New Zealand - T.S.S. Earnslaw & Walter Peak High Country Farm

T.S.S. Earnslaw &

Walter Peak Country Farm

On Tuesday, March 8, 2005 we arrived in Queenstown, New Zealand. There is a lot to do in this town. The APT tour offered inclusive options for dinner Tuesday night and before turning us loose to spend all of Wednesday in Queenstown on our own.

Two favorite options were either to dine in the Skyline Restaurant which can only be reached by steep gondolas. Another popular option is to board the T.S.S. Earnslaw and ride the authentic steamship to Walter Peak High Country Farm and enjoy a candlelit dinner at the Colonel's homestead. Lynn and I chose the latter and we were very happy that we did.

We boarded the Twin Screw Steamer (T.S.S.) Earnslaw, on Steamer Wharf, Queenstown Bay in early evening. Before long we left port and headed south on Lake Wakatipu toward Walter Peak High Country Farm.

The T.S.S. Earnslaw was built in 1912 to service the farming communities around Lake Wakatipu. The ship has been modified in more recent years to allow passengers to actually watch coal being shoveled into the fireboxes by the stokers.

There are two ways to view the engine room even as it is operating. This banister borders an opening from the main deck all the way down to the engines. On the next deck down, passengers can walk a specially designed catwalk just above the heads of the stokers as they work.

A saloon on the lower deck provides a more formal setting than on the main deck to enjoy drinks and conversation.

The views along the way were no less than spectacular; an expectation we learned to rely upon in New Zealand.

In the photo above a Red-billed Gull glides along side the steamer looking for handouts from the passengers.

We traveled 11 kilometers (7 miles) when we reached Walter Peak High Country Farm and disembarked for an all-you-can eat candlelight carvery style buffet in the dining room. There was a lot of good food and no one left hungry. At first, it appeared that there was a great deal more variety then there was, but we soon discovered that multiple buffets offered the same selections of food items. The items were well cooked, artfully prepared and the overall experience was wonderful, but we were reminded how many New Zealand restaurants apparently prepare food selections lacking flavorful herbs or spices.

Mr. Bob O'Connor performed at the piano as we dined. He did a great job and we were motivated to examine the compact disc case of his music propped up on the table. A sticker on the CD case invited us to see him at the piano and purchase a copy. Unfortunately his public relations manager apparently advised him not to smile in his cover photo. I think he would sell more copies if he had.

After dinner, Lynn remained to chat with friends while I stepped outside and took

took photographs of the illuminated steamer.

I thought that everyone already boarded and I was afraid that we were holding them up from starting our voyage back to Queenstown Bay. I soon discovered that most people attended a nearby sheep dog demonstration while the dining room staff cleaned off the tables.

The above photo is of Walter Peak High Country Farm at dusk. After departing to return to Queenstown Bay, many enjoyed an old-fashion sing-along.

Click for more photos of Queenstown.