Day 4 – Thursday 2 April Another leisurely start on an overcast, windy & cool morning, it was on with the coats as soon as we stepped out the door of the motel & headed downhill looking for breakfast. We had a stroll around the waterfront & shops before watching coal being loaded onto the steamship Earnslaw & then boarding for a sail across Wakatipu Lake to Walter Station. We are always amazed with the scenery, the rugged mountains running straight down into the lake. The steamship is interesting, it is 102 years old & has been running on this lake continually since it was first launched, initially to carry sheep, wool & other random cargo around the farms before being converted to a tourist boat. The engine room is open & it was interesting to watch the coal being shovelled into the furnaces to heat up the boilers & create steam to power the engine. There are two engines, one for each screw, with each of the engines having three pistons, one a low pressure piston, large in volume, the next an intermediate pressure piston & smaller in volume & a high pressure piston with a small volume. The conrods & crankshaft are open & they can easily be seen turning as the engine is running. One benefit of the steam engine on a day as cool as today, the furnace keeps the ship rather warm, especially near the smokestack. Yesterday there was an incident where the steamer hit a wharf & smashed a few of the boards when it was attempting to dock. Walter Station is a pretty sight with a great location just above the beach & a profusion of flowers in bloom. The trees surrounding are changing the colour of the leaves & adds an extra dimension to the view. The ship offloaded most of the passengers to take part in any or all of a farm tour, horse trek & BBQ lunch. We stayed on board & enjoyed the return trip, soaking up the view from the other direction & trying to stay out of the cool wind. The docking was uneventful back in Queenstown & after lunch we walked back up hill to our motel. We actually found the climb up the hill easier, we must be getting fitter. This afternoon we drove south to the township of Kingston, at the southern tip of Lake Wakatipu. Kingston was a tourist haven for many years with its historic steam locomotive & vintage rail carriages, however, this tourism business went belly up a couple of years ago & is for sale. Disappointing, as we were looking forward to a ride on a steam train. The drive back was just as beautiful as the drive to Kingston with the lakeside & mountains just as stunning as the light was fading. Dinner tonight is steak by the lake & it was delicious.