queenstown

Queenstown and Lake Wakatipu

We have arrived in Queenstown, and after quite a bit of no internet, we have internet! So, I get to tell you about our stay in Queenstown. We got to Queenstown on the 8th and are staying for two nights in the brightly coloured Deco Backpacker. After getting our keys, it was kind of like going through a maze trying to find our room. We shared a six person room with three others who had been in Queenstown for about a week. One of the first things I noticed about this place was that it was filled with a lot of young people and extreme sports. This is where Heather and Alison got the idea that they should sky dive at some point. After looking into the best places, they decided that over Fox Glacier, where we were soon heading, would be great. After all, it is rated the second best place in the world to skydive! While they booked their jumps, I had decided on a ground tour of the glaciers instead. Those of you who know me, probably know that I like to have my feet placed firmly on the ground!

While we stayed in Queenstown, we took a ride up the gondola to have a full view of the city below us. This was one of the steepest gondolas I have been on; it felt like one pole was on top of the other! Once we were up, we realized how blue the water of Lake Wakatipu was, how many houses there were on the hills and shoreline of Queenstown, and just how many mountains we were surrounded by. The mountain range called The Remarkables were in good sight of us. On the other side of this range is the Remarkable Ski Area, which is a fairly popular winter destination in New Zealand.

When we were at the top of the gondola ride, we were feeling pretty brave and decided to luge. These little luge-like carts took us down part of the hill around curves and over a lot of bumps. It was pretty simple but a lot of fun! It felt just as the sign said; once is never enough!

For the rest of the day we took it pretty easy strolling through the city streets and through the Queenstown Gardens. We noticed that there were power lines running through the water of the bay, which I have never seen done before. Oh well. We ate ice cream and watched the sunset over Lake Wakatipu, taking lots of pictures and thinking just a little bit of home!

LUGE

Power Lines..

Queenstown Gardens and The Remarkables