Blogs from Queenstown, South Island, New Zealand, Oceania

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Oceania » New Zealand » South Island » Queenstown February 29th 2024

I'm leaving Queenstown after three months. Three months.....somehow it feels like it has been both less and more than that. Time passed in the blink of an eye, makong it unbelieveble that it's actually been this long, nur there are so many memories packed into these three months that it feels like it has been much longer. Leaving Queenstown and the people I met behind is really wired, especially, because if I return in the future most of them will be gone aswell. That's the thing in a city full of travellers, there is always someone leaving and someone new arriving taking their place. I am now sitting in the bus to Dunedin and I am equally as sad about leaving this chapter behind as I am exited for the adventures ahead of me. I'll spent ... read more
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Oceania » New Zealand » South Island » Queenstown January 30th 2024

The day after my last post I went cannoying. While it was very fun I was a little disapointed that there were alomost no water slides we could go down, a lot less opportunities to jump down cliffs and a lot more abseiling than the website made it seem. The guide told us that this is, because the canyon changed during the covid years and the jumps and slides they used to go down are not save anymore, so there is abseiling instead. Which also meant longer waittimes, because abseiling ten people takes longer than all of them jumping down. It was still very fun and a great experience with amazing views. A week later I was supposed to go river surfing but because I mixed up the dates I had work that day. Luckily they ... read more

Oceania » New Zealand » South Island » Queenstown January 6th 2024

My my does time fly...... I've been working and living in Queenstown for seven weeks now, but it dies but feel that long at all. Besides my job at the hostel I've also started working at a restaurant. So I'm working around 60h every week. The days I work the morning shift the hostel and the evening at Blue Kanu I crawl out of bed at seven work for 8½h have an between 30min and 1½h of free time in which I also habe to get ready and walk to my evening shift and then get back to the hostel between 11pm and 12:30am. So when I'm only working the afternoon shift at the hostel I spend my morning catching up on rest. Same on my free days, in which I also do stuff like my ... read more
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Oceania » New Zealand » South Island » Queenstown November 28th 2023

It's been three weeks and I had the beginning of a new psts sitting in my drafts for like half that time. Anyway here a rundown of the things that happend since the Milford Sound cruise: I lost my wallet in Milford Sound and only noticed after we had driven two hours out of the national park. 16 hours later I got it back thanks to really nice Australiens that brought it to the next Police station. Another day later we made our way to Queenstown. Ina spend thursday afternoon charging her portable charger in a cafe for her hike and I walked around Queenstown. In a bakery I found german multigrain bread that after two months of toast almost brought me to tears. Besides that I won a 50 dollar discount for indoor skydiving, which ... read more
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Oceania » New Zealand » South Island » Queenstown February 2nd 2023

Departed Perth at 11.05pm arriving in Melbourne at 5.50am. We misread the flight ticket for the next leg as departing from the International terminal at 6.30am. It was a mad rush where we were separated as the call of nature for me was more important than getting on the plane. Jane continued on her merry way, oblivious to her man not tagging on behind. I knew I could read the direction signs however Jane didn’t and began phoning and messaging me from the departure gate. My phone was switched off. Much to Jane’s surprise I did join her, only to find that the 6.30am time was when boarding was to begin! The flight was for 7.15am. We hadn’t slept on either leg and arrived in Queenstown quite tired. Our room at the Hilton Resort and Spa ... read more
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Oceania » New Zealand » South Island » Queenstown November 26th 2022

Back to Queenstown for our final day in New Zealand. I can’t believe how fast this time has passed by and how much we have seen and done. But the vacay isn’t over yet! There’s still Fiji to come. On arrival back in Queenstown, the bus dropped us at the Harbour front to go find our own lunch. Jane, Anne & I sat on a bench and ate cheese, crackers and salami and then wandered around the pedestrian shopping mall until it was time for us to check into the hotel (same one we stayed at a couple of days ago but different rooms this time). Going out for a short walk - 6 kms later we struggled back up the “Torture Hill” from the downtown. But what a beautiful walk we had around the headland ... read more
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Paradise Shelducks: male left, female right
Tui bird

Oceania » New Zealand » South Island » Queenstown November 24th 2022

What an adventure we had this morning! We all piled into a jet boat and went white water rafting up and down the river, through the rapids and doing 360 spins. Anne & I were screaming & squealing with laughter. A couple of times we screamed because we came within a foot of cliffs of the river canyon and thought we were going to crash. But the driver was experienced and she knew what she was doing. Then it was time for lunch at The Stoaker Room. We were in an outside tent at a long banquet style table with birds flying around inside looking for handouts. The food is slow cooked/smoked in oak barrels and then served on long curved barrel staves. First we had fresh baked bread with olive oil and roasted red pepper ... read more
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Oceania » New Zealand » South Island » Queenstown November 22nd 2022

Here we go again! It isn’t raining, believe it or not! There is blue sky and we can see the snow capped mountains in the distance. Because it’s fairly clear we are able to get a spectacular view of Fox Glacier which is bigger than Franz Josef glacier. Yesterday there was no view of Fox because of widespread mist and rain. Some interesting things about NZ: there are metal bands part way up each hydro pole. These are to prevent the possums from climbing up and chewing on the wires; possums are different than opossums in N. America. They are a cat sized marsupial with a long bushy tail introduced to NZ for the fur trade. The fur of possums is very soft and warm; there are multicoloured lupines and foxgloves growing wild everywhere; all the ... read more
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NZ bushtail possum

Oceania » New Zealand » South Island » Queenstown November 19th 2022

Another grey, miserable and fairly cold day – around 14 degree’s so a bit like being back in the UK really! Our plan today was to get from Te Anau round to Queenstown, with a stop off at Arrowtown on the way. We didn’t rush to get out this morning as the marathon we’d found out about the day before was due to take place in the morning and as a result there were road closures in both the places we wanted to go to today. The drive itself was lovely, as are most drives over here as they always involve views of lakes, mountains, rivers and creeks. We had a pit stop at Garston, which has the title of the most inland settlement in New Zealand. Such a pretty place and really nicely kept – ... read more
Garston Historic building
Old Garston Shunting Yard
Most Central Sign

Oceania » New Zealand » South Island » Queenstown November 8th 2022

Bonjour à tous, Pour Odile, le décalage horaire, 12H, quand tu regardes Naguy le soir à 19H, moi je me lève. Les aiguilles de ta pendule, sont sur la même position, 7H pour moi, 19H pour toi. A ce sujet, je savais que ça allait être dur, à absorber ces 12h de décalage. Comme je le préconise depuis des années, se mettre de suite à l'heure du pays, c'est plus facile vers l'ouest, ex: Canada, et il n'y a que 6H. Les somnifères comme hier au soir aide à passer de bonne nuit. Ce qui n'a pas arrangé pas les choses c'est tous ces temps de transport, il y bien sur les temps de vol, il faut pas oublier, le temps passé en salle d'attente, les formalités, les nuits en avion sans dormir. Mais là je ... read more
image du jour
route du jour
le bout du lac




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