Day 2 in Qtown

Kia Ora!

I have yet to finish the trip to Queenstown; the best is yet to come. On Day 2 we rode the gondola to the top of the mountain that overlooks Queenstown. Once on top, there are a number of activities in which to participate. We ruled hang gliding out right away. Two persons were killed and one seriously injured on that activity this year. No one died bungy jumping. Yet.

We decided to ride the luge which required climbing on another lift. Neither the gondola nor the lift stops to load and unload passengers. One must jump in or climb on while in motion and off one goes. Or not, depending on one's agility. The attendant at the lift gave some kind of instruction that I didn't catch. They all have this funny accent, you know. As we swung off into the air, I did catch what she yelled next: "Pull the bar down or you'll fall off on your head!!!" Oh yeah. I reached up and behind us and pulled the bar over the front of us.

Tickets in hand, we chose the "gentle, scenic" luge route. I looked at the diminutive carts and asked if there were other sizes. Nope, one size fits all. Or not. This was sedately fun, at least for one of us.














We had a surprisingly delicious buffet lunch overlooking The Ledge, a hut cantilevered with no visible support off the edge of the mountain. We watched as a man in a blue shirt and tan shorts threw himself out of the hut and down into the abyss below, not once but at least 3 times. Each time hut attendants dragged him back up the bungy jump.

After lunch, I casually suggested we walk down to the bungy jump hut, just to see what it was all about. Yeah, sure. So, did she or didn't she? See April 14 entry.

Cheers and Aroha!
Kiwi Traveler

Living the high life in Qtown

4 April 2009 Kia Ora! Queenstown is the queen of New Zealand's tourist industry. We have been here before but ignored the usual tourist attractions in favor of a wine tour and visit to a historical Chinese village limited restoration in Arrowtown, returning by way of the market orchards around Cromwell. You will find that story on a previous post. Now I want to be a tourist in Queenstown, so this is the weekend to indulge me, if not us. We are booked at the Novotel, teeming with busloads of tourists from America, Japan, Holland, Germany and who knows where else. I got in on an Internet special and then, bonus!, we are upgraded to a garden room. The Novotel is on Marine Parade, a boulevard right at the water front, and we can walk to The Mall, restaurants, and more. We choose highly reviewed restaurants for our meals (The Bunker, Pier 19, and Wai, which is Oh-My-Gawd! good). The Skyline Restaurant at the top of the peak overlooking Queenstown is closed Saturday, so that is saved until Sunday. For a buffet, it is surprisingly good also. So other than food, the big Saturday event is a trip across Lake Wakatipu in a vintage steamship, TSS Earnslaw. There is talk of closing this attraction because of the pollution from the coal-fired engine. I don't know; what do you think? We watched the coal being loaded into the hold and then viewed the engine room and the crew hand shoveling it into the engines. Some people wondered who was the Captain of this ship anyway! The ship is quite elegant and features a piano player and sing-a-long on the return trip. Alas, only the piano player seems to be singing. Some passengers debarked across the lake at Walter Peak Station to tour the compound of a former sheep station and watch demonstrations of dogs herding sheep and sheep shearing. Having just had an up-close-and-personal-tour of the McIntosh sheep farm, we passed on that option. Back at the quay, we shop an artist's flea market and wander out on a jetty. Here is the winning New Zealand ship from America's Cup, of which the Kiwis are justifiably proud. Tourists can get in on the thrill for a price and book a sail on the vessel. We wander on up to Shotover Street. I spy the AJHackett Bungy storefront. Hackett is the owner of several bungy jumps around Qtown. Are there jumps with a harness instead of ankle wraps, is my query. Then, eyeing my wrinkles and gray hair, he says: Good on you! You can make that jump. Yeah, right! Then we drive out to Glenorchy, a tiny hamlet at the other end of the lake. It is halfway to the trailhead of the Greenstone Track, the 4-day backpacking adventure we took on a long-ago trip to NZ. In the village, we share Devonshire tea and pleasant memories of a time when we could still do a mountain tramp. Saturday is the tame day. Just wait until I tell you about Sunday! Cheers, Kiwi Traveler