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Published: June 22nd 2015
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Queenstown #1
Lake Wakatipu After a fair break from travel, it was time to get out and explore again – this time in one of my own country’s highlights, Queenstown. I hadn’t been to Queenstown in almost 20 years so I was pretty excited to get down there and explore somewhere for the first time as an adult.
The initial reason for going down was not everyone’s idea of fun but I had signed up for the inaugural Queenstown marathon. With the marathon on Saturday morning, I flew out Friday morning and arrived to picturesque Queenstown. After checking into my accommodation I went to explore the town and managed to resist the temptation of Ferg Burger (for now - after the marathon would be a different story). I grabbed my pack and relaxed before meeting up with some other running friends for dinner. After that it was an early night before the big race.
The next day I was up far too early to catch the bus out to the start line. Unfortunately the weather was fairly miserable and there was a lack of shelter so everyone ended up sheltering under trees. Eventually it all got under way and
Queenstown #2
View from the spa I meandered my way through some stunning scenery. About the 30km mark, the weather decided to get even worse and it became fairly torrential rain and the wind was incredible. When it was blowing into your face, you felt like you weren’t moving forward at all but when you had a tail wind, you felt faster than Usain Bolt! Eventually I finished in the slowest of my marathon times but considering my lack of training, conditions, and the course I was just happy to finish!
Now that was over, the fun began and Lisa, Wendy, Margaret and myself had booked to head out to a spa for the afternoon – a perfect tonic for some very weary legs. The view over the Shotover River was fantastic as well. After a relaxing afternoon, it was off out to Rata for dinner which was a superb meal and it felt very earned after the days exertions!
The fun didn’t stop the next day as Margaret had organised for us to go out on a vineyard tour at Gibbston Valley. Thankfully the weather was much better today as we wandered around and sampled some fantastic wines before
Queenstown #3
Lake Wakatipu in better weather a very long lunch. In the evening Lisa and I took the plunge and signed up for the Nevis bungy jump the following day – New Zealand’s highest bungy at 134m.
The next morning continued the fantastic weather and Lisa and I headed on the bus out to our bungy jump. We got some great photos and the jumps went off without a hitch. Personally I think the scariest part was the gondala ride out to the ledge! We headed back into Queenstown and celebrated still being alive with some incredible burgers at Fergburger. I had heard about these for years and thought they couldn’t possibly live up to expectations but how wrong I was! The best burger I have ever had. We followed that up with a gondala ride up the hill and a wine gazing out at the stunning scenery. Simply entrancing. After that I fare welled Lisa as she headed back to Auckland and I prepared for the Routeburn trek with the weather not supposed to be the best.
In the morning I was off out to the start of the trek and wandered my way through some peaceful and beautiful
forest and made it to the night’s accommodation fairly early. But I had made a massive error. In a contrast to the Queen Charlotte Sound trek, I assumed the accommodation booked would provide bedding. No. So I broke out my emergency blanket and used that for a couple of nights. I am sure the rest of the dorm hated me as it crinkled and was very noisy every time I moved! I wasn’t too happy either as it was freezing even with this blanket. The first accommodation had an incredible view up over the hill and due to the rain, there were a lot of waterfalls providing scenery that was incredible. Another situation where a camera can’t really capture the moment effectively enough.
The 2
nd day trekking got me up to the highest point where it was snowing and generally pretty miserable weather. The visibility wasn't the greatest but there was still a bit to see on the walk. I was the first to the night’s accommodation and the fire was started pretty quickly! The final day I was very keen to get out to the end and into Te Anau where I’d have my first shower
Nevis Bungy #1
View out to the jump in a few days and be able to feel warm for the first time in days as well! Overall the trek was fantastic though even taking into account the weather, I wouldn’t rate it above the Queen Charlotte Sound trek.
After a much needed shower in Te Anau, I relaxed before I went out on a boat ride out into Doubtful Sound. In contrast to the rest of the trip, I was very lucky with the weather here and had a great day out. The scenery was magnificent and I was lucky enough to see all sorts of wildlife including penguins, dolphins, and seals.
Following that excursion, it was back to Queenstown for one last Ferg Burger before I was back on the plane back to Auckland.
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