Queenstown – My Highlight Reel

It started in the aeroplane. I literally caught my breath when I had my first glimpse of New Zealand’s South Island. And for the four days I had in this heavenly location, I kept having these moments when I almost couldn’t comprehend the beauty that surrounded me.

From the sky the landscape was covered in green-covered mountains as far as the clouds would let me see. And in between the mountains, the green would stop to let a river through. And the river was the most sparkling bright aqua water I ever did see.

I already knew that I had to come back here before we had even landed. I could already see that there was too much here for me to take in in a few days. And I was so grateful. Grateful to hubster, whose ride had brought me here. And grateful to my parents, who were holding the fort at home.

The reason we were there

Below is hubster finishing his 900km week long charity bike ride from Christchurch to Queenstown. There’s the guys having their final group photo on the lakefront, and relaxing over pizza and drinks later in the evening. It was such a privilege to be there at the finish. Such a relief to see him finish safely. Especially since his mate had gone down a couple of days earlier with some reasonably serious injuries. With all the training he does taking him away from the kids and I, it feels like a team effort you know?

At the evening event I took the opportunity to act on a recommendation by the lovely Jen of @fruitsiepie (an Aussie #everydaystyle-er living in NZ – look her up on Instagram) and try a local pinot noir. The Central Otago region is apparently known for its pinots. And wow! I had two glasses of the Gibbston Valley Pinot and it was super delish!! Next visit will have to include a winery or two I think – Amisfield is top of the list.

Queenstown

Queenstown itself is a remarkable place. It has a young, vibrant energy due to the huge number of young travellers from around the world. It is a town that feels completely built on tourism and adventure sports. As a result there’s no weekends and weekdays, no quiet time or busy time. It is always buzzing. Perhaps it’s busier at the height of summer. I imagine it could get quite manic in winter when the skiers descend upon it. But right now, at the start of autumn, it is perfect. Plenty of people but not crowded.

Besides that, the scenery will take your breath away.

The combination of lake and mountains soothes my soul. The town feels only as big as it needs to be, so you have this little kernel of FABULOUS food, stylish coffee shops and pubs, and surprisingly great shopping, surrounded by the most beautiful gifts that nature has on offer.

The town sits by the lake, so your first experience of the vast Lake Wakatipu is most likely to be wandering along its shores to or from your accommodation. This is where the “100% Pure New Zealand” slogan is defined. The air feels crisp and clean and the water is crystal clear.

 

See what I wore in Queenstown and how I used my ninja layering skills in What I wore for autumn in Queenstown, New Zealand.

Essential eating

So you’ve arrived, gone “Woah!” at the abundance of scenery, but everyone’s hungry and a coffee wouldn’t go astray either. This is where you go. It was recommended by many, including Jen. This is my idea of the perfect cafe. Lifted straight out of Brunswick St or Acland St in Melbourne, it has that retro eclectic vibe that those locales do so well. But it is the magnificent food and relaxed friendly service that sets it apart. There were other cafes around like Joe’s Garage, that are apparently also good, but I ate here on all three mornings, had three different things and died and went to heaven every time. It is also kid-friendly with retro-highchairs, crayons and kids menu. Vudu Cafe. 

The centre of town only covers a small area bordered by Shotover and Camp Sts and the lake. Once you get much outside that area the streets start going vertical, so be warned for when choosing your accommodation. But within those confines is the sweetest little town that always looks freshly washed with her best dress on. There’s national retailers like Witchery, Country Road and Smiggle, every outdoor clothing brand you can imagine, a smattering of homewares, and an abundance of quality places to eat.

You have to have a Fergburger. Well that’s what travel writer Megan Blandford told me and of course she was right. This mostly take-away license to print money is open 21 hours a day every day and I never saw it without a queue out the door and around the corner. Its popularity is off-the-chart, but their burgers are so worth it. If you don’t have time to stand in the queue, their domination of Queenstown food continues next door with their Bakery (Venison & portobello mushroom pie? Yes please!), great coffee and Gelateria (the Hokey Pokey is divine!).

We didn’t make it in to Madam Woo, but this stylish Chinese/Malay street food restaurant looks fabulous, kid-friendly and a lot of fun. It also comes highly recommended by Jen.

