On the road to Qtown

Me on top of Queenstown Hill

Kia ora!

The 4.5 hour drive between Punakaiki and Franz Josef  is very nice, mostly following the coastline of the Tasman Sea which separates Australia and NZ.   Pounding surf on one side,  verdant mountainous rainforest on the other.  We passed Lake Brunner, great (and stocked) for trout fishing.  Trout is unavailable commercially.  If you want to eat it, you have to catch it yourself or know a fisher.

Somewhere on the West Coast of NZ

We stopped in Greymouth, the largest town on the West Coast and departure point of the TranzAlpine train that goes over Arthurs Pass to Christchurch, the largest city on the South Island.  Hokitika is a cute little town with  lots of arts and craft galleries where one can take classes in glass blowing, knife making, or pounamu (green jade) or stone carving.  Past Hokitika, the road cuts slightly inland crossing farmland before entering the Southern Alps.

Heading into the Southern Alps 

The Southern Alps are a mountain chain that runs 450 km north to south. The tallest peak is Aoraki/Mount Cook, the highest point in New Zealand at 3,754 meters (12,316  feet) and there are 16 other points in the range that exceed 3,000 meters (9842') in height. The Southern Alps contain more than 3000 glaciers larger than a hectare (2.5 acres).  The longest, Tasman Glacier, is 29 kilometres in length.  Franz Josef Glacier, the one I walked on, is only 12 km long but easily accessible.  These Alps, some with snow year-round, provide the best skiing and snowboarding and since we are in NZ, heli-skiing opportunities in the Southern hemisphere.

Bus stop to look at a waterfall

The Glacier Hot Pools in Franz Josef township consists of 3 rock-edged swimming pools at 36* C,  38* C, and 40* C (97, 100, 104*F respectively) - no jets.  Apparently there are smaller pools available for more intimate gatherings.  Anyway, the middle pool was nice to soak in after my ice adventure.  Supposedly set outdoors amidst a rainforest, with the canopies above and the steam rising into the dimly lit cool night air, I couldn't see much although there were some tree ferns.  It precipitates a lot here, 4800 mm (189" !!!) annual average on 178 days/year, so the canopies are necessary,  but on the short walk back to my hostel, Montrose Backpackers, the stars twinkled brightly in the sky.

Lake Wanaka

On the road again.  This time, the bus leaves at 7:40 am and arrives in Queenstown at 4:15 p.m.  The road twists and turns over and around mountains and valleys.  Some of the mountains have snow on top, most of them are bare or have small shrubs.  One can definitely see the tree line beyond which trees can't grow because of the cold.  It is a beautiful countryside dotted with lakes, webbed with rivers and streams, and accented here and there with waterfalls.  Reminds me of the Sierra Nevadas.  There's gold in them thar hills as well.  New Zealand had a gold rush in the 1860s, the biggest one in the Central Otago area where Queenstown is.

Sailing Lesson on Lake Wanaka

We stopped in Wanaka, a charming town on the shores of its namesake lake.  Wanaka is known as the laid back version of Qtown.  All the adrenaline attractions are available (sometimes at a lower price).  I don't know if it's the broader beach or calmer water, but Wanaka encourages individuals to get on the water and there are paddle boats, wind surfers, and one person sailboats for rent.  Puzzling World is an amusement part with crazy buildings and structures and the Great Maze.  Mount Aspiring (love the name!) National Park offers year round activity.

On the way into town, we pass the Kawarau Bridge where AJ Hackett did the world's first bungy jump in 1988.  His company now offers that 43 meter jump with options for dunking (dry, head, or torso), solo or tandem.  He offers jumps in 2 other locations as well.    Nevis Bungy is highest with 134 meter drop and 8.5 seconds of freefall.  Crazy!!

Lake Wakatipu from top of Gondola Hill

Queenstown's permanent population is 10,500 residents.   With almost 2 million tourists annually, about 50% international visitors, Qtown is the biggest tourist draw in NZ.  The town itself is compact.  The CBD, on relatively level ground and facing Lake Wakatipu, is 3 short blocks by 5 short blocks and crammed with eateries, adventure activity bookers, outdoor gear retailers, souvenir shops, jewellers, and art galleries.  There is one main grocery store and a small Asian grocer and 3 bottle shops (alcohol).

Most of the backpackers hostels are in or within walking distance.  Hotels and motels are within walking distance or further.   Homes are perched on the hills behind the CBD overlooking Lake Wakatipu.  On one side of the CBD is the steep and forested Gondola Hill.  The other side is the main road into and out of Qtown.

So what makes Qtown "the Adventure Capital of the World"?  Here's a list: bungy jumping, luge, paragliding, skydiving, flightseeing, horse riding, canyoning (abseiling is rappelling), zip lines, rope swings, waterfall slides, jet boat rides, river boarding/surfing, jumps into deep pools; wake boarding, water skiing, parasailing, white water rafting, black water rafting (in caves), cycling, mountain biking, 4WD/ATV quad biking (looks like a little tractor), skiing, snowboarding, heli skiing, ice climbing.  You name it, they got it.  For less crazy people there are cruises, coach tours, farm tours, Lord of the Rings film site tours,  and my favorite, tramping tracks.

Steamship TSS Earnslaw

Not all these activities are done in Queenstown.  If you book the activities, a shuttle will pick you up wherever you are and take you to the site which can be up to an hour away.  Most are within a 20 minute drive.  The most visible adventure is the paragliding.  One of the most popular places is off of Gondola Hill.  My hostel, Alpine Lodge, is across from the hill and the landing area for the paragliders.  You can also see some jetboating and parasailing on Lake Wakatipu.

Ready for some action?!  Come to Queenstown!
Cheers!

Jet boating.  What's the thrill?

Cyn