That Bl****dy Hill!

'Go to Wanaka" they said. 'It'll be fun' they said!

And, they were right, Wanaka was fun. But getting there was another story! And another great lesson was about to unfold (crickey, how many lessons were there going to be on this trip???). 

Lesson 101:  "Check the map thoroughly BEFORE setting off!!!".

As I left Queenstown I followed the road signs directing me to Wanaka. Ahead was a sign indicating Wanaka was the next left turn. The corner was a sharp one, and the road I was about to turn into, was narrow, so I slowed down while being mindful of the cars behind me.

Once I'd turned off the main road, I saw another sign - 'Not recommended for towing vehicles'. And that's when a red flag went up!  Eeeek, It's gotta be steep!  My next thought was to pull over and google how long and how steep this road was going to be. And there was my next predicament. There was no where to pull over!!! The road was narrow, steep, steep, windy, zig-zaggy and have I mentioned, STEEP!

Bloody hell...I was only in second gear and even then the bus was struggling! There were cars behind me, and I had a gut-feeling their conversations about 'that bus' in front wouldn't have been all that encouraging.

Even if I'd wanted to turn back I couldn't. And believe me, I REALLY wanted to turn back! So onwards and upwards we chugged - ever so very, very slowly.

And as the hill (mountain) got longer, so too, did the trail of cars behind me. I had a feeling that it wouldn't be long before one of the cars would get frustrated with the sluggish pace and try and over take. And sure enough, just before a bend, that's exactly what one impatient driver did. And as luck (or no luck) would have it, a car happened to be coming down hill at that exact time. There was no room to spare, just a lot of braking and horn blasting from the downhill vehicle, and an impressive burst in speed from the overtaking vehicle. I don't even know how it got between me and the oncoming car (I had shut my eyes by that stage!). Miraculously, there wasn't an accident and that bit of drama kept the trail of cars compliantly behind me.

After about 20 minutes, I saw a spot where I could pull over. Far out ... my relief was audible! And the line of cars that went passed lasted a whole lot longer than I'd imagined! That never-ending succession of vehicles, would have made a great front page photo, and  an excellent conversation starter!

Making sure the handbrake was firmly on, I jumped out to get some fresh air (and calm my nerves), and eventually I began to admire the view. It was pretty darn impressive.

I grabbed my phone to google 'Crown Range' but alas I was out of range (excuse the pun!)

Before long a car pulled in behind me, so I asked the driver if he happened to know this area. Turned out, he did. He told me, if I'd been driving a car, I'd probably have about 10 minutes of driving till I reached the top. And then with amusement (all his), he pointed out, as I was in a bus, I had a least another 20 minutes or even more before I reached the top!  And with a smug grin, he asked me, not to carry on until he got in front - and then he was off! Hahaha

After that, the last of the climb was enjoyable. I now knew the bus could make it, albeit ever so slowly, so all I could do, was sit back and enjoy the view (if only I had known that when I started!)

The down hill trip was soooo much better. All I can say is thank goodness for exhaust brakes, they're amazing!

If you're thinking of traveling over the Crown Range and you're in a car, you will be absolutely fine. If you're in a bus, you'll also be okay. Your speed will obviously depend on the size of your motor and length of vehicle. Our bus is over 5 tonne and has a 4.1 land cruiser motor, which explains why (like me) it isn't so keen on climbing steep hills.

This is what I later read about the Crown Range on the internet...

The Crown Range Road is a memorable journey located in the Otago region of the South Island of New Zealand, linking Queenstown and Wanaka. It’s one of the highest roads in the country reaching an altitude of 1.121m (3,677ft) above the sea level.

This drive is not for the faint hearted and several of the bends are actual hairpins bends many with 35km to 15km sharp bends, the drive on the descent drops away to a seeminly bottomless gorge. There are some switchbacks on the descent and the road is not advised for towing vehicles or vehicles longer than about 12 metres.

I had to stop at the Cardrona Hotel. Built in 1863, it's New Zealand's oldest hotel. And, although tempting, I didn't go and sit at the bar for a few hours!

Opposite the Cardrona Hotel is a cliff face (photo below) ... is it just me, or can you see a face too?

After a few photos, we continued on to Wanaka. I found a dump station and emptied and was about to fill up when I noticed the hose they'd provided didn't have an end attachment, so I couldn't attach it to my fresh water tank to fill. I decided to drive to the lake and take a walk while I sussed out what to do about getting some water. Maybe there was a local garage I could ask?

Lake Wanaka is beautiful. I love that even though it's a tourist-magnet, you can still walk along the lake and feel as though you're the only one there. 

Yip, myself and several others couldn't resist that well known Wanaka photo.

Being around the Otago region in autumn has always been a dream of mine and walking along tracks carpeted in golden leaves was magical. I was in my happy place!

There's something so exhilarating about autumn! I think it's all the warm golden colours and mild climate. It was such a special moment, the gorgeous scenery, being on holiday (no alarm to wake up to), having my dogs to hang out with, no plans, just a big feeling of freedom.

The island in the photo below, named 'Ruby Island', is one of four significant islands on Lake Wanaka (the other three are; Mou Waho, Te Peka Karara and Mou Tapu). Ruby Island covers about 3 hectares and is the closest island to the township of Wanaka. 
During the 1920s and1930s, Ruby Island was popular for its Saturday-night cabarets. These evenings were run by the Hunt family, and a ferry would transport people from the mainland to the island. 
Nowadays it's a popular place for picnickers, kayakers and swimmers to visit. And it's dog-friendly ... if only I'd brought the kayak along!

Ruby Island (formally known as Roy's Island & Merino Island)

After an hour or more of walking, we turned back. I still had to fill up with water before finding our next place to stay.

I rang Bernie and he reminded me that there was a container in the back of the bus with lots of different hose connections. Perfect. I found the right one, went back to the dump station, connected the attachment to the hose and filled up with fresh water. Tick that one off!

Next destination was Albert Town. It was only a 20 minute drive away. But in hindsight, I shouldn't have stopped there at all. I should have driven on and avoided what was about to be, the most stressful time of my trip!