We returned to Queenstown around 3:30pm from our Doubtful Sound journey. All of us had fallen asleep on the bus ride back, which was probably for the best since we got a very early start on Saturday (thanks to the sound of the ship engines starting at 6:15 this morning). Sarah, her dad and Judy headed to a pub to grab a drink, I marched over to the Sofitel to resolve the booking issue we had on Thursday. They were pretty helpful this time, gave us our rooms right away and threw in a bunch of free perks for the trouble a couple days ago. I met up with the other three to deliver the good news, including that we’d all been booked in the Sofitel’s hammam for 7pm, after a free two-hour open bar. Not a bad way to conclude the Doubtful Sound adventure!
Pre-steam selfie with the family.
Once we were cleaned up, we walked down to the harbor for some dinner. Though it had been overcast most of the day, the clouds parted just before sunset – giving us some great views.
Sunset on the beach in Queenstown.
The sunset view of Queenstown harbor.
We grabbed some gelato from Mrs. Ferg’s on the way to the hotel, then settled into a deep, restful sleep.
We had a leisurely morning today, culminating with a free breakfast at the Sofitel (their last olive branch for the debacle on Thursday). Our excitement did not last long though, because it was time to say goodbye to Michael and Judy. We helped them load their bags into a cab, then they headed to the airport to begin the long journey back to the US. Sarah and I both really enjoyed the family time over the last 11 days and we think (hope) we showed Michael and Judy a good time while they were with us!
Not long after we parted ways, Sarah and I decided to get a little physical activity and took a hike up Queenstown Hill. We knew it would be a bit of a challenging hike, but neither of us were quite prepared for just how steep the ascent turned out to be. At least the views from the top were as good as promised!
En route to the top we saw a bunch of New Zealand’s Purple Flowering Hebe.
Lake Wakatipu.
Looking down on Queenstown.
We’re pretty sure this was Michael and Judy’s plane (squint and you can see it near the left of the shot). It was definitely Air New Zealand, it was flying west and it took off about the right time. Given that there are only a handful of commercial flights in and out of Queenstown each day, we think we have a good chance of being right!
Once we were back in town, we took a breather on the beach.
We walked around some shops in town for a few hours, but the weather only got worse as the day went on. Just before it started really pouring rain, Sarah and I grabbed some food to take back to our hotel and decided to call it a night. Tomorrow we’ll pick up our rental car and drive to Wanaka, the first stop on our mini-road trip up New Zealand’s west coast.