A very early start to day 2. We had decided the previous night to try a helicopter flight early in the morning if the weather had lifted. I opened my curtains at 6.30 to see nothing but mist covering the mountains, so no flight again today. We headed back into Fox again for brekkie and hit the road, heading south towards Haast.
Time for some action!! Jet boating down the Haast river. Pete dropped us off and most of us boarded two jet boats. Pete drove on to meet us further down the river. The jet boats are amazing, they are a local invention and work by sucking water in the front and pushing it out the rear. They can travel in as little as two inches of water. This suits the rivers in NZ very well, they tend to have large flood plains but with small rivers running through them. The full size of the river is only seen in flood time. We had a great tour from a local guy, who spends most of his time hunting and fishing when he is not driving the boat. We also got to sample some high speed spins which were great fun.
We travelled on through another pass in the mountains, this one called Haast Pass and stopped for some lunch in Makarora. Ma was kept happy at lunch by the small grass airstrip they had, very similar to Trim. Our next stop was a fascinating one. Pete has a pal who has recently built a house on Lake Hawea. The house is incredible, definitely worthy of a visit from MTV cribs. His views over the lake are stunning. Himself and his wife were very hospitable, filling us with scones, cakes and tea.
We passed alongside Lake Wanaka, through Wanaka town and eventually on to Queenstown. We stopped just at the top of the valley leading down to Queenstown for a photo opp. The view was breathtaking, just like something out of a movie. 
You had snowcapped mountains in the background, sloping hills covered in trees leading down to a lush green valley floor with a river snaking through it. Caroline, Davy and Eamha were waiting for us at the motel as we pulled in. They had been in Queenstown for a couple of days and were happy for the company I think.
That night we were pencilled in for a Maori concert and a panoramic dinner on top of a mountain. 
There is a short but very steep gondola ride up to the complex. Ash, who is not great with heights, had a bit of a freaker when she saw the gondola (as did most people I suspect!). Between myself and Leah (Ash’s cousin who is currently living in q’town) we managed to coax her into a gondola. She closed her eyes and before she knew it she was swigging a G&T at the top. The Maori concert was very entertaining, although Eamha found it a bit too much to handle.
After a brief stop with a crazy dutch barman in the motel we were off to bed. Knackered!
