After the "meeting the coach" debacle, we went to the front , he went to the back, we went to the back, he'd been & gone from the front..We met our esteemed guide Dave .

Dave takes us on the perilous journey over the unsealed road, leading from the main highway to the Shotover river.

We arrive at the river for our Jetboat ride.

Our pilot Lincoln took us for a white knuckle trip up the river, spinning the boat in the shallow waterways, spraying us with cold water.

We were a small party of 6 on Daves bus, the other 4 being a charming family from singapore, including this lovely photo bomber and his wife, plus a couple of anorexic grown offspring.

A trip to the tour office in a vain attempt to sell us the USB of photos taken out on the river, then the funky museum.

The rusty riverbed artifacts left behind by the miners from 1880 to the 1980's are this museums stock in trade.

From interesting glassware, to shoes ( containing human footbones ) to the farming & mining tools from this bygone era.

These pipes originally straddled the river, allowing the miners to jet wash the soil & strain out the rich veins of Gold.

Dave invited his little team to pan for gold.

4th generation valley dweller "Winky " owner of the tour operation, assisted us in picking the tiny specks of gold from the silt.

I managed to mine 5 tiny specks of gold, Ian's Nugget about the size of a speck of dust seemed huge in comparison.

The return journey was equally scarey, we had to move aside to allow a series of cars & buses to pass.

Back in the valley the sun shines on us.

After leaving our tour we head off on our own sightseeing adventure.
Ian finds a beautiful lake with a mirrored finish.

A light lunch at the Bold Peak Restaurant in Glenorchy.

Yep, Glenorchy..This shed tells the story of the areas founding fathers , including Thomas Rees who laid claim to much of Queenstown in the 1880's.

Another " I'm Celebrity " bridge to our 80 minute walk.

The climax of our Lake Sylvan walk.

After a 5 minute breather we head back to the car and the inevitable sand flies.

Saturday night & we put on the glad rags, head into towm & after a pub beer, the gourmet Pizza restaurant takes our fancy.

Goodnight reader, trusting all is well with you xxx