OK - so woke up early and every bone & muscle was in deep, deep stress. It dissipated very quickly when I pulled back my curtains. The view was so amazing I just stood there for a while taking it all in. To the left and right - snow-capped mountains and Wapatiku Bay in front of me.

I did notice that the wind was REALLY blowing! I mean REALLY, REALLY blowing.

So - Blanket Bay. The property was bought in 1972 ... by the Tusher family. Originally bought as a retirement fishing retreat, it could only be turned into a hotel after the road between Queenstown and Glenorchy was finished in 1997.

It opened in December 1999 .. after a full two and a half years of construction. The beams come from old bridges, the rafters in the Great Room came from a wharf and the floors are New Zealand hardwood ... from old wool-sheds. The main building and chalets used 2000 tons of shist rock ... which gives it a distinct look.

There are just 13 suites ... and I have a Stateroom - a Chalet Suite bedroom (700 sq feet) + a Chalet lounge at (700 sq feet). The lounge and bedroom have open fireplaces. The bedroom has a large bathroom with steam shower. They both have one of the best views in the world.

So - the first thing we filmed this morning was the "arrival" and shots of the property. There's a gym, jacuzzi, pool, games room and and did I mention the views?

From the breakfast room, it looked like there was a mist or fog blowing across the Bay ... it was neither! It was "glacial dust" ... how cool is that?!

So - Mark Sycamore is the Exec Chef here and he's won more awards than anyone I know. Anyway, "we" cooked a salmon with chowder dish - while supping a fine 2006 Pinot Noir! The dish used only local ingredients and tasted delicious.

From there we interviewed the hotel GM - Philip Jenkins .. who gave me a wonderful insight into the property and the activities on offer. Tomorrow, I will be having a lot of fun!

The weather this afternoon has been appalling but will be better tomorrow! Yay!

Tonight, I had a sumptuous sushi meal and hopefully I will get an early night! No cellphone reception means that I won't be checking messages overnight!

THE VIEWS! THE VIEWS!

Song of the Day: Killer - Seal & Adamski
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7XBcT41ImSI

Weather: Good - Bad - Windy


glacial dust over the bay

philip jenkins - general manager

my bedroom

view from bedroom

lounge

view from lounge

bathroom

steam from steam-room

executive chef - mark sycamore

yummy yummy

THE DISH

baby moo in bed!