CookieTime will be the kids’ fav, but try to go during happy hour (6-7pm when we were there) when you’ll get fresh hot cookies for half price!

 

Shotover Jet

Queenstown’s adventure sport reputation never really did it for me, but there is no need to be an adrenaline junkie to love this. I thought it might be over-hyped, but absolutely everyone said you had to do it and everyone was absolutely right. It is exciting, fun and a bit wet, but the drivers know exactly what they’re doing so I just sat back and relaxed.

It was the surroundings that had a very powerful effect on me. The beauty was quite literally overwhelming and I spent the first half of the ride with tears running down my face. Words can’t describe it, photos can’t capture it, but for me it was like being inside a Lord of the Rings film. The open areas (like in the pics below) transported me to the Ford of Bruinen when Arwen challenges the Nazgûl and floods the river. And when you go under the bridge that you can see below and through a canyon, I was immediately in the River Anduin about to catch a glimpse of the Pillars of the Kings. As it turns out when I googled later, these scenes were filmed very close by. I expected that film locations would not come up to expectations and was quite overcome to find real life every bit as good as the movie.

My kids can’t wait to go on this. They have to be at least 1m tall, although this can change with weather conditions, so it’s suitable for quite young kids. Just make sure you dress warmly. I was wearing a tshirt and jeans in Queenstown, but here, 10 min up the road, speeding along and getting splashed, it is cold. They give you a waterproof coat, but wear an extra jumper, a beanie and gloves. I did and thank goodness, because by the end of the 25 min trip I was starting to feel a bit cool.

You can do jet-boating on Lake Wakatipu, which seems convenient, but don’t do it. It is the Shotover River and its surrounds which make it unique. And they pick you up from the centre of town and drive you here, so you don’t need to worry about transport. Hubster couldn’t give a damn about Lord of the Rings, but he loved this just as much as I did. It’s just really good fun.

Website – Shotover Jet

Sky high adventures

5 min walk from the centre of town is the Skyline Gondola (a cable car just like the Sky Safari at Taronga Zoo). Sit back and relax while it takes you 450m above Queenstown to Bob’s Peak. This is where you’ll find bungee jumping, walking tracks, dining with a view, mountain bike trails, luge and paragliding. Do nothing or everything. Whatever floats your boat.

The luge looks particularly kid-friendly – over 6s can ride alone, under 6s with an adult. The chairlift takes you and your luge up to the top, so all you need to do is steer your way down.

We did a lot of view-gazing …

And I jumped off a cliff! I was inspired by Belinda from Gallerie B, who recommended it, and I think a touch carried away by watching them floating through the sky. It just looked so peaceful. Feel the fear and do it anyway? Yep. That was how it felt. Terrifying. Todd from G-Force Paragliding did an amazing job keeping me safe, but once was enough for me. I think I found the limit of my courage!

Relax

Queenstown is a great place to get outside and just breathe. We heard there was an annual paragliding display on at the lake front on our last night. It was unforgettable. Paragliders like my mate Todd spent two hours doing tricks and stunts, flips and even base-jumping!

We watched as two paragliders came down from Bob’s Peak together, then above the lake two black dots started falling from them. My God, I had a heart attack. I thought something terrible was happening. But these crazy people popped open their parachutes and landed gently in the lake. Base-jumping from a paraglider???? Lucky I had a drink with me!

But taking it all in as the sun went down over this beautiful place? Priceless.

Speaking of alcohol, I was really surprised that with all these crowds of people in their 20s, including all the people drinking on the lakefront in the pic above, I never saw anyone drunk or misbehaving or groups of lads being idiots. We were never out particularly late, but still, I never even saw a police officer or security guard/bouncer. And to round out this happy holiday, I walked into New Zealand Duty Free at the airport on departure to be offered a gin and tonic made with Hendrick’s Gin. Now I know why everyone recommends Hendrick’s. Yummy!!

Kid-friendly

I was surprised that we didn’t see more families, because Queenstown is perfect for kids. The beauty of the place draws you outside, so I can imagine a blissful holiday walking and exploring with the kids. And if you have a car or a campervan like we would like to next time, there’s so much to explore further afield. I’ve already started researching a driving holiday of the South Island. Hubster and I are both super keen to get back there as soon as we can.

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