Fast Cars and Fruit

So we've been working in the orchard for 3 weeks now and eating just as much fruit as the first day. Thankfully we have learnt our lessons and had no more close calls on the ladders. We have heard that the weather in the UK is miserable at the moment so we are sending warm thoughts your way, sorry to rub it in.

Last Sunday we visited Queenstown, and had a bit more fun now we have some extra spending money. It was a bit rainy so we did what any sensible person does and went to the cinema to see Sherlock Holmes, some things never change. One of the best things about going to Queenstown is the drive, it follows the Kawarau River which sits in a steep gorge. The edge of the river is dotted with doorways built into the stone walls, these tiny rooms were used by the gold prospectors who panned the river in the mid 19th century. The only thing that has changed in the gorge since then is that people now use the old iron bridges to jump off.

One thing we have learned about the Central Otago district is the weather can change in a flash. Some days, like today, the weather will be clear and still in the mid twenties, but tomorrow we might wake up to snow and it won't get above 12 or 13 all day. This happened a few days ago and let me tell you, it isn't fun climbing an aluminium ladder at 7:30 in the morning with bare hands.

Last night to kick off our weekend we went to the local raceway in Cromwell known as The Central Speedway, this makes it sound glamorous and modern. It was neither. We had to drive across a recently corrugated gravel road to what is essentially just a dirt oval. We were expecting a stadium of sorts, but the stadium is made up by the spectators cars parked around the track facing inwards and the stadium seats are the front seats of your vehicle. We sat on the roof of the van for a better view. The setting was nice, nestled in the valley surrounded by mountains, and the racing (and crashes) were equally spectacular.  We munched on chips and bacon sandwiches as we watched the NZ Sprint Car Grand Prix of which there were 6 races as well as other support races including saloon cars and mini stock cars. All in all it was a great night that went on well past dark under enormous floodlights.

Today we are heading to Arrowtown which is an old gold mining town so we will let you know what its like next time we speak to you.

Bye x x x