It was a special day for the kids, especially Sister Bear, as we would be travelling to Queenstown. OK, to be precise, Coronet Peak Ski Resort in Queenstown. We packed all things and left the holiday park happily. Kids didn't even ask to go to the playground in the park which looked fun. Haha...
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| Can you see the mountains in the background? |
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Te Anau was a peaceful small town.
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We made a photo stop at the peaceful Lake Te Anau for awhile and off we went travelling on the scenic road again, this time heading to Queenstown. We made a few photo stops and a toilet break in between. South Island was simply beautiful, everywhere and anywhere.
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| The scenic drive from Te Anau to Queenstown. |
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| Part of the long stretch of Lake Wakatipu. |
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Even the fog looked magical? LOL
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We checked the weather forecast which said rain was expected in Queenstown the whole day on this day, which happened to be true. Papa Bear said we could not play with snow even if we went to Coronet Peak if it rained, as we would get wet and we would fall sick. The kids were so disappointed. Thank God for their wise Mama Bear, ahem, ahem, that I suggested why not we just drove up there to have a look of the surroundings, so we could be better prepared for the next day.
It was drizzling as we reached Queenstown. Sister Bear was sad. But God had a better plan in store for her. As we were half way through the hilly road up the Coronet Peak, we saw some 'crystallised' rain drop. It got more and more whitish as we approached nearer. Papa Bear asked me, "was that snow?" I couldn't believe my eyes, which I then put my hand out of the car window, AND the snow flakes flew into the car. We screamed in excitement, "snow, it's snowing, it's snowing!!!!" How lucky we were to experience snowing in New Zealand. Brother Bear and Sister Bear opened their mouths to have a taste of the snow. Hehe... my poor Malaysian kids. :P
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| The view on the way up to Coronet Peak. |
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It was 0 degree Celsius as we approached Coronet Peak.
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We pulled over at an empty area, which was covered by lots of fresh snow. Kids had another round of fun of course. Papa Bear and I were very excited as well, we took some 'wefie' as kids were too busy to help us with taking photographs.
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| Snow capped open area. |
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| She was the happiest girl on that day. :D |
We left after an hour plus, as we were hungry. We decided to check out Arrowtown which was about 15 minutes drive away from Coronet Peak. Arrowtown is a historic gold mining town in New Zealand. We were enchanted by the charm of this beautiful town. The walk down the Buckingham Street was pleasurable, soaking in the atmosphere offered by its heritage buildings which house classy shops and restaurants. We had our wonderful lunch at one of these classy restaurants.
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| One of the street view in Arrowtown. |
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| The Buckingham Street in Arrowtown. |
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| The red tour bus. |
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| Papa Bear loved to take my pictures. :) |
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| We had our awesome lunch here. :) |
Our timing was just right that the rain stopped after we had our lunch. We proceeded to the remains of the Chinese miners' village which was historical and yet serene with its alpine setting surroundings. I would rate Arrowtown as one of the must visit places when you are in Queenstown.
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| The lovely alpine setting surroundings. |
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| Part of the remains of the Chinese Miner's Village. |
On our way back to Queenstown, we passed by the junction of Coronet Peak. Kids asked to drive up there again for another round of snow play. Papa Bear and I gladly obliged since it was our last 2 days in South Island. Happy kids, happy parents, right? :)
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| They were sliding down the tiny slope. :) |
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| Fresh snow is fun, huh? :) |
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| A bigger Olaf. :) |
We were all tired after 2 rounds of snow play, which we told kids that we had to check into our B&B for a good rest. We found our privately run B&B - Kemnay easily with the help of the faithful GPS. Kemnay is run by an old retired couple, Fraser and Heather. Both of them were the most gracious hosts we had met. They made us felt so at home. Our rooms were spotless clean and comfortable. Most importably, we had the best view of Lake Wakatipu right from the window of our bathroom. I wished we could stay here longer and not just 2 nights.
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| The main room. We had the whole upstairs to ourselves. :) |
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| Kids room with an awesome view of Lake Wakatipu. |
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A small pantry and rest area. :)
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Kemnay was lovely and maybe that it was nearing the end of our trip (Papa Bear and I missed home, hehe...), we both agreed that we had the best sleep ever in Kemnay throughout our stay in New Zealand. Thank you Fraser and Heather for your superb hospitality. :)
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