New Zealand - Queenstown - Feb 24

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So, this day I drove to Queenstown. A place I hadn't intended to go to as I heard it was crowded with tourists. But I had to return the car there so I really had no choice.



Little did I know that my car adventure was going to start 20 kilometers from the airport where I was supposed to drop off the car. I just past Arrowtown when I noticed the little blinking light telling me I needed gas! Yikes! How long had it been blinking??? Could I really go 20 kilometers?? Arrowtown was just 7 kilometers away, perhaps I should detour to there and get a few liters? I really didn't want to run out of gas so I did a u-turn and headed for Arrowtown. Where, of course, there was no gas! Shucks! A local informed me that there was gas about 12 kilometers away. Uh Oh! Was I going to make it? With no choice I pushed on taking note of each business establishment I passed in case I needed to walk for help as well as admiring the scenery. 12 kilometers went by and I didn't see the petrol station. Shucks! Had I missed a turn? I pulled over into Shotover Jets to ask how far to the nearest gas station. The guy assured me it was about three kilometers, over the hill. Climbing into the car I thought all I need to do is get over the hill and I can then just glide to the station if I run out of gas. I crested the hill and with relief I saw the station! I made it! The guy at the station confirmed I should get to the airport with two liters of gas and gave me directions to the airport. I put in 2 1/2 in case I got lost. I consulted a map and figured out where I was. I had crossed over to another highway and had to drive through Queenstown to get to the airport! Oh goodie! Must navigate a real town on the 'wrong' side of the road! I forged ahead and soon am in the heart of Queenstown, handling busy traffic circles, tons of tourist crossing the road and lots of traffic just like a local. Except, of course, I miss my turn-off to the airport! It doesn't take long to turn myself around and 20 minutes later I'm dropping the car off. My driving adventure has ended, YAY! Turns out I could have easily made that 20 kilometers, but I would have missed the lovely outskirts of Queenstown and the adventure of navigating through its city center.



I jumped on the bus to go back to Queenstown and the local YHA Backpacker Hostel, check in, and go looking for my next adventure. Queenstown is the adventure capital of NZ with lots of adrenaline activities. This would have been great for me about 20 years ago but most of the offerings I have either done or am not interested in. Bungee Jumping - done that - check. Skydive - check. Whitewater rafting - I'm a kayaker. Jet boating up a river - I don't get it - why jetboat when you can kayak? Heli mountain biking - looks interesting but I don't have time. Scenic boat tour on the lake - canceled due to winds. So, I ended up wandering the streets checking out the many souvenir shops and strolling through the gardens. Queenstown is a cute little town but it is crowded with tourist and the backpacker scene. Eventually I returned to the hostel and meet my bunk mates for the night. There is a girl from London who has been backpacking the world for several months, another girl from China who is going bungee jumping, and Regina from Germany, an older woman who has been traveling through NZ working on farms in exchange for room and board.



Regina and I head out to get a bite to eat and she tells me about her experiences working in gardens and most recently a dairy farm where she had to get up before dawn to milk the cows! Her next farm after this excursion is a sheep farm! She hitchhikes through NZ to get from place to place. What an unusual way to travel, meet locals and see the world! She works in a museum, is married but her kids are grown and husband doesn't like to travel. This is the first time she has traveled abroad alone and is loving it! I find her inspiring!



We return to the hostel to get some sleep as we both have to get up early - she is going to the Milford Sound and I have to catch an early bus to make my way north to meet up with Heidi and Janice in Nelson. They are my ride back to Auckland.



The hostel was nice but located in the middle of the city center. Sleep was fitful due to the bass beat and laughter from a nearby club that drifted in through the open window. "I must be getting old?" I think as I drift off to sleep?

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Photos

Wine Tasting Queenstown Style
OK, this was a little unusual. The Queenstown wine bar was automated. That is, there was no one that you interacted with to pour the wine. You put a credit card into the slot over the wine you wanted to taste, and it would automatically fill your glass with a pour.

Queenstown Gardens
Nice walk through the gardens where they had frisbee golf and lawn bowling!