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Millbrook Resort, Queenstown,
New Zealand
More three-dot rambles: Actually,
Millbrook is a stone's throw from the small hamlet of Arrowtown,
and it should probably be listed as the city, not Queenstown.
The only minor frustration during our marvelous three and
a half day stay here was the weather. Although heavy showers
were rare, most days saw clouds, mist, and light rain fairly
consistently. Temperatures were in the 50s and 60s, with a
noticeable drop during our round of golf on the third day,
Saturday, when it probably hit the high 40s…The staff here
are excellent, friendly and accommodating. The room we are
in is spacious, modern, clean. It is heated by an in-floor
system and it is so nice to walk into the tiled bathroom and
feel the gentle warmth on your bare feet…Millbrook has a variety
of restaurants. The Clubhouse is where the complimentary breakfast
buffet is served and it remains open as the "nicer" place
for lunch and dinner. There is a Japanese restaurant, Sala
Sala, overlooking Harris Lake and Pam and I enjoyed a good
sushi meal there on Friday night. There is also a more informal,
yet still very inviting, restaurant overlooking a pond, and
that is where all four of us ate Saturday night after golf…In
fact, right after golf, we usually had a little rehash on
the 19th hole: the Hole-in-One bar that is in a stone building
that forms the backdrop for the 18th green. The 18th is a
par five and it reminded me of number 15 at Augusta due to
the large creek right in front of the green. I really loved
the course. It is a Bob Charles design, and he has a house
on the course but he spends most of his time in the US. Bill
and Chelsea Clinton stayed here for two nights in 1999, I
think. Everyone here still is in awe of the huge support staff
that participated in the President's visit. I guess he liked
the golf so much that he canceled or delayed some planned
function to get in another round. I can relate to that! We
played three times. Pat and I on Thursday afternoon and Friday
morning, and then all four of us did a doubles scramble on
Saturday afternoon…Speaking of that 18th hole, the first time
I played it I had a rather poor drive but then hit a good
three wood, such that I was going to go for the green with
another three wood. Of course I dinked that shot about 15
yards, so choked up on the shaft, took an easier swing, and
tried again. Delightful! The ball cleared the water and rolled
up fairly close to the flagstick. Cameron, the barman at the
Hole-in-One, and also an avid golfer, saw my shot and complimented
me on it when we ordered, probably thinking it was my third,
or maybe even my second. I had to be honest: No, it was my
fourth…The course was in excellent shape, although the greens
were on the slow side. We played the whites, of course, and
found that it was not a punitive course. Plenty of sand, water,
and trees, but not at all horrible. Now from the blacks it
would have been a different story…One of the highlights of
our stay was Saturday's lunch. All four of us took the resort's
shuttle van to Arrowtown and decided to try "Stables." Yes,
this structure was the original stables for the mining town,
built in 1873. We ate upstairs in the old hay loft. Our waitress
was an energetic and lovely woman who provided excellent and
friendly service. She asked if we were from the States - I
guess we don't sound like New Zealanders, eh? - and one thing
led to another and we found out quite a bit about this truly
remarkable woman, Jo Cooke. She related the fact that she
had spent eight months over a two-year period traveling alone,
except for her horse and dog and two pack horses, down the
spine of the Rocky Mountains from Canada to Mexico! The story
struck a memory with me. I am quite convinced that I read
an account of this, perhaps in a Sunday newspaper supplement.
Anyone else remember it? Jo has a few more years on her than
she appears, having spent a previous fourteen years as a police
detective in England. I could go on and on about how enthralled
we were and how much we learned about her adventure but I
won't. Instead, all of us - Yeah, that means You, too - will
want to buy her book when it is published. She's getting close
to finishing it. The title, quoting the advise she received
from a cowboy soon after she started out: "Carry a Gun. Don't
Cry. Don't Quit." Isn't that great?! Perhaps the following
fact will emphasize clearly how much we were in awe of her:
Not once did any of the four or us even consider telling her
about World Flight 2001! What we are doing seems rather mundane
compared to what she accomplished. I can't wait for her book…Another
highlight of our stay could not have been possible without
God smiling on us with blue skies and bright sunshine for
a few hours on Friday afternoon. We had been scheduled for
a helicopter flight seeing tour of the area on Friday morning,
but it dawned too cloudy and rainy to go. It was left that
we might have a chance in the afternoon if the weather improved.
Boy! Did it ever! We were picked up right at Millbrook at
3:30 p.m. by Bob Lindsay in a big, twin-engine, French-made
AS355F1 that could carry up to six passengers as well as the
pilot. With only the four of us, it was very spacious. We
spent over an hour and a half flying around the "Southern
Alps" and Milford Sound. We made three landings at remote
sites, so all of us had a chance to rotate into the front
seat. The area reminded me a lot of flying the back country
of Idaho. As always, the pictures do not do it justice, but
you will see a few below to get the feel for it. The waterfall
you see is the fourth highest one in the world and it comes
out of the lake on whose shores we landed for the champagne
sipping. Awesome experience. Pam said that it was her best
helicopter ride ever, and we all heartily agreed…Our takeoff
time on Sunday was scheduled for 2:00 p.m., for the relatively
short flight to the NZ capital, Wellington, and Pat and I
considered one more round of golf that morning but decided
it would rush us a little too much for comfort. Still, the
three rounds we did play were some of the best of the trip…Queenstown?
To be honest, I never even saw it. But the relaxing experience
at Millbrook, the helicopter flight, and Jo's amazing story
all conspired to make this stop one of my very favorites of
the whole trip thus far.
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