2003 - No. 3         www.malecek.com          Jan 2003
qtlogo QUEENSTOWN
Part Two		 enlarge
   We drove up along Lake Wakatipu to Glenorchy and from there we did a 13Km gravel road through 9 streams and the forests of "Lord of the Rings" on Paradise Road.  Gail wouldn't let me cross the final, and widest, ford; so we parked and spent some time finding a place to cross over (the old fallen tree trick).  About a Km or a mile along the road to get to the trail head, Chinaman's Bluff.  We only went as far as Sandy's Bluff, but it was the most scenic section, so plenty of photos. We waded through the stream in our barefeet to save time and the water was beautiful - not freezing as we had expected.  Back to Queenstown for our coffee and cribbage and then supper.  CaddyShack City is a brilliant indoor miniature golf setup.  It costs twice as much as the outdoor one across the road so it wasn't crowded.  A lot of work has gone into making each hole a theme.  Gail beat me by one and we were both way over par.  At the last hole, the CaddyShack Candy Company you get a Chuppa sucker from the factory.
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Humbolts 		enlarge enlarge
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Dart River 		enlarge
Checked out of Blue Peaks Lodge and drove to gold mining town of Arrowtown via the gorge. Walked the shops on main street.  From there we drove through the Gibbston Valley to the gorge to Alexandra, stopping to get apricots and honey at Sarita roadside stand. Got out of car to take photos of Roaring Meg. From there we headed north to Ranfurly stopping at Middlemarch for petrol. Big open fields with rock outcrops, giving way to rolling hills covered in sheep before getting to sealevel at Mosgiel and the short trip to Dunedin.  Back into Room 12 at Abbey Lodge and Gail proceded to skunk me at cribbage.
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Arrowtown 		enlarge enlarge
sheep
 
Meanwhile Back In Dunedin enlarge Malley Muses
   One day we went to the Dunedin Botanic Gardens.  Humungous place that happened to be a block from where we were staying.  We did the roses, English border and Rock Garden areas, where we saw a couple skinks scurrying about.  Next day was rainy so we did most of the Otago Museum and took in the Lyndsay Crooks art exhibition - sort of loose bodies floppying around the canvas.  Then we went through the Nature Galleries - birds and insects - before having to get to the hospital for more brain zapping..  Final outing was to Baldwin St, the "World's Steepest Street".  Walked to it in rain that stopped for the time we spent getting up and back down again but we walked back in a hail storm.   On our way back I discovered I had lost my Blue Blockers somewhere on the way down.  When a Japanese girl stopped us to ask where to find Baldwin, I asked her to look for my glasses as I didn't want to do the hill again.  Sure enough she came back down with them and the Kiwi guy who had found them.  He toured the US with a marching band and told us about the many places he recalled.     For the past 30 years I have run into more than several people who have or are going to study MICRObiology — but not once has anyone mentioned MACRObiology.

Does it even exist?

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