Friday 17 November 2017

Queenstown revisited - with 10,000 marathon runners

Day 1. Friday 17th November 2017
Friday's breakfast is in the Qantas lounge - somehow Richard scored two free passes courtesy of Westpac, so we help ourselves to the brekky bar! We are late-ish leaving Sydney - probably because the plane is full.

It seems Queenstown is a mecca for marathon runners this weekend and the plane heaves with lithe bodies. The taxi driver wends his way through hundreds of vehicles, roads clogged by the influx of runners from NZ and overseas, maneuvering themselves to their accommodation for the night. We didn't know we'd picked the busiest weekend of the summer when we booked in June! Even the YHA Lakeside is overwhelmed with guests and we share with two from Asia who keep a different time schedule to us. But after a full refurb, this YHA is bright, clean and comfortable. We are right on the water's edge and listen to the hum of speed boats zipping passengers across the water.

We mosey into town and get food provisions for this first walk. I miss green veg. already but this time we carry an absolute minimum and no fruit cake! Next stop sees Rich sporting new thongs, sunnies, and walking poles. Kathmandu has a sale on so of course I buy some new tops. We eat our first icecream - why can't Australia offer the same vast choice of flavours?


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