Lake Hayes

After our visit to the Supermarket in Frankton on Wednesday morning we popped in to see my great nephew Joseph, Amber and Hunter again and have a cup of tea before playing golf at the very nice Arrowtown Course - scenic with it's schist outcrops (instead of bunkers - if you hit them the ball goes a long way back over your head I discovered!) Beautiful mountainous backdrop and one pond with fountains on the last hole.

L,T, Derek & Jenny atop Queenstown Hill

Then it was back to Lake Hayes to visit our Tauranga friends, Jenny and Derek in his lovely lakeside house, the name "bach" hardly being a fitting description. They insisted we sleep in the house, and not on the roadside or on the vacant section 2 doors down, so we felt very spoilt with our big bedroom, big comfy bed and our own big shower etc and all the welcoming hospitality that went with it. Other good friends, Sue and Pete, flew down from Tauranga on Friday morning and spent the weekend with us as well so we had a fun time with activities and socialising at the same time. I think we still know how to have conversations with other people apart from each other!

L, Jenny, Sue & Pete gorge walking!

The Dog Whisperer!

Activities included walking up the the Queenstown Hill with its panoramic views and walking part of the 4WD route towards Macetown wading through fords and up rivers as we did so - A 4WD was hired but it was more of a townie one and after crossing the first couple of fords in it we decided it would be a little risky to take it through the deeper, rockier ones ahead with all insurance being negated. So the walk was great and Dereks 2 short-haired german pointers totally relished the outing being on the run the whole time.

A gold panner on the Arrow river

Sue, Pete, Len and I also cycled around Lake Hayes and into Arrowtown and back on the cycle path which skirts the edge of Millbrook Golf Resort with its beautiful course and houses. We had a nice coffee in the French Cafe at Arrowtown so Len could keep his French up to scratch before returning back to base. On Saturday afternoon Len almost realised his dream of taking me for a row in a boat (he wanted to do this when we first met in France!) but after launching Derek's 55 yr olde rowboat and doing about a dozen strokes we were shouted at from the lakeside - the harbourmaster was passing by and told us that there was a $300 fine for going on the lake without a lifejacket so it was a quick turnabout back to the shore! Its a good rule and Len is normally very safety conscious about boats and life jackets but this time the lake seemed so small and we knew the water was warm as we had swum in it previously with Jenny and Derek who has swum to the other side and back no problem. Even his 5 month old dog, Monet, swam right across in front of the boat with Derek while we were there.
Anyway, the life jacket rule is a good one and I'll just have to wait a little longer before I get my romantic row!

That night Derek and Jenny had their housewarming party with a few friends and neighbours and a good time was had by all - lovely food and a good many empty wine bottles by the end of the night.