New Zealand Part 4 - Queenstown

From Franz Josef we travelled across to Queenstown, with a few stops on the way.
Thunder Creek Falls,

Makarora,

and Lake Wanaka,
weher we saw our first NZ Scaup,

 and Black-billed Gull

plus some Great-crested Grebe.

So Queenstown..... we loved it, a great smallish town on a lake surrounded by mountains, what's not to like. A view of Queenstown from Bob's Peak.

We went on a tour around the area on our first full day in town, stopping to see where the first bungee jump was made, then ended up in a mining town, called Arrowtown where we had a coffee opportunity and a wander.....
where apart from Goldfinch, Blackbird and Myna we saw our first Mealy Redpoll, it's something when after years of never seeing one in the UK, you get one in New Zealand!
Mealy Redpoll

We ended up at the Gondola to go up Bob's Peak, where the earlier photo was taken, but before we went up we visited the Kiwi Conservation Centre nearby. This is a great place to visit, it's a family run centre, where Kiwis are bred to put back into the wild, we were privileged to see a couple just ready for release. No photos of course, as they are kept in a nocturnal house.
They do have other birds there, to bring the punters in! That's the only bit I'm not sure about, I hate to see birds kept just for display, but they have to fund the Kiwi programme somehow I suppose.

From Queenstown we took a boat trip on the S.S. Earnslaw

across to the other side of Lake Wakatipu to a working farm for a great BBQ lunch. No birds life seen as we crossed the lake, but by the farm we saw Goldfinch and Blackbird! With just a few birds at the waters edge,
Great Crested Grebe,

 Black-billed Gull and

 Kelp Gull

After a boat trip back in Queenstown we went for a walk around the lake shore and through the Gardens, nothing much was seen around the shore, but quite a few birds in the gardens.
NZ Scaup,

 Paradise Shelduck, these were common all over New Zealand.

 Muscovy Duck and

 of course Mallard.

Next stop Milford Sound!