Wineries and Cheeseries

Today started off with the team back at full strength and ready to go! We set off into town in the morning to ask about some local walks/hikes in the area (and to buy some thermal pants for me (Sue), which I’m sure will come in handy at the glaciers in the next two days; anyone who knows me knows that me and cold weather don’t mix well, and I’m assuming that glaciers are cold). We agreed on a hike that looked good and took the 15 minute drive out of Queenstown to Lake Hayes (named after the famous actor from ‘Will and Grace’…not really) and enjoyed a nice walk and picnic lunch around the picturesque lake. The fall season is in full swing here and the colors on the trees were amazing (see some of the photos). This was definitely a nice way to spend the morning/early afternoon.

After lunch, we headed to the Kawarau Suspension Bridge, the site of the world’s first commercial bungy jumping company (still in operation today). This is where Jen and I bungy jumped nearly 10 years ago during our first trip to New Zealand (it’s crazy to think that it’s been that long!). No one was willing to take the plunge today, so instead we headed a little further down the road for our own impromptu winery tour.

After looking at several winery brochures (which offered tours of the region ranging from $85-$135), we decided to make our own tour and start with the best winery in the area, which was the one that offered both a wine cave tour AND an attached cheesery. This place (Gibbston Winery) was awesome! The tasting tray was great and consisted of five different wines (for me and Jen; only four for Chris) for only $5. The cave tour was pretty cool too (and offered three more samples!). The cheesery was only slightly disappointing in that the cheese isn’t technically made on the premises, but the cheese board we sampled was tasty.

After Gibbston, we headed on to Van Ash/Winery and Kitchen and had a great sampling of several local and national wines. The bartender there was very friendly and once we got to talking, we found out that he spent a few seasons working on some wineries on Long Island. I mentioned to him that for my job, I do some work with local wineries in MA and it turns out that he knew a guy in MA that I just worked with before I left for the trip (Kip, at Turtle Creek Winery in Lincoln MA)! Crazy coincidence J And, as it turned out, a very beneficial coincidence. When we tried to pay our $5 per person fee for the tastings, he refused and gave it to us on the house. Guess it pays to know people in the wine industry! Thanks Blair!

After this full day, we returned to Queenstown in hopes of finishing the day off with one final stop at the Central Otago Wine Experience (a tasting room right in town), but they were closed for a private function. Instead, we picked up a bottle of delicious Sauvignon Blanc to accompany our gourmet meal of noodles and chicken balls (see attached photo). A fun end to another great day.

Tomorrow, we head north to the glaciers and we’re hoping that the amazing weather we’ve had so far holds out for a little while longer. Enjoy the photos!

Lake Hayes

The gang samples some Pinot Gris

We even had time for some Extreme Blogging! (This one's for you, Hammy)