A Puzzling Place.

Again another long drive, but this time to the small but beautiful town of Wanaka. First stop, Puzzling World, a unique attraction featuring 4 illusion rooms and a two-storey maze. The Hologram Hall  had lots of 3D pictures and optical illusions, some of which seemed quite real. The Hall of Following Faces was creepy but cool at the same time. It had inverted faces on the walls, and the idea was to cover one eye and walk along the wall, and the faces would follow you! It's true!! The Tilted House was one of a kind. It felt like you were standing the wrong way, but in fact you just standing on hill with walls around it. But the best of all was the Ames room. Check out the photos!!!

 There was also a giant two-storey maze, where you had to find all four corner and then the exit, but we only found two and then gave up. And below you can see the leaning tower of Wanaka- with the clock that ticks backwards!

Day 8

The next morning we visited the Fighter Pilots Museum at Wanaka, dedicated to fighter pilots of WWI and WWII. Not only did it have actual fighter aircraft that flew in the wars, other things including the original battle plan for D-Day, and stories of past fighter pilots. Luke wants to come back in 2012 for the Warbirds Over Wanaka Airshow, the biggest airshow in New Zealand and some of the most authentic dogfights in any airshow worldwide.

Taking the shortcut through Cadrona Valley, we headed towards Queenstown. On the way, we drove past Cadrona Hotel, the interior of which inspired the look for The Prancing Pony at Bree in Lord of the Rings. Apparently, Room 20 was used to shoot the scene from LOTR where Aragorn and the Hobbits hid from the Nazgul at The Prancing Pony.

After leaving Cadrona, we headed off again, taking a detour through Arrowtown, a quaint gold mining town now restored. We did some shopping (possum fur is very popular in knits/jumpers and very warm!!), had lunch & continued on into Queenstown, the adventure capital of the world.

The place is still full of young people, out for the adventure/thrill of their lives, and the main street is awash with jet boating, bungy jumping, bungy swing, whitewater rafting, and flying fox options! We headed up the Gondola to the very top of mountain, and then we all went on the luge down. The gondola was over 700m up and on a very sheer gradient so you can see the whole of Queenstown and Lake Wakatipu. The luge was great fun, and "once is never enough" as the adverts says. The luge is actually above the top drop off point for the gondola, so we didn't get to luge back in to Queenstown itself. But check out the faces on these lead foots!

Tomorrow it's Milford Sound!!