Leaving Wanaka we had hopes of returning to stay again at Mantells. It is a lovely spot, the facilities are luxurious and the hospitality generous.
On the way to Clyde we stopped off at the Warbirds & Wheels Museum. Warbirds Over Wanaka is a biennial air show in Wanaka, held on Easter weekends of even numbered years. I thought that there would be more planes in the museum, however there were lots of really great cars and I enjoyed every minute of it. My pick was the little old tin lizzy. But there were some really great cars and it is worth a stop and the coffee shop is good as well.
At Clyde we were joined by friends and we all stayed at Hartley Homestead. This is the home of Lance’s old schoolmate Euan. If you are down that way and looking for accomodation this is a good place to stop.
Clyde is an old gold mining town and is extremely quaint and is also the start of the famous Otago Rail Trail a scenic bike tour route that takes people through the historic Central Otago. Lance and I have this on our ‘to do’ list.
Our first evening was spent outside by the fire feasting on meat that Euan cooked ‘Brazilian style’ over hot coals. Many stories and beverages passed by our lips and it was hard to believe we were sitting outside when only an hour drive away we had celebrated snow that morning.
In the morning after a wee stroll around the quaint historical village of Clyde we set off for lunch at Mt Difficulty. A vineyard restaurant perched on the side of a hill that offers wonderful views, food and wine.
We had all been looking forward to this lunch and were not disappointed. The food was great and the setting spectacular.
On the drive home Euan suggested a detour and Wayne our driver took the turn up the Nevis Road; it wasn’t until I googled it on our return that I found that it was advised ‘Not suitable for 2 wheel drive vehicles’. Our little hire van with seven rather full bodies made it up the steep gravel road that hugged the hillside with no problem at all. The only one with a problem was Lance who was busting for a wee by the time we had got half way up the mountain. His discomfort was exacerbated by the rough corrugated track that rattled and shook us all the way up. I do have to admit that the shear drop did take my breath away on several occasions. At the peak we all got out and admired the view whilst being whipped by the icy wind, Lance recalibrated and we were wound our way back down the mountainside.
Fortunately, Unfortunately
The next day we planned to take a short trip to Naseby to go ‘curling’. Fortunately when we got there we were pleased to find that they could fit us in and we quickly paid and went upstairs for a briefing. Unfortunately they thought we were part of a large group who had booked and we had to depart without a game.
Naseby is a tiny village that was originally a gold mining village in the 1860s. Fortunately we found an old pub for lunch and a beer, unfortunately I ordered fish and chips without thinking through the coordinates. Central Otago obviously means that it is located in the centre of the South Island, miles away from the sea. Consequently my fish was pretty ordinary and had been frozen. However Lance had amazing whitebait fritters.
On our way to Naseby we detoured so that we could cross the Ophir Bridge. This suspension bridge was built in 1880 and in New Zealand that is pretty bloody old.
After lunch we made our way home and the boys were determined to finish a series of pool games that had an undetermined result. Our first choice was the St Bathans pub which is located on the side of Dunstan Creek which grew into a small man made lake from gold sluicing in the 1800s. Off the beaten track and down a gravel road we travelled and on approaching the village noted that the single lane road was lined with parked cars. Down off the road we saw what we thought must have been a wedding and quite large one at that because the pub was closed for a private function. Taking a couple of quick pics of the lake we did a u-turn and started back towards the main road. Unfortunately it was not a wedding but a funeral and the hearse was parked in the middle of the road and the mourners were gathered as you do at these occasions. Of course in a situation like this the only thing to do is to sit and wait. Finally the hearse had been shut and had moved away and we thought that the people would move off the road and into the pub for a drink. Have you ever encountered a flock of sheep when driving and do you know how they seem to submerge you in their flock? Well that is exactly how it was, people surrounded us and appeared to be completely unaware of our presence. Like it is usual to have a large white rental van in the epi centre of the funeral gathering. We waited another 15ish minutes before we slowly (and respectfully) drove through the crowd of mourners.
And that is how we found ourselves at Becks White Horse Hotel (and Glory Box Antiques) in Omakau Central Otago.
A sure sign that we had arrived somewhere memorable was the little old lady sitting at a bar leaner with a cup of tea in a cup and saucer. I felt like something a little stronger and fortunately they had a pinot noir (from a bottle not a box). Unfortunately I actually could not get it past my lips as it was like vinegar. Making a quick visit to the toilet I was overwhelmed by a nasty smell, it may have been the person before me, but had a suspiciously permanent tang to it. And the door had no lock! Well it had a lock, but no key.
Each side of the public lounge were rooms full of antiques and curios. They were all labelled, dusted, organised and well priced and were obviously somebody’s pride and joy. Becks Hotel is worth a stop, drink beer (or tea) and not wine. They have accomodation as well, but not on our bucket list I’m afraid.
On our final day of our short South Island adventure I went for a quick walk down by the Clutha river which is actually Euan’s back yard. It is very beautiful and the banks are coated in flowering thyme.
Before we dropped our van back in Queenstown we stopped for a bite in Frankton at a place called The Meat Preachers and it was exceptional.
I also managed a little shopping and purchased a large pepper grinder which was inspected as we scanned through at the airport. “How does it open?” “It could have blades in it”. Really, I’m not kidding! Anyway they let us on and fortunately we got home without slicing anyone’s fingers off and our holiday was complete.
No comments:
Post a Comment