Pretty.

As in, pretty bloody expensive.

New Zealand, pretty as it is, is emptying my bank account faster than a pretty, fast, bank account emptying thing. In a box.

We're in Queenstown for a long weekend, where twenty quid for a shave means my regrown beard lives to fight another day.

The main drag

Not the bird sanctuary

Twenty three quid (each!) got us into the local bird reserve, but we did see some nice ducks and parrots, a falcon with a broken wing, watched kiwis at feeding time - a rare treat - and saw other top birds, including a fantail, a rare stilt and a cheeky kea.

Here kea here

Falcon with broken wing

Not the bird sanctuary

Yesterday we took a bus trip to Milford Sound, for a wet and windy boat cruise. Pretty impressive, New Zealand has a LOT of landscape. Our bus driver/guide, Tom, was great. From the west of Ireland, he was a funny and informative fella, and his voice was pure Terry Wogan.

Queenstown was a bit 'cookie cutter' for me. A ski resort-style place, too neat and tidy, loads of money floating around, full of expensive eateries, 'adventure' sports outlets and shops full of any amount of 'funky' tat.

Each time I hear or read the word 'adrenaline' my heart sinks a little more; it's all very overexcitable and exhausting, but we have been getting back into trim with a stiff uphill walk into the hills, for some views of the town and lake. Must do more - it seems to cheer me up, and it's free.

"Art"

They like a good life-affirming slogan here, too, usually a bit passive-aggressive, eg "Please pay upfront and don't forget to have a nice day!". Always suggesting we chill out, but with a triple exclamation mark.

Yes, I am feeling my age among this younger generation, but then I always did.

Still, after a superb Sunday roast in the hostel we hammered a team of Germans at Pictionary.

Well, I say 'hammered', there were four of us playing an English language game against three foreigners, and we only beat them by one go, so a hollow victory. 1966 and all that.

Anyway, today we are off to Arrowtown, which promises to be a little more characterful, ie it's old...

... but of course, it wasn't. Well, it was old under the skin, but was a dolled-up tourist trap: jewellery shops, quaint-cute sweete shoppe and ye olde post office, etc. Worth a look, but the ten quid bus ticket to get there was another reason to be cynical. Nice pie shop, though.