Queenstown is the destination of choice for most tourists visiting the South Island. The guide books are full of information on this settlement, the 29th largest in New Zealand, with a population of around 13,000 people which sits on the shores of Lake Wakatipu. It has a reputation for extreme beauty and extreme sports. If I hadn't seen other parts of New Zealand, I would have been impressed however, on first sight, it paled in comparison to areas such as Wanaka, Fox Glacier and Abel Tasman. Needless to say, the sports held no interest at all to me. To get to Queenstown we drove over the Crown Range from Wanaka. This is the highest main road in New Zealand. The first half is extremely boring - you drive up a steep hill in a v-shaped valley.
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