Milton so enjoyed mountain biking with Tony, and Wendy so enjoyed the peace and relaxation, that we reprised our same activities again this morning. Tony had astutely ascertained that perhaps a less challenging experience was in order, so we rode the long path around the lake. It was, of course, wonderously beautiful, with the fall colors dotting the steep hillsides rising up from the blue lake. There were definitely some rocky slopes that required one of us to dismount (quickly!) and walk, but all in all, it was a good half day of riding. Tony had today brought his custom-made downhill bike (it was getting serviced yesterday so he’d borrowed another), which had the most mammoth shock absorbing/spring system I’d ever seen. He periodically did some tricks - jumping over large logs and rocks while riding at pretty good speeds, flying over embankments and catching 3 or 4 feet of air, using his front tire to “kick” rocks a good distance sideways, like a soccer player, while riding - which I chose not to attempt. The day was cool and clear, and I had to keep my windbreaker on most of the time, despite working pretty hard on the bike.
Wendy, meanwhile, used her time to explore the beautiful foliage surrounding Nugget. Milton then returned home for another long hot shower, and we headed off for a final day of local sightseeing. We drove first to Arrowtown, a small village about 20km from Q’town. It was quaint - purposefully so- with a main street of small, very old buildings now housing galleries and shops. Most memorable was that this place (as we’d been advised) was the high point of the autumn leaf-turning extravaganza. Not only were the hillsides brilliantly vibrant, but several of the streets were lined with huge trees forming a broad colorful canopy overhead.
Then it was off to Wanaka for an early dinner back at the White House. We took a back road, which cut through and over the mountains. We had a fabulous view back into town and of the Remarkables, before cresting the peak and descending into a steep, narrow canyon of scrub brush and golden yellow grasses. About 1/3 of the way was on a dirt road, and despite engaging our 4-wheel drive, we weren’t entirely comfortable on all the loose dirt and stones. We persevered patiently, and were rewarded with a lovely drive through a valley lined with huge, bright yellow-leafed trees, though we had to again navigate through a large herd of sheep..
We arrived at Wanaka and went to Stuart Landsborough’s Puzzle World. What a fun and funky place! We first visited the hologram hall, which was loaded with some absolutely incredible examples of the art. Then to the Tilted House: several rooms all built on a 15-degree angle (which is steeper than you’d think). Though walking required some effort or assistance, inside one could sit on a chair and ride (what appeared to be) uphill on a rail; stand on a ladder and lean so far forward without falling that you appeared to be almost floating; and see water flowing (what sure looked like) uphill, recreated from the famous Escher print. Back in the main building, there were rooms filled with familiar, and new, puzzles involving all manner of rings, strings, wooden pieces, plastic components, etc., in which several people were deeply engrossed. We then went outside for their centerpiece, the 3-D maze. It was a large maze with a colored tower at each corner and several viaduct-like raised walkways (thus the third D) with the goal being to get to all four towers. (the average time was 30 to 50 minutes) We wandered around for several minutes, bumping into the same few people over and over as we all grinned helplessly at each other, before figuring that we’d gotten the idea, and it was getting cold, so we found our way back to the entrance (itself an achievement!) and drove off to dine.
We found the restaurant, but it wouldn’t open for dinner until 6:00 or so, and as it was only 4:30, we drove back to Q’town figuring we’d have lunch there tomorrow. We stopped en route at a huge farmstand, complete with its myriad orchards all around, and picked up some more local produce. Then it was into town and to Salero Vino (a Tony recommendation) for dinner.
We started with a tapas plate of grilled chile beef, mussels, and salmon pate; the salmon was ok, the first two were great. Then main courses of lamb stuffed with basil and hazelnuts, served with roasted garlic, and a chargrilled salmon with tomatoes, garlic mashed potatoes, and spinach, both of which were superb. We also had a local chardonnay and a local pinot noir. Dessert was an ok chocolate pecan pie, with a quite flavorful vanilla ice cream. Just to prepare us for next week’s return to the States, as we finished up a group of 3 New York-sounding couples were seated and proceeded to broadcast their conversation.
We took the Wendy-discovered shortcut (boy, we really know our way around this town!) back to the Explorer, cranked up the heat, and zipped home. We packed up, as tomorrow we depart for two nights on a working farm, then fly to the rainforest of Australia. We caught up on our emailing, as we’re not at all sure when we’ll next be able to log on.