restaurant at the top of the mountain overlooking Queenstown.

The luge ride was a blast! I highly recommend doing it. But I believe the company would do better to allow two rides for the current price to allow people who are beginners another chance around to enjoy the ride even more than the first time. Still, everyone had a lot of fun riding their luges down the track, some ever so slowly.

The restaurant has a beautiful view of Queenstown and offers a really nice buffet with lots of savory seafood dishes, pies, salads, breads, stews and soups, meats and vegetables. We ate our fill!

On our hike through the pine forest, we found lots of mushrooms among the tall pines. Of course we did not eat any of them because they are most likely poisonous. But they sure looked delicious!

After all the fun on top of the mountain, we picked up our van and drove around outside the city limits to see what is just north near the Shotover river. We watched the Shotover jet boat going at that time zipping up and down the river with the riders screaming their heads off enjoying the thrilling ride. It looked like a lot of fun and everyone in the group said they would love to ride it, if we had time. Probably not!

From the Shotover, we headed back to our favorite shopping market, Fresh Choice, and picked up some more groceries.

NOTE: Most other markets in town are tourist traps and would get more business if they lowered their prices. Anyone going to Queenstown should shop at Fresh Choice to save money!

When we got back to our place, the Heritage Apartments, we began cooking our dinner. Everyone said they were not hungry, but fixed tons of food! Tons! It was huge and we didn’t eat it all, but it sure was good. Pumpkin, salad, roasted chicken, egg and cheese omelete, bread, grapes, blackberries, mushrooms (not picked from the forest) and very dark beer.

Everyone ate well. This time, however, without stuffing themselves. Now, it is time to prepare for tomorrow.

Milford Sound here we come!

More tomorrow…