This is the second post about our friend Amy's visit and includes many of her photos too. We left The Catlins on March 2nd for another tiki tour north through Central Otago to our first overnight stop in Arrowtown. 🚙
 

We stopped at see Mel at The Penny Drops studio. This was our second visit in two years so Somerset remembered us (not really, but such a cute doggie!). 🐶

The view from her studio was still stunning. 🤩

We got back in the car to drive up to Gore for a lovely lunch with Gin and Graham at their home. We met her at the Kinstock festival back in January and she invited us, so we went. 😁

Graham managed an indoor dog trial series so he showed us how his pup could move the sheep around (using his greenstone/pouanamu whistle). 🐑

It was a great visit (with fresh carrots!) and then we got back in the car to keep heading north. 📸

We stopped in Roxburgh and I was again surprised to see a dress from the Eden Hore collection on display (see Part One for more info). 👗

We stopped in Alexandra to hike up to the Mountain Clock (it is just what it says). 🥾

The views were terrific. 👏

We made it to Arrowtown and drove to Queenstown the next day for the van ride to Milford Sound. We stopped at Mirror Lakes for photo ops which did not disappoint. 📸 

Amy got a shot of me showing how much I loooooved a 5 hour van ride. 🙌

The beautiful Hollyford River / Whakatipu Kā Tuka and nearby waterfall. 💦

We arrived at Milford Sound for our 2 hour cruise with spectacular weather and a picture perfect view of Mitre Peak. ⛴️

Another classic Amy reaction to a natural wonder. 🤗

Amy got some great photos of our bird friends. 🐦

Thankfully, it was a short 45 minute scenic flight back to Queenstown. It was a memorable experience, especially for Amy who got the front seat. 🛩️

The Remarkables outside Queenstown were indeed remarkable. 🤩

The Lake Wakatipu shoreline outside Queenstown was also remarkable. 😳

Steve hiked up a hill in Arrowtown to see the stars (Southern Cross pictured). 💫

We left Arrowtown and headed towards Wanaka with a stop at the Cardrona Hotel. 🚙

The hotel had accommodation, coffee, a restaurant, bar, and lovely back garden area. 🌸

We made it to Wanaka and took a stroll along the Clutha River. 🥾

We did some shopping but realized this wouldn't fit in the overhead bin so had to pass. 🧳

Never saw a kid so kitted out for a ride (got permission for the photo). Ride on man! 🚲

Amy's first realfruit ice cream experience. 🍦

Our accommodation had a few quirks but the view over Lake Wanaka was not one of them. 💯

Steve and Amy worked on whittling by the beach. 🪵

They also came across the best little library anywhere. I found the 'classics' quite funny. 🪾

Amy got great evening and morning shots over Lake Wanaka.

The moonrise was pretty good too. 🌖

We got to catch up with Erin (former Coloradan) over the delicious croissants. 🥐

Erin shared her ski wall with us. She also drove a Subaru so maybe not a former Coloradan after all. 🤔

After driving around for 9 days, it was time to repack everything to get on a plane. 🧳

We said goodbye to Amy in Queenstown. Thanks for coming friend! 😊

👋 👋 👋 👋 👋