July 9th in New Zealand

We left Queenstown behind with its (again) low-lying clouds. It is a beautiful lake city, near several ski areas, but it's not the only one! Wanaka was the next ski town to pass through. Though a bit smaller, it's just as beautiful with its mountains in the background.

Next we drove through some mountains and touched our first snow on the ground. The roads were a bit icy wherever the surrounding tree shadows wouldn't allow the sun to reach.

Back along the coastal shoreline, we were on the quest for penguins again. This little bird seemed to want to join us. We weren't too sure what he wanted as he followed us around. I suspected it was the famous biting flies that we were stirring up in the sand!

One last look for the penguins led us to this great bridge on a 3 mile hike to a the beach. The tropical looking vegetation was incredible despite the cold temperatures. And boy it was dark walking through the forest. Unfortunately, we failed again, as we couldn't chance staying till sundown (when they come out of the water) without a flashlight to hike back!