I didn't sleep well because of the anticipation of Ryan's arrival. I woke up at 3:30, laid in bed, and took a shower at the hostel. I was out the door at 6:00 and walked to my car. I made the drive towards the airport as early as I could to beat morning traffic. I found a parking lot so I could sort everything in my car and finalize my packing. I got breakfast, filled up the car one last time and returned my trusty, spacious and amazing minivan. I got a ride from the rental place to the airport and waited at the domestic terminal for Ryan.
I had plenty of time to rearrange my things and check my backpack in. I anxiously waited for quite some time and then I finally saw him! It was so good to see him and we were excited to catch a plane together. We checked his pack in and then headed for security and our terminal. The approximate two hour flight to Queenstown was painless. We caught up along the way and once we arrived, walked to the rental car place and picked up our silver Nissan car. We headed for the lodge we were to be staying at for the night. Queenstown is a beautiful area, the mountains were a wonderful change from the mostly flat North Island and the lake, Lake Wakatipu was gorgeous, and we were both amazed by the quaintness and beauty of the whole place.
Our room at the lodge was perfect. We settled in for a little while before heading into the city center. We found the I-site, DOC and booked our transportation for the hike the following day. After a bit, we were both hungry from the long day of figuring out logistics and traveling so we stopped at Spleights Alehouse for dinner. Ryan ordered lamb and I picked stuffed chicken and we both tried their beers. We took a short drive around the lake and stopped in a couple scenic spots. So beautiful.
Back at the lodge, we packed for the hike and went to bed.
