Travel Tuesdays: Queenstown, New Zealand

Have you ever ventured to this picturesque little town? It took me until I was in my early 20's to make it there, and only the excuse of playing a Queenstown show with my then band could get me there. As soon as I arrived I wondered how I possibly spent so many years ignoring, in my opinion, one of the best towns in New Zealand. You see, I love tourist laden European towns with cobblestone roads, delicious foods at every turn, and stores open at the most bizarre hours. Queenstown is that and more. It takes the essence of 'NZ pure' tourism and squeezes into one little neat package. And don't be mistaken, winter is not the only season to visit Queenstown. There is plenty to do in the warmer months.

There are many scenic walks through forests, alongside lakes, up mountains.

If you venture down to the gardens and surrounding forest, watch where you walk because there frisbees flying everywhere. The gardens are home to a neat little game called disk (or frisbee) golf.

The course is free to on play provided you have your own disk. Finding one is pretty easy, as they sell the disks at almost all the sport stores in town. 

Disk golf has pretty simple rules and with a bit of practice you can make par, unless you are left-handed like me, and your disk tends to sail off down the lake every few throws. If disk golf becomes your new favourite thing, there is apparently a course in the nearby town of Wanaka too. If you become really addicted you can always watch a few pro tip videos to improve your game.

Or there is always a game of lawn bowls.

 If you get hungry, don't panic because there are plenty of restaurants around to spoil you. You can't go past trying one of the burgers at Fergbuger, they are HUGE and delicious. Your stomach will very much thank you for it. Or grab a freshly baked (on site) pastry from the Ferg Baker next door.

The Remarkable Sweet Shop is what I imagine it's like stepping into a slightly less magical Honeydukes. Your family will love you forever if you bring some of these goodies home. Also the fudge comes a very close 2nd to the Akaroa fudge IMHO.

For dinner I'd recommend Les Alps, a homely French restaurant. They have French waiters, fondue, and flaming crepe suzette. During the day there is also a deli and pasties section if you get the munchies after a round of disk golf. 

Or if pizza is more your thing I dare you to try and finish one of the Fat Badger pizzas. Yikes.

There is plenty to see and do in Queenstown (there has to be if it's named the adventure capital of New Zealand!) It's worth braving a steep gondola ride up to the Skyline. Not only are there breathtaking views of Queenstown that make for perfect photo ops, there are plenty of thrilling activities to partake in. Riding the Luge is good fun, especially if you are racing someone else. It's only as scary as you make it.

If you love flying foxes then you'll love the Zip-Trek. It's a little on the pricey side, but there are two options to choose from, we chose the shorter one. They also donate a good percentage of your entry fee to sustainability trusts and micro loan enterprises. As well as a thrilling ride, they conduct a sustainability tour and eco lesson along the way, leaving you more knowledgable about the preservation of Queenstown.

If you are feeling daring, you can pay some guys to run you off a hill... Paragliding is probably the best way to see Queenstown in all it's splendour. You actually do feel like a souring bird, that is until the instructor decides to show you the power of G-Force with a few corkscrew turns. I admit it made me feel a little queazy! 

No trip to Queenstown is complete without something a little more challenging, so that's where the bungy comes in. If you can't see yourself willingly jumping off a platform, you should give the Nevis Arc a go! It's the biggest swing in the world, and it's great because you sit in a harness and they drop you, almost like a 'tower of terror' sort of ride. What's more you can take a friend with you on the tandem swing. If you enjoy it and much as we did, you can pay a fraction of the cost to go again either backwards or even upside down!

If you are more of a simple pleasures type there is a skate park and ice rink, which double as a good meeting ground for like-minded internationals. 

The fun doesn't stop in the evening either, as the buskers come out and the bars all open. If you like to freeze your fingers off you should check out one of the Ice Bars. They are pretty darn cool, and they change the sculptures every three months so you'll never get bored. Also if you manage to navigate the back alley ways, you should pop into The Bunker for a chocolatey dessert cocktail and to watch one of the James Bond films while perched around the cosy gas fire. 

That is just a little of what is on offer in Queenstown, and that's not even including neighbouring Arrowtown or Wanaka. With so much excitement at your finger tips, you won't regret a trip to the deep south. It's a bit of a drive from Christchurch at six hours, but it's a very scenic one. You can always break up the drive with some pit stops at lakes and local wineries along the way, or alternatively flying will get you there in a swift 35 mins from the shaky city. 

If you don't think you'll get there anytime soon, check out a few more of my pix instead.