Heading Deeper

Even in super duper off season the destination towns in the South Island (Queenstown, Wanaka) are a little bit much. Yet they are sleepy relative to high season!! And stunning views!! The quaint town of Arrowtown however, not far from Q-town, was lovely. See town postcard in upper middle shot below. Pretty accurate depiction of the quiet fall vibes we encountered. It reminded me of the town in British Columbia where my Mum and brother Bruce and family live … small mountain town with mining history, four seasons, little ski hill nearby, trails, great hikes in all directions, great coffee shops. A wee bit bougier though!! Kimberley BC isn’t on or near the beaten path of international tourism ;) and only Arrowtown has Queen Hazel, see below.

Out and about around Arrowtown:

Scenes from the road. Starry nights have been legendary!!

We’re so used to being off the beaten track that there was some itching to get to NZ’s wild west coast. Since leaving Wanaka we’ve barely seen a sprinkle of people. We spent a night on the flanks of Mt Shrimpton which was a good home base for some stretching, more hiking, and whipped-cream-on-face experiments. RV living at its finest!!

The flora is just off the hook. Wild ferns. Wild trees. WILD. Temperate rainforest kind of stuff. Insane lushness. The purple mushrooms are just mind blowing. I can’t get enough of them. Feels like fairyland every time.