We sleep in late today which is good, something we all needed after getting up early for days recently. The kids sit and do some schoolwork for an hour, Maisie does a maths sats paper and Ali concentrates on some of the science areas where he’s still lacking a bit.

At 2pm a fella called Peter comes and collects us in a raised up 4WD all terrain thing. It reminds me of the Hagglund we went on in Christchurch and we bounce off up the road. Peter gives up some good explanations of the history of the area along the way. Queenstown was all but deserted until 1862 when two shearers discovered gold on the banks on the Shotover River and an absolute deluge of prospectors flooded the area. One year later and Queenstown was a mining town with a population of thousands.

We take the breathtakingly scary 4WD only road past Coronet Peak (The ski field) and on towards the Upper Shotover River. One benefit of coming here in such icy conditions is that no one else is mad enough to want to go jet boating in minus 13 degrees (Peter informs us!) and we have the tour and jet boat to ourselves. The road is very narrow, covered in frozen snow and ice and hugs the mountainside and it’s an exhilarating, if nerve wracking experience driving along it. (Almost an extreme sport in itself).

At last we reach the Upper Shotover River and Peter introduces us to Adrian the jet boat fella. I think he thinks we’re a bit mad too and after kitting us out in waterproofs and lifebelts we set off up the river. It’s amazing, we skim along the water, which is full of huge ice blocks and it’s so cold it literally takes our breath away. Luckily the handrail was heated but our faces are so icy I wonder in all seriousness whether we will get frostbite. We pass the spot where Liv Tyler crosses the river on horseback during the chase in Lord of the Rings and Adrian also points out lots of old mining equipment that is slowly being claimed by the river. Apparently Skippers Canyon produced more gold in the mining years than any other gold field in the world.

When we get back we discover that the “Hagglund” has a puncture- shit! I wouldn’t like to get stranded here, there is nothing around and the only way out is back along the treacherous road we’ve just driven. The fellas change it though and soon we are on our way. Peter takes us to the site of the 102 metre Pipeline Bungy. It’s not operating at the moment but we walk out to the platform anyway. Despite my fear of heights I go ok but I don’t think I could jump off there if my arse was on fire. We get back in the truck and continue home. Peter gives us loads of interesting information on the way, telling us about the devastation caused by rabbits and possums to the farming population as well as discussing the impact of tourism on the local community. It’s obvious he adores the land and is very proud to live here and it’s good to hear.

Back at the apartment, we leave the kids and go shopping for dinner. We want to make some decisions about our plans for the next few days. Ali is considering whether to jump the Nevis Highwire Bungy, 134 metres high (Crazy) and we tell him he needs to make up his mind as it takes around 4 hours to get there, do the jump and get back. Settling in for the night with a few beers, we’ve bought Pale Ale by mistake – it’s not lovely Corona but will have to do.