A jewel shines brightly in New Zealand's South Island .... it is Queenstown. Stunning, beautiful, adventure-playground, majestic mountains and calm waters are just a few introductory adjectives - they aren't enough to describe this magnificent part of New Zealand.

``Mountain tops pierce the clear, blue sky - the sun shines on crystal, clear, azure waters''. You won't find this in any poetry book - because I made this little set of words up - it's easy to do when you are a Queenstown fan.

A gem in New Zealand' crown, on the 45th parallel, Queenstown is a mecca for tourists who come for all-seasons activities and I don't expect there's many who leave disappointed.

It's remarkable. Actually, The Remarkables are the huge, craggy mountain range that dominate the Wakatipu Lake scene from anywhere you are in Queenstown.

While the outdoor adventure, tours and dining may seem to some travellers a bit expensive you can do things that don't cost a penny. Like, walking in the beautiful park which takes up all the peninsula beside Lake Wakatipu, with views back to the township and out over lake and mountain range. Or just wandering through the small, compact town, having a look at the trout which swim around the pier or meandering up into the hills to watch a day in the life of Queenstown.

Actually, Queenstown exists due to these hardy goldminers. It's history goes back to times when the Maori also searched - for Pouanamu (greenstone, or jade) and the Moa bird (now extinct!). Along came the goldminers, who needed a place to settle, so they did; around 1860 Queenstown became a goldminers' camp.

You may even see The Lady of the Lake, TSS Earnslaw. One of the last remaining coal-fired passenger carrying vessels in the Southern Hemisphere. Since she first arrived in Queenstown, in 1912, she's been serving the local community. Nowadays, she plies Lake Earnslaw most days on a nostalgic, scenic journey over to Walter Peak High Country farm.

Dubbed the 'adventure capital of the world', Queenstown and its environs has it all: white water rafting, bungey jumping, heliskiing, snowboarding, snow mobiles and of course skiing at its two nearby ski areas (Coronet Peak and The Remarkable Ski Area) for winter time visitors.

Try an adrenalin rush down the Shotover River on a jetboat, a raft or perhaps go for a more sedate fishing trip. In summer-time you might like to get a bit of the parapente action, bungy jumping (I think one of the two sites is the first one AJ Hackett set up and he's since gone on to open them all over the world), aerobatic flying, hang-gliding, 4WD bone-crackers and if you're really out for a challenge, try a tandem skydive.

When you come in from an action-packed day there are dozens of things to do at night: restaurants offering several international foods, cafe, bars, nightclubs in differing price ranges and a casino. It pays to book your restaurant to avoid disappointment.

During the day Bob's Peak offers another exciting ride... the Luge. After taking the Gondola lift-ride up to the Bob's Peak Restaurant and Observation deck, you take another lift up; two people sitting on nothing more than a bit of board, hanging on a cable! Then you sit on this tiny little ''go-kart-like'' thingey and hurtle down the hill on a narrow, concrete chute. (The Luge is a fun filled gravity ride on a 3 wheel cart. The unique braking and steering system provides the rider full control and allows them to travel as fast or slow as they wish.)

When you book your gondola ride, ask for the Luge deal - you get the ride up to Bob's Peak and then 5 runs on the Luge - or pick another package to suit your enthusiasm for this scary, speed-freaks trip down the mountainside.

Queenstown has an international airport, if you are flying in from Australia; there are excellent links to other New Zealand airports. You can travel to and from Queenstown by regular buses from Christchurch, Dunedin or Invercargil, or visit on an organised bus tour of the South Island.

Personally, I like the Queenstown opal shops - my downfall - but now I've disciplined myself to lock up the credit card I can visit without withdrawal symptoms. There are a lot of jewellery and craft shops in Queenstown: silver, paua, greenstone (jade) gold, as well as weaving pieces, jerseys, sheep-woolen articles and other clothing - fantastic.