Queenstown gets snow!!!

Monday was a warm sunny day in Nelson so in t-shirt and shorts I left for Queenstown. The WRX was packed from front to back right to the ceiling with stuff! 800kms and exactly 8.5 hours later I arrived in Queenstown which was considerably colder. Then yesterday was freezing and I wore a fleece all day! We have had the fire going the past 2 nights. I'm just looking out my window right now at the view across the lake and the clouds have just lifted off the mountains up behind Queenstown and yes there is snow!!!! It arrived just this morning!!! So its not much but bring on winter festival!! Well I'm learning heaps about the job and last night started taking phone calls. I start for real next week. Am looking forward to upgrading the office systems with a new laptop and some specially designed software for all our bookings etc. I will also get a new digatal camera to play with and a new cell phone! Fun! I have a large 4 bedroom house here all to myself so I'm hoping to have lots of you come and stay sometime.

Queenstown is cold already!

Arrived here on Monday evening in shorts and t-shirt!! But its freezing cold here!! Feels like it should be snowing already. Learning heaps about the job--I start for real next week. The trip down was 800kms and it took me 8.5 hours with only 1 stop for petrol in Franz Josef. Petrol here was $1.43/litre!

Change!

Yay!! finished work yesterday. Packing up today yet again! Seems like I only just moved in here. It's a very rainy Good Friday here in Nelson. Going to be wet all weekend. Had a farewell BBQ last nite. Moving on Monday!!

Lake Wakitipu on road to Glenorchy 

The view from balcony of my house in Queenstown--nice eh?--you better come visit! 

My cafe in Wanaka! 

the beautiful south

I'm in queenstown and have just driven out to Glenorchy for a look. Been drizzling and its colder than Nelson! Looked over the camp this morning and had an information overload on how to operate camp. I met one of the board members--Henk and he's great! He has just got the new website online and wants me to help get the camp admin systems all computerized and made simple yet professional. Yippee!! Just the sort of challenge I love! Also saw their church and yes they use powerpoint/multimedia. I may help them out with that too. But my first priority will be the camp and getting that all figured out. I'm off to Henks for dinner soon--venison sausages. Yesterday had a great drive down the coast in the WRX--will put some pics up when i get home. drove 830kms all up. Picked up an Israeli hitchhiker in Ross and dropped him in Wanaka where I had dinner before driving the Crown Range road to Queeenstown. This is a windier road but of course the sub loved it!! Then all of a sudden you get to the top and you are way up high and you look south and could see the lake and the lights of Queenstown. The sky was still light down thru the hills above the lake but had orange and colours in it. Looked awesome. Coming down the hill was fun--real steep and heaps of hairpin bends.

Queenstown!

Yep I'm off to Queenstown! I have accepted the position as temporary manager of Lakeland Park Recreation and Accommadation Centre in Queenstown. http://www.lakelandpark.co.nz This is while they find new permanent managers. I expect to move down there Easter weekend and be there for 2-3 months. I am driving down this Friday for the weekend to check it out and meet some of the board members. I did stay there last June so have seen it before. I'm excited about this but also a little nervous cause I don't know anyone and don't know too much about the job yet. After this weekend I should have a good idea tho. Opportunities like this don't come along too often! I'm looking forward to putting all my head knowledge and experience of camping into practice. It has been wasting away for the past 3 years now. Seems hard to get recognized in your community.