Saturday, February 11th to Wednesday, February 15th, 2023 - Singing in Paradise, Queenstown

 My reason to coming to Queenstown was to meet up with a group of singers who were planning to rehearse a collection of popular and traditional music for a week, then present a performance to the community.

SIP Poster at Te Atamira Community Center, Queenstown

 It's an event called Singing in Paradise (SIP) which is organized by Alison Kunz from Brisbane, where my friend Rosemary Porter lives. I had enjoyed this experience once before in Germany in 2017 and was happy to return for another here in New Zealand. The singers come from all over Australia, with a sprinkling from England and myself as the lone Yankee. We are at a variety of different skill levels - some sing routinely with vocal ensembles or choirs, others joined us for their very fist attempt at singing outside the shower! Our director, Richard Harker, and our accompanist, Louisa Lam, travel from England to work with us and are a superb team. Apart from all the other fun aspects of this gathering they alone would make the experience worth every travel inconvenience. I particularly enjoy Richard's humor and patience, in addition to his amazing talent for always embedding suggestions for improvement within a positive statement.

Platinum Villas, Queenstown

When Nadine dropped me off at the Platinum Villas, this was the view that greeted me! I shared a unit for the week with four others - my friend Rosemary Porter, her husband Graham and two sisters, Ann and Elizabeth from Brisbane. It was a very agreeable arrangement.

View from Platinum Villas Without the Window

As you might imagine, I never tired of looking at this view right outside the living room window, especially as the weather stayed pretty much the same throughout the week. I especially enjoyed the different ways the light dappled on the hills and mountains and the unobstructed view was priceless. Alison (Ali) was masterful in finding us this spot.

SIP in Cardrona, Photo Courtesy of Our Bus Driver!

In addition to the singing, Alison had arranged a number of field trips, so it was a busy week, I didn't take photos of the singing experiences, as that was well covered by the Facebook site we use and, well, I was busy singing!

TSS Earnslaw Being Loaded With Coal

We took a trip across Lake Wakatipu (the lake here in Queenstown) to a sheep station called Walter's Peak. Our vessel was an Edwardian coal fired steamer called the TSS Earnslaw. 'TSS' stands for 'twin screw steamer' and the ship has operated here since 1912. After it was built in Dunedin, NZ, it had to be taken apart, put on a train and then reassembled in landlocked Queenstown. I expect it was a  big deal in those days and is still enjoyed by tourists today. It is the only commercial passenger carrying coal fired steamship in the southern hemisphere.

Coal down the chute!

It was odd watching the coal being loaded as I haven't seen a real lump of coal in years - it is so evocative of years past. I asked one of the engineers if they were working on a solar version yet - he laughed and said 'not likely'! The other odd sight was to see that every lump had to be shoveled by human hands - by the shoveler. 

The Engine Room, TSS Earnslaw

It was fun to be able to see into the engine room from the passenger deck. Blasts of heat arose from below, as well as oily odors (they weren't horrible, just a hint of the probable hell below that allowed us this graceful form of transportation).

Engineer on TSS. Earnslaw

The crew never stopped moving! They were constantly moving around the engine room looking at gauges, moving dials, adjusting this, that and the other. The heat was so great, I imagine they get exhausted. When I asked an engineer about this he told me they get a break after each run, rotating shifts through the day, so I hope that was true. This photo led me to think of captions like 'machine imprisons engineer', or 'get me outta here'!

Walter's Peak

The sheep station/farm sits at the base of a mountain that looms about 5,000 feet above the lake. We had a very nice BBQ lunch buffet, followed by sheep shearing and herding demonstrations.

How To Make a Sheep Placid

The young shearer reached into a pen and hauled out this little guy - actually it was a gal. The lamb struggled a bit, but the instant her feet were not in contact with the floor, she became completely placid.

An Adoring Gaze?

The expression on her face looked almost like devotion! She was adorable! (Perhaps she thought he was, too! LOL!)

The Fleece Fell Away

It was remarkable how he managed her without ever letting her feet touch the ground, keeping her passive and calm throughout. We discovered she did have a nice, round little belly.

I'm Outta Here!

The instant her feet touched the floor, she was keen to be off and running - probably glad to feel a lot less weighed down by all that fleece.

Sheep Herding Demonstration at Walter Peak 

The star of the sheep herding demonstration was the dog - which I think is called a huntaway. He circled and ran in front of the sheep, crouched and stared them down 'til they moved - away from him. The sheep looked at him with great alarm and looked as if hey wanted no beef with him. The sheep were initially scattered all over the hill and gradually the dog packed and moved them toward the shepherd. Some sheep would peel off to the side and the dog would chase after them with enormous energy. The shepherd made his commands with voice and whistles and the dog is trained to bring the herd to wherever the shepherd is standing. I thought the human had a pretty easy role in this activity. (No doubt the bulk of the work is in the training - they told us a well trained dog can sell for as much as NZ$ 10,000.)

They Came Home...But Not Because They Were Left Alone!

The young man told us that during the fall roundup, they helicopter with the dogs up to the top of Walter Peak and work their way down to get the sheep to lower ground for the winter.

Scottish Highland Cow

It was rather startling to see this lady headed toward me after the show at a nearby farmyard pen. Her horns were rather intimidating!

Time to Go Home

tI was time to head home. It was a lovely interlude into a completely different world.

