Anyway, I had been meaning to go up to Queenstown because everyone I have talked to about New Zealand tells me that the prettiest places are all on the South Island. It is the start place of two of the Great Walks, the Southern Alps and beautiful stretches of lakefront beaches. I have to admit, I don't think I've ever been on a mountain so I was up for the challenge.
Like anywhere in New Zealand, the drive was amazing. I left Invercargill which is relatively flat and hill free and within 30 minutes I was in beautifully hilly countryside.
First glimpse of moutains
Thirty minutes later, I started seeing the vast range of mountains, covered in snow at their peaks. It is amazing how fast the weather changed. When I left home it was foggy (rolls in from the ocean) and dreary but 30 minutes into the drive I was blinded by sun reflected by the snow. I kept stopping to take pictures of the scenery. It looked like a Budweiser commercial!
This is the biggest thing and why the Great Lakes in the US are just OK compared to this lake...The water was so amazingly clean I was shocked! You could actually see to the bottom a couple feet off of the shore. Looking across the lake all you saw was water, in every shade of blue-green that you can imagine. It was stunning.
Arriving in Queenstown a short 2 hours from my doorstep was an out of body experience. When I left it was the typical winter day...about 40-50F degrees (8 degrees celcius) as a high temp...in Queenstown it was FREEZING! I had checked the weather and saw that it was going to be hovering at freezing. I know me..i'm ALWAYS cold so I planned on dressing warm. I put on long johns under my pants and had on a long sleeved shirt and a sweater on. On top of that I had a fleecce jacket and my windbreaker, hat, gloves, a pair of quick dry socks and a pair of thick wool hiking socks on top of that plus my big hiking boots! I was ready!!! I think that is probably the best outfit EVER!! I was soo warm! No matter which way the wind blew, I was perfectly warm. The sun was out and it was crystal clear. I decided to ditch my car and to walk around town. I walked from one end to the other, stopping by the Wharf at Queenstown bay to have a glass of wine while looking at the moutains. It was so beautiful. I also decided that the day was so nice that I should walk through the park around the lake. It seemed like everyone was out enjoying the day.
Downtown Queenstown
View from the Wharf in Queenstown
View of the city from the Skyline Gondola
I hung around Queenstown for most of the day with the intention of joining my friend, Caroline on the ski slopes about an hour before they closed. I figured that was the best way of avoiding having to put on some "death sticks" and flying down a hill with her.
Coronet Peak Ski park is about 20 minutes outside of Queenstown. I had never been on a moutain before, let alone to ski. I wasn't about to try skiing today. After driving 30 minutes up a snowy mountain road (#349 of the "Dumb-Things-I-Should-Never-Have-Done") in my Hyundai Getz (so NOT equipped for snowy driving) I reached the top. A smart person would have abandoned the drive up after seeing the "Snow Chains fitting" spots on the road...but nooo...I had to keep going. I was seeing glimpses of the mountain peak and I just had to see what it looked like from up top. Thankfully, I made it up without an issue except for the people behind me throughly annoyed by my slowness. (sorry!:))
Coronet Peak Ski Park
Coronet Peak was beautiful and it offered views of the valley below and of the other ski areas around Queenstown including the "Remarkables". A funny thing happened when I started walking around the Ski park. There was music blaring and people everywhere and everyone seemed to be having a good time...I wandered downstairs and picked up a brochure about beginners ski lessons. I was getting excited and actually thinking about putting on some skis and giving it a try on the bunny slopes. Caroline was not the voice of reason and suggested that I try it. I was headed back to get some rental gear when I saw the first one...a bandaged arm on a atheletic looking 20ish boy...hmm...he was probably showing off. Then I saw a girl, cradling her hand in a fresh cast...uh...then I saw a woman on crutches with her lower leg in a fresh cast...THREE people all with obvious fractures of some very needed bone!!! As I started to watch people flying down the hill and a couple of them wiping out, I realized why I thought this was a bad idea in the first place. I promptly took my class schedule back to the rental counter. The girl asked me if I was ready to pick out my gear. "No death sticks for me", I told her and smiled and walked off...with full use of both of my legs.
me, just watching...
My friend Caroline, stayed upright..the guy behind her...not so much
I decided that I had enough alpine air and snow for one day and headed back down to my final destination of the weekend, Arrowtown.
Main street in Arrowtown
Arrowtown is a tiny little town know in its heyday as the sight of one of the biggest gold rushes in New Zealand history. Seems like you could just put a pan in the river and gold would just fall into it. Of course, it eventually got all mined out and the town is now just a cute reminder of days past. The biggest reason for the town actually surviving and thriving is its proximity to the best skiing in the country. It is now the site of multiple small B&B's and private hotels. It is a very cute little town. After a full day of sightseeing, walking and watching other people take their lives for granted by flying down a mountain with sticks on their feet and no brakes, we ended the night drinking at a little pub in town.
I have to say, it was a good weekend!
Queenstown Gardens
To see all the pictures from Queenstown and Arrowtown click here
What an exciting adventure for both of you! I am so glad you sent an email so we can stay connected this way! Keep the photos coming! They are absolutely breathtaking! Wish I were there!
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