As I mentioned in the previous post, we spent a bit of time in and around Queenstown before and after the Routeburn tramp. Queenstown is a relatively small city considering the sheer number of activities and people that go through. The activity list is a mile long - bungee jumping, skydiving, canyoning, rafting, river-boarding, cruising, kayaking, speed-boating, etc. etc. etc. We had our adventure-sports fill in Wanaka, so we just walked around. And, to be honest, after 4 straight days of adrenaline sports in Wanaka, we kind of needed a bit of a break (and by "we" I mean I). So we just walked 10 miles all over the city and around the lake. :) The views across the lake were fantastic - the water was so blue and the gentle sunshine felt great. And it felt great to walk around without a pack on! During our walk around the lake, we saw a poor plane try to land three or four times before getting on the ground. Apparently it is so challenging to land in Queenstown that only 59 pilots are certified to land there! It was nice to find that out after we safely landed without incident. :)
Lake view
Queenstown is situated in a valley surrounded by mountains - kind of like most of New Zealand. The mountain range to the south is called the Remarkables - and with good reason! The jagged peaks tower over the valley and are just awe-inspiring. The backside is home to a ski resort in the winter time.
Sun clipping the tops of the Remarkables
Queenstown has a cool gondola that goes up a small mountain right above town. Since we wanted the exercise (and didn't want to pay for the gondola), we just hiked up. The views were totally worth it. The sky was clear-ish, the water was blue, and the breeze was refreshing.
Pano from the gondola viewpoint (click to enlarge)
For the more adventurous types, there is a "luge" at the top. These were like mini go-karts (without engines) that race around downhill then catch a lift back up for another lap. And there were downhill mountain bike trails from the top to the bottom. These trails were intense and people were flying down them. And incidentally kicking up alot of dust at the same time. Anyway... the downtown area had a nice selection of restaurants and shopping to burn a few hours. One of the more unique places is a place called The Winery. The have a huge selection of over 80 wines that can be tasted at the same place. The tasting is a la carte, so you pay for each individually but most are only a few bucks. And if you like any particular wines, you can get a half or full glass.
Our AirBnB was situated up on a hill a bit east of downtown Queenstown with a great view. The host was great and the breakfast spread was amazing! We definitely didn't leave hungry in the mornings!
View from the AirBnB porch
Breakfast spread!
Sunset from last night in Queenstown (click to enlarge)
So, this gets us to the end of our time in New Zealand. Bummer! But, alas, the end was inevitable.
We've got one last night over here (in Sydney) before we fly back across the Pacific. Until then!
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