Cruising Lake Wakatipu with Southern Discoveries
If was one of those beautiful blue days in Queenstown. A few clouds in the sky, sun shining brightly. The streets were filled with people doing just what we were, taking in the sights and sounds of Queenstown. It was just after New Years so it was the normal kind of busy for that time of year and although Chris and I aren’t exactly city people we were happy to explore a new place.
We wandered around for a few hours checking out the different shops before we made our way to the wharf to check in with Southern Discoveries for our Lake Wakatipu cruise. The perfect excursion for us as we are both lake people and were ready for a nice relaxing tour around Lake Wakatipu.
The day was warm but goodness was it ever windy! Lake Wakatipu had some good waves going on but the Southern Discoveries vessel crashed through with ease. I went out to the front deck for only a few minutes before I nearly got blown away! We cruised along just off the shore as our driver shared some interesting facts about the area and explained what we were seeing!
Lake Wakatipu is the third largest lake in New Zealand stretching 84 km also making it the longest lake. Most of the lake was carved by glacial movement. Making yet another lake in New Zealand so so cold!!
On the southeast shore is the Remarkables mountain range. Mainly used as the town’s skifield in the wintertime, it welcomes people from all around the world to suit up and hit the slopes. The mountain range really does live up to its name as it doesn’t matter if they’re cloaked in snow or left bare, they are a sight to see.
We marveled at the Remarkables standing tall and rugged, moved into Bob’s cove and wondered at the size of Lake Wakatipu before heading across the lake to Mt Nicolas station to pick up other guests who had been on an extended part of the tour.
Mt Nicolas farm tour
You can hop off the boat earlier in the day and experience a high country farm tour at Mt Nicolas. This is the perfect way to get a good understanding of high country farming. You’ll get to meet Merino sheep and learn about their incredible adaptations to New Zealand environment and their importance to the country. The station is surrounded by incredible mountain views and landscapes!
The boat filled up quickly, most taking to the top deck for the sites on the way back. Although there were more people on it didn’t feel crowded at all. It was much less windy so I, of course, took advantage of it to snap a few more photos! I helped myself to the complimentary tea and just took in the sites of Queenstown from on the water.
We moved from the bottom to the top deck to get some fresh air before our Southern Discoveries cruise came to an end. The boat parked up alongside the dock, our cue to depart. Chris and I were both pretty comfy and relaxed sitting in the sun so we let everyone else get off before we decided it was our time to go too.
If you haven’t cruised Lake Wakatipu with Southern Discoveries yet, you should. I found it was such a lovely getaway from the business of town but you get such a good view of the mountain ranges and a sense of the scale of the lake from on the boat. I’m not a bungy jumping sky diving type yet, so to come to Queenstown and be able to relax on the lake was just up my alley!
You can book your own Lake Wakatipu cruise with Southern Discoveries here called the Spirit of Queenstown cruise!
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