My family and I took a 10 day holiday around the South Island which is no way near long enough and only allowed us to see a small amount of what was on offer. Although we visited several amazing places I am wanting to write especially about Queenstown based on the 'extreme' nature of the place!
When I say extreme, I mean that in many ways. Firstly, like many places in New Zealand, Queenstown is a beautiful place. Located in Otago on the South Island, Queenstown is surrounded by mountain ranges and built around the northern shore of Lake Wakatipu, and unlike many other New Zealand towns, does not look to have been purpose built along one main street.
The town itself contains everything you would need as a tourist or traveller. Information shops seem to be in every other building and there are plenty of accommodation
options for all budgets.
We stayed in 'Cranbury Court' which is part of the Best Western chain in a 2 bedroom family unit. Although quite expensive at $270 a night it was a 3 minute walk from the town centre and a comfortable, clean and stylish place to stay. If you are looking for cheaper accommodation there are numerous backpackers that offer beds in dorm rooms from about $20 a night.
Moving onto the other extreme reason I loved Queenstown - it is the adventure capital of the world! Anything you want to do, this is the place for it, never mind the hundreds of things you would never even think of doing! From jet boating to white water surfing, to parasailing to skiing to sky diving to biking and of course bungy jumping there is something for everyone. There are copious numbers of companies offering these different activities and nearly all of them have booking offices on Shotover Street, which is one of the main street in town.
Being that we were only in Queenstown for 1 full day we had to make a decision about what we were going to do. Bungy jumping was off the list as I have never fancied that but something I had always wanted to do was a tandem sky dive. My family agreed to do one with me (thinking I would never do it so they wouldn't have to either!) so you can imagine their shock when I went ahead and booked it! I decided to go with the company 'N-Zone'. Although expensive (as these things always are) it was worth every penny. We did the smallest jump at 9000ft and this cost $240. It took a few hours from start to finish but for several reasons I would recommend this as the activity to do if you only have time for one. Not only do you get to jump out of a plane strapped to someone and get the amazing rush of freefalling but you also get to float down for 5 minutes under a parachute with the most amazing scenery all around you. The view was just incredible and almost worth the money just for that!
That afternoon we must've had the buzz as we decided to finish the day by going jet boating. As with all the activities on offer, there are a number of companies that run this. We chose the 'Shotover Jet' which was the most expensive at $99 for 15 minutes but looked to be the most fun as it takes you down a rocky river. This was good fun although after sky diving didn't feel quite as adventurous! It was a little way out of town but they offer a shuttle bus to the from the river.
There are so many other things to do in Queenstown aside from all things crazy and some may say silly! A trip up the Gondola is a great way to spend a morning and also offers wonderful views from the top. Once at the top you have the option of riding the luge (a bit like a go kart down a hill) or parasailing down (of course!) For the tame of those on a budget you can simply go back in the gondola.
There is also a bird park, Underwater World and the opportunity to go sailing on the lake. Something I would recommend is paying the $20 entrance fee and driving up to the top of Deer Park Heights. This is on the outskirts of Queenstown and as the name suggests is a big hill which is home to a deer park as well as many other animals. It is also the location of several scenes from Lord of the Rings. We had great fun re-enacting some of the scenes for photos! The views are also spectacular.
2 nights was just not long enough in Queenstown however I do feel we made the most of our time there. It is a long way from anywhere and not the sort of place where you are going to save any pennies, but well worth going out of your way to visit. It's a special part of New Zealand' shall we say it's 'extremely' great!!
Pictures of Queenstown
What a view - Queenstown is beautiful
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
NH Hotels, the hotel chain leader in Europe, with more than 300 hotels in 20 countries in Europe, Latin America and Africa. Enter into our web site and find the best available tariff at all times
very helpful by (91%):
helpful by (9%):
