We were up early to make the hour drive to Dart River Adventures in Glenorchy for our 2 hour jet boat adventure up the Dart River that flows into Lake Wakatipu. The day was overcast, but expected to clear through the morning.
There were 13 of us plus the driver on our boat. These jet boats can operate in water as shallow as 6 inches, and that was a feature needed for this ride. The Dart is a glacier- fed braided river, "characterized by multiple, shifting channels separated by small,
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| On the bus to the river dock |
temporary islands (braid bars) across a wide gravel bed." We set off to the north through the Dart valley between mountains in shallow water at speeds of 40-60 mph. The air temperature when we left was low 50s, and we were glad we had dressed in layers, so were both pretty warm. Our driver, at times, would signal to us that he was going to perform a 360 degree water "wheelie", spraying water everywhere. That was cool! About halfway up the river, it started to rain. Lightly at first, then harder for a bit. Those raindrops felt like a face acupuncture treatment: little needles stabbed into your face! Fortunately, the operation company had given us balaclavas to put over our heads to expose only your mouth and eyes. That helped a lot. They recommend everyone wear sunglasses or glasses. The rain stopped after a bit, and cleared as we came south again.
This was fun, and the scenery stunning. We saw rainbows at 2 locations, and passed the places where filming of Lord of the Rings took place. We passed a cabin on the river that was used in the filming for a Brad Pitt movie that has yet to be released. It served as a stand in for an Alaskan location.
Photos were hard to take in a boat going 50 mph! But sometimes our driver would stop to explain some of what we were seeing, and give us the opportunity to snap pictures then.
By the time we returned to the dock, it was sunny and beautiful with temps in the upper 60s. We had lunch at a local spot in Glenorchy. Even in these more remote spots, we've found the food to be fresh and tasty. I had a nice chicken salad with spring greens and smoked chicken ( not gross deli chicken).
From Glenorchy, we drove north for a bit to check out the country, but turned around when we found ourselves on a really rough dirt road. Following the road south to Queenstown, we stopped at a few overlooks. I'm enjoying all the different vegetation here, so many different plants, flowers, and bushes. The road back is extremely narrow, and Ray is cautious going around hairpin turns. Thank God, because on one of them, we met what looked like an empty logging truck coming around that turn in our narrow (very narrow) lane. Needless to say, we both uttered a choice expletive to see it coming at us. But there was just enough room, and we're still here.
We decided we'd like to know what we're eating, and opted for dinner at a great little local restaurant (mentioned in reviews as a place mostly frequented by locals). A bonus was that we could walk there instead of braving the insane Queenstown traffic.
Photos here: https://photos.app.goo.gl/SPVqKFgeVTimXJVY6
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