Thursday, July 30, 2015

Alexandra in Central Otago, NZ

Driving from Queenstown southeast to the Pacific Coast (where the caravan awaits) we stopped for two nights in Alexandra, situated in Central Otago, at the heart of NZ's first gold rush.

How quickly the landscape changes. Back over the mighty Clutha River, its attendant hills a different form altogether than the snowy mountain peaks of Queenstown.


Alexandra's first bridge was designed by the county engineer and built in 1879-1882. At right is the bridge that superseded it in 1959.

The 33-km Roxburgh Gorge Cycle and Walking Trail begins here, and after a week of family fun we're ready for a hike along the Clutha River, which seems to follow us wherever we go (or are we following it?).

Does anyone know what these contraptions are?




It was a gorgeous day near 60, a welcome mid-winter surprise. At our motel, the owner checked up on us before speeding away on his bike with two friends to take on the trail. We're happy with a gin fizz and pate from the butcher we stumbled on in town.


Look at those roasted root veggies. The proprietor had a beautiful selection of meats, fresh and cured, plus cheeses and homemade soup.

Also, I learned a new word: pottle, meaning container.


Ham off the bone, gotta have some.

We also took away some beautiful pastured bone-in chicken thighs (bone-in chicken pieces oddly are never available in the NZ supermarket we frequent) and eggs.

More otherworldly NZ landscape on the way to the South Pacific Coast.

A man walks a miniature pony

 
Back in Moeraki, our wee caravan sits just where we stored it two weeks ago. We towed it 100 yards to the campsite we occupied earlier.

Moeraki is this place 


With the bizarre boulders




No comments:

Post a Comment