Queenstown is unique. With its blend of lakes, mountains and rivers it is an outdoor lover’s paradise. I cannot think of any town in Australia that comes close to offering the diverse activities that Queenstown here in New Zealand does.
There are some consequence of this town’s popularity. Parking is severely limited for a start. Traffic is horrendous. The only way out of town is along the road that leads to the airport. It gets clogged at a roundabout where three major highways intersect and this morning, the traffic was bumper to bumper for about three kilometres. It took us almost half an hour just to leave town.
However, the number and type of activities available in this town are almost limitless. They include parasailing parachuting and paragliding. In addition, you can go jet boating cruising on the lake in a 115 year old steam ship there are hiking and bike tracks all over the place. You can even do tight rope walking in the park. It is a Mecca for active people.
Today, we visited a number of Queenstown’s major attractions and enjoyed our day watching some of these activities.
A. J. Hackett popularised the sport of bungee jumping. He made a bungee jump off the Eiffel Tower in 1987 and then the Auckland bridge. He experimented with several methods to make bungee jumping safe and then turned his fame into a business. At the historic Kawarau Bridge in Queenstown was his ideal location for bungy jumping – and so on November 12, 1988, the first year-round commercial operation was launched. On that day, 28 people paid $75 each to jump off the 43metre high bridge with a bungy cord attached to their ankles.
I watched the activity for a while, quite impressed that this elderly woman was brave enough to jump. Someone in her tour group mentioned that she was 82. I haven’t worked out whether that was her age, or maybe her IQ
Another activity for which Queenstown of famous of the Shotover Jet. These high powered V8 twin engine boats are designed specifically for use on the Shotover River. They take passengers through canyons, across rapids and perform thrilling, gravity-defying stunts within a hair’s breadth of the high cliff faces along the river. These boats are made for speed, travelling at up to 90 kilometres an hour in as little as 10 centimetres of water.
A far more sedate activity is to chortle along Lake Wakatipu on the TSS Earnslaw. This boat is the oldest commercial passenger-carrying steamship in the Southern Hemisphere and still leisurely ferries passengers from Queenstown, across Lake Whakatipu, to Walter Peak High Country Station. (There are no trains at Walter Peak, the term station is used in both Australia and New Zealand for a very large remote farm or ranch),
The Earnslaw is a grand old vessel with all the charm of those old days when steamers were the primary form of transport for passengers and freight.
Queenstown is the gateway to the Central Otago wine region and has 200 vineyards within a 90-minute radius. It is the most southerly grape-growing region in the world at a latitude of 45͒ south. This puts it right into the best latitude in the world for growing Pinot Noir. Hot days, cool nights, and interesting soil profiles (think fine sand, heavy silt loam and rocky schist) are great for growing this variety which makes up about 85 per cent of the region’s wine output. Chardonnay, Pinot Gris and Riesling make up the majority of the rest.
We have visited the Church winery and restaurant on a number of occasions and another visit today was delightful. We were able to sit under the shade of some large trees and enjoy a glass of wine and a late lunch snack.
Of course, there is also the activity of shopping. About 19 kilometres away is the historic town of Arrowtown. It still has its gold rush days streetscape with lots of cute shops that sell everything from old fashioned sweets to knitware and souvenirs. It’s another place where parking is near impossible. But, fortunately we were able to find a disabled spot in the middle of the main Street.
Today was Jill’s turn for some retail therapy with her buying herself some very fashionable possum / merino knitwear.
I was certainly not deprived of photo opportunities. There were many attractive locations where I could capture a good landscape image
