Despite having just finished the Milford Track the day before, today was not a sleeping-in day. We got up early, packed, and got on the road. Two hours later we rolled into our next destination, Queenstown. We couldn't check in to our hotel when we arrived, so we drove into town and I did a bit of exploring while Lindsay did some work at an internet cafe. From there we made our way to a gondola which we rode to the top of the mountain overlooking the town. After a warmup glass of wine in the restaurant overlooking the breathtaking lake scenery, we were ready for the Berkman-Rohas Grand Prix. Up on the top of the mountain is a fantastic luge track, which I figured would be a great way to settle all of our marital disagreements. Three runs, best two out of three for the right of "who wears the pants" in our marriage. Our first run was on the "scenic" course. Lindsay pulled ahead early and she drove masterfully. Every turn was covered, and no matter what I did I was repeatedly blocked at every opportunity. As we were whizzing around on wheeled luges above New Zealand, I realized that I would have to channel my inner Dale Ernhart to pull off the win. Two thirds into the race, I made my move and drove my luge off the track and onto the grass. As I passed over the grass and then back onto the blacktop I could see Lindsay's eyes filling with rage. Her eyes, however, were now behind me and only moments later, the camera at the finish line immortalized my spectacular victory. If I say so myself, it was one of the greatest come-from-behind, David v Goliath victories in Queenstown luge history. As we pulled into the luge parking spot, I graciously congratulated Lindsay on a nice race, but for some reason she wasnt speaking to me. Needless to say, I let her win the next two races, proving the point of the race in the first place.
Once we were speaking again, we made our way to the hotel. Lindsay had made the reservation and when we walked into the hotel I started getting extremely concerned. I wasn't sure how much the room went for, but I was sure it was MUCH more than I wanted us to pay. It was a gorgeous lakefront huge one bedroom apartment with all the fancy bells and whistles (including a much needeed washer and dryer). As it turned out, Lindsay had gotten a free "it's my birthday" upgrade. NICE. That afternoon, Lindsay had to work, so I went on a jetboat tour up the Shotover River. It was exciting, but not really worth the money. I returned to the hotel with some goodies I picked up at the supermarket and as Lindsay worked, I made some homemade guacamole which we shared with some Oyster Bay Sauvignon Blanc on the lakeside porch watching a family of ducks and the sun set over the mountains.
That night we returned to town for the first of two consecutive memorable dinners. This night it would be at Fergburger, the famous Queenstown burger joint. We shared a Ferg & Blue burger, a Bombay Chicken Burger, a bucket of chips, and a couple of beers. One of the best burgers ever...enough said.
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