Queenstown

This morning was our “Lord of the Rings” morning.  We boarded a series of SUVs to drive to locations filmed in the Lord of the Rings movies. We visited the filming locations of Minas Tirith, Misty Mountains, the Pillars of the Kings (Argonath), Gladden Fields, the Ford of Bruinen, and more.  We travelled along an historic gold mining road, following the Arrow River where we stopped to try our hands at gold panning.  We even had coffee and biscuits by the river.  (That reminded us of our South African safari.)  The views of the mountains and lakes were spectacular.  

We were dropped off in Queenstown for lunch and an afternoon of exploring.  After lunch seven of us went on a steam ship excursion.  We boarded the TSS (Twin Screw Steamer) Earnslaw to cross the lake to the Walter Peak High Country Farm.  The ship was named after Mount Earnslaw, and known as the Lady of the Lake.  It was built in 1912, and worked mainly as a cargo ship until 1969 when she was rescued from the scrap heap by Real Journeys.  

At the farm, we toured the farm, saw a demonstration of sheep shearing, and had some refreshments before our return to Queenstown.