Lookout Over Queenstown from Crown Pass

Another outing Ali arranged had us traveling north to Wanaka, another tourist spot a little more than an hour away. The scenic road rises with many zig zags to the Crown Pass, the highest road in New Zealand at 3678 feet. 

Morning Tea at the Cardrona Restaurant and Bar

Our first stop was for morning tea at a small and quaint little town with the hotel/pub that we used as a backdrop for our group photo that I showed you at the beginning of this blog. It was established as a watering hole for the gold miners that came into the area in the 1860's, looking for their fortunes in the river beds where nuggets are still occasionally found. It is one of New Zealand's oldest hotels. The little town was bustling in its day, but is now more-or-less a one-horse town. 

The Second Original Structure Remaining in Cardrona

This is the other structure remaining from Cardrona's golden heyday. It announces itself pretty well!

Bradrona

A sight one doesn't expect to see in the remote valley we're driving through is a bunch of bras draped over a fence near a distillery. A person has to stop and investigate. No, it wasn't a result of overindulgence at the distillery...... it is actually a local effort to fund raise for the New Zealand Breast Cancer Foundation.  It's called Bradrona and their Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/brafence) says they have just donated NZ $130,000 to the foundation. 

Trudy Makes A Donation at the Fence Covered With Bras

Overall, I didn't think it was a pretty sight, but because I had breast cancer five years ago, so I was happy to leave a donation, as did others in our group. I didn't leave a bra, though!

Lake Wanaka

I had passed through Wanaka in the 1970's, as it is the gateway to Mount Cook and the Mount Aspiring National Park where I had climbed. I could see that enticing, snowy world off in the distance, yet I could see nothing I recognized.  

That Wanaka Tree

An odd attraction that I had not known of 'back in the day' was a sole willow growing out in the water, about 30 feet offshore. It was apparently a fence post that wouldn't give up and began growing again about 70 years ago, It is now an Instagram hit with the handle '#ThatWanakaTree'. Sadly this has led to damage due to people climbing it for photos and because the roots are in such cold water, it is very slow to grow back. It still looks very pretty though and you have to admire its spirit.

A Waterfront Restaurant, Wanaka

The town had a lovely feel - a lot less busy than Queenstown and a frontage along the lake that was attractive.

North Side of Lake Wanaka Near City Center

There was a lovely path around the lake and I walked as far as time allowed for a closer peek at my divine mountains. My mission was not successful, but the beauty of the scenery without them was indisputable.

The Hand That Nurtures, by Llew Summers, Wanaka

There was an unusual sculpture here, also. The plaque said 'the contrast between the solidity and weight of this solid concrete sculpture and the tenderness of feeling which it portrays makes this work special. It symbolizes notions of nurturing, safety, and protection as well as friendship, openness and honesty'. Others in our SIP group were taking photos of themselves in 'the hand'. When I was invited to have my photo taken with it, too, I was surprised at the speed of my resistance. Without reflection I declared that I had done enough nurturing of others in my life and was now about taking care of myself! Perhaps I should have reflected a little longer; maybe the hand's intention was to offer nurturing rather than celebrate those who give it. Oh, well.

Giant Fruit in Cromwell

Our trip back to Queenstown took us through a fruit growing area called Cromwell. It had been a gold rush town like Cardrona, but in the 1980's and 90's the valley was flooded to create the Clyde Dam Power Station. The new body of water is called Lake Dunstan and the fruit growers were relocated and seem to be doing quite well. It is regarded as the fruit basket of Otago, this region of New Zealand, exporting their product to many parts of the world.

Mrs. Jones's Fruit Stall

We stopped at Mrs. Jones's Fruit Stall. The abundance of color in the grapes and stone fruits was brilliant.

Mmmm.....Ice Cream Made From Mrs. Jones's Fruit (Thanks, Sue)

Her ice cream made with fresh fruit was a very popular treat. The line to purchase it was quite long. 

Atlas Holding up the World.

To help me resist the sweet, I wandered the gardens with my camera. They were quite fancy in a traditional, English classical style.

Bumble Bee in the Lavender

I soon discovered that the nearby bed of lavender was a 'hive' of activity with bees buzzing all over. (You have to admire my choice of words here!) As I attempted to capture them with my lens, I discovered it was very engrossing, as they would only stay at each blossom for a very short time. I had lots of fun and discovered that I'd got a few decent shots. It also saved me from the ice cream very nicely - got my own version of sweet.

Kinross Winery, Gibbston Valley

As if the day had not held enough treats already, our last stop before heading back to Queenstown, was Kinross Winery for a wine tasting and dinner.

Outdoor Dining Area at Kinross

It had a very lovely outdoor restaurant under an arbor draped with lights. We tasted five wines - two reds, two whites and a dessert wine, most of which I liked.

A Most Sumptuous Bread Board

The amazing bread board gave a clue as to what might follow. My few slices of gluten free toast looked very puny next to this feast! At least it had the olive oil and butter with it! The remainder of the meal was one of the best roast lamb and potato meals I have ever had the pleasure to eat.

Take Your Pick - Red, White or Rose - all in One!

A wander through the vines was a wonderful way to end this day.

Kinross in the Gibbston Valley

In addition to these outings organized by Alison Kunz, we had time in the afternoons, following rehearsals, for our own wanderings. I'll share those in my next blog.