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Blogs from Queenstown, South Island, New Zealand, Oceania - page 2
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March 13th 2013
I sleep SO well in the dorm and have a relaxed morning before heading off to do the Ben Lomand Summit track at 10am. First it’s a bit of a climb up the track behind the gondola, and then it levels out to a fairly easy alpine track climb through the forest, opening up to stunning views of the lake and Queenstown. This takes a few hours and then from Ben Lomaand Saddle it is an hour of hard steep walking to the peak on rough shingly/mud ground. The views from the peak however are amazing – 360 degree views of Queenstown, the lake, the Remarkables and the surrounding mountains. I eat my lunch at the top and chill for half an hour before heading back down. Coming down on the shingle is quite difficult – ... read more
March 12th 2013
There are 6 of us waiting for the bus this morning and it is a bit chilly outside – certainly a crisp autumn morning. We arrive at Queenstown by 10am and my hostel is super close to the bus stop which is great. I can’t check in as it is too early, but leave my bags, change and go for a wander round Queenstown. It has an awesome vibe, several people said just to stay one night then move on so I only booked two nights to start with, but I wish I had booked more now as the hostel had no more room. The town has a great atmosphere, really chilled and relaxed and right on the lake with the remarkable mountains as a backdrop it is stunning. The shops around have some amazing clothes ... read more
March 6th 2013
Today, as usual, I woke up at about 3:00 a.m. I stayed in bed until 5:00. I suppose by the time it is time to go home I will be on a regular schedule and then it will get all goofed up again when I get home. I got up to try and upload some photos, but was unsuccessful, but I am hoping soon. After a quick shower, John and I went to breakfast in the hotel. Deb and Greg decided to go later. We had a quiet morning and then about 11:00 we went into town for lunch and a bit of shopping. We stopped at an information booth to make reservations for dinner, a gondola ride where we will have a beautiful view and a Haka dance which we were informed we should not ... read more
March 5th 2013
We have been very good about keeping to our schedule and today was no different. At precisely 8:30 we were on the road headed up north to Queenstown. I had been waiting for this day. Deb had made reservations for 2 nights at the Rees Hotel along with reservations for a flight to Milford Sound weather permitting. When we woke this morning it was very cloudy and rainy but we chose to trust the forecast which said it would be sunny and in the 70s. Once on our way, the clouds cleared and the sun came out and we had the best weather so far. Our flight was scheduled to leave at 2:00 but because we got here early, we were told we could go right then. They said it would be better to go sooner ... read more
Picton to Queenstown & Northland loop
Published: March 3rd 2013Oceania » New Zealand » South Island » Queenstown
March 2nd 2013
Drove old, battered hire car west from Picton, route studded with scenic bays to Abel Tasman national park, stopping briefly en route at Nelson for hike to centre of NZ hilltop and a tasty pizza. Walked along the coastal track, with sandy bays, wobbly cable bridges and dense green forest; swam and kayaked in the (chilly) turquoise sea; and cruised to Tonga island marine reserve to visit basking seals. Next headed southeast through mountain passes to Hanmer Springs, relaxing and swimming at luxurious spa resort while trying not to burn in the fierce sun. Continuing south reached small village at Lake Tekapo, eating at excellent Japanese restaurant and watching the sunset with Mts Cook & Tasman in the background. A quick climb to the Mt John observatory for a civilised cup of tea at the hilltop ... read more
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February 21st 2013
Heute ist „ausschlafen“ angesagt. 10.30 Uhr startet heute der Bus. Unser Ziel am Abend ist Queenstown. Zu erst geht es zu einer Seerobbenkolonie. Der Himmel ist bewölkt und am Strand bläst ein kräftiger Wind. Hier steht auch ein Leuchtturm, welcher auf Druck der Öffentlichkeit nach einem der schlimmsten Schiffsunglücke Neuseelands, bei welchem 131 Personen ums Leben kamen, erbaut wurde. Im Meer sind immer wieder Steinspitzen zu sehen, welche auf die gefährlichen Riffe im Wasser deuten lassen. Neben dem Leuchtturm ruht sich bereits eine Robbe im Gras aus. Nach mehrmaligem Ermahnen des Busfahrers, wagt sich niemand nah an das Tier heran, aber auch von der Ferne entstehen gute Bilder. Die Robben sind an Land schneller als man rennen kann und bei dem Gewicht, möchte man lieber keine Flosse zu spüren bekommen. Wir gehen noch ein wenig an ... read more
February 18th 2013
Von Wanaka geht es heute in Richtung Queenstown. Auf unserem Weg halten wir wieder an verschiedenen Orten für Fotos. Ein besonderer Zwischenstopp heute ist der Bungeejump aus 43m Höhe. Hier ist der Geburtsort des heutigen Bungeejumpings. Abgekupfert wurde das Bungeejumping von einem eingeborenen Volk, wo die jungen Männer sich Lianen binden und dann eine Plattform hinunter springen müssen um ihre Zugehörigkeit beim Stamm zu beweisen. Von unserer Gruppe gibt es 2 Tandemsprünge. Beide schaffen es leider nicht bis ins Wasser. Als nächstes halten wir an einem kleinen Farmshop. Hier kann man sich Eis selbst zusammenstellen. Meine Variation besteht aus Kiwi mit Joghurt – lecker! Auch wird hier günstiges und sehr leckeres Obst verkauft und da wird natürlich zugegriffen bei Aprikosen, Pflaumen, Nektarinen… In Queenstown angekommen, geht es zum Check-In ins BASE Backpackers. Ansch... read more
February 13th 2013
Our journey from Fox Glacier to Lake Wanaka was a fairly long one, so the day was broken up with plenty of photo stops (some more exciting than others!) and plenty of sand flies. After leaving lake Matheson, which was a definite high point, we headed further south via Knights Point (where we spotted a dolphin pod out to sea) and then the Blue Pools. At the end of a scenic drive around Lake Hawea we arrived in Wanaka mid afternoon. We checked into our hostel (Matterhorn Backpackers) and were informed by the owner that we were priviledged to have our own block in the "love shack". This turned out to be the garden shed in the middle of the vegetable patch (I kid you not), with "LOVE HACK" on the wooden door (S had been ... read more
February 8th 2013
After a day sitting on the coach yesterday I thought I should get some excercise, so today after a good breakfast I decided to take the gondola to the top of the mountain opposite where I am staying. At the top you can watch people hurling themselves off the bungy I might be a bit adventurous but not quite that mad, although I have to say it was fun watching. After a large brownie and a pot of Earl Grey thought I had better head down so decided to walk back!!! The lady in the information kiosk told me that you could indeed do this and told me where to pick up the trail. On my way down people were whizzing past on the zip wire, but as I had done all that before I just ... read more
February 7th 2013
Arrived in Queenstown, picked up the hire car and headed into town. It was Waitangi Day a national holiday and the cloud gradually cleared from the lake and presented us with a beautiful warm day. The town is on the edge of a huge lsmall the town is compact so it's easy to get around but I believe this is the Mecca for the adrenalin junkies so I don't really know what I am doing here!!!! Plenty to do, bungy, jet boats, zip wires, paragliding, skydiving the list goes on,actually when I think about it I have done some of these things so perhaps I am in the right place. Decided to book a trip to Milford Sound as its a fairly long journey and driving would have been quite tiring and expensive in fuel. The ... read more
