en route to Queenstown
due to bad weather conditions and heavy snowfall further up the road, we were stuck in franz josef an extra day. the haast pass, our road to queenstown, was closed and although most of us were a little fed up of the miniature town, the threat of avalanches soon quelled our irritation! the days were spent watching films in the very cosy hostels which all had log fires, checking internet in the most novel place i have ever seen, a converted red bus with seats and computers inside. and of the weather cleared up considerably the last day we were there, and gave the opportunity of taking rainforest walks or walking up to the start of the glacier. and of course, the other pastime was to frequent one or more of the 3 pubs in the place. to say the least though, four days was more than plenty to have been there, and myself and rest of my magic companions were all very relieved to be on the road again, to the promise of a buzzing nightlife and exceptional acitivities which i had heard so much about from other travellers almost as soon as i arrived in new zealand. we were heading to queenstown!
en route we stopped at lake matheson for some kodak moments. with the southern alps as a backdrop and frosted fields in front, i snapped away with the best of them (as much as my dying batteries would allow).
for 6 nights in queenstown it went by in a complete flash, most likely because i dont think i have ever done so much in such a short space of time! the hype of queenstown is not overdone at all, but you would be surprised at the actual size of the town. its central streets full of shops, restaurants, pubs and clubs only consists of two or 3 parallel roads, and the yha i stayed at was considered ´far´ from the centre, which amounted to a 10 or 15 minute walk! the fantastic view made up for this entirely though, as i got to walk beside lake Wakatipu every morning and evening. i have duplicates of photos im sure, as i couldnt resist taking a piccie or two every time i encountered it! the weather too, though bitterly cold, was bright and clear, and absolutely perfect for every activity i undertook.
out first evening in queenstown would not have been complete without sampling the infamous ´ferg burger´ which has received cult status in the town, and craved by many long after they have left. it is certainly the most massive burger i have seen in my life, and filled with fresh lettuce and tomato, alioli and relish. it definitely brought a whole new level to what a burger should taste like!
the next morning was a bright and early 7am departure to milford sound. possibly the longest day trip ever, the journey there was 5 hours long, followed by a 90 minute boat trip, and 5 hours to return. well worth all the effort though, for a gorgeous landscape, and clear blue skies, which all added to the effect. sailing through the fiords on glittering waters with lush mountains on either side, it was an incredible conglomerate of pure blues and greens that literally sparkled.
included in our trip was a ´lunch´ which amounted to a filled roll. this would not have seemed at all insubstantial if it wasnt for the large group of tourists from japan who were given a full buffet meal and ice cream. i had wondered why they sectioned off the ´backpackers´ to the side!
spectacular views over queenstown followed on the next day as i took a ride on the gondola to take it all in. in a complete blank of stupidity i had amusingly looked forward to the ´gondola ride´ acitivity in the booklet as a boatride like you would find in venice, or ´punt´ in cambridge. everyone else of course found this very funny, and even more so when they saw my visible disappointment that it was a cable car… the view from the top, though, looked out onto snowy mountain ranges and waters that showed the occasional boat sail past from afar, and i watched people yelping and giggling away as they did the popular ´luging´, or go-karting down tarmacked race tracks.
the next day i took a trip to wanaka, a town about an hour and a half away from queenstown, to see an old school friend, lizzie, who works as a ski instructor and who i hadnt seen in over 6 years. it is amazing who you encounter as you travel, and i had a great time catching up, playing (terrible) pool (on my part) and trying to piece together where and what we had both been up to all that time. naturally, we had to take a picture with an envious view over lake wanaka and the mountains in the background in a ´wish you were here´ type pose!
on an impulse of indulgence, the next day was taken up with snowboarding on one of the slopes, cardrona. of course, i had the beginners pack, which basically meant the whole day was taken up with lessons, a good thing in some ways as i dont know how i would have faired if i had been left to make havoc on the slopes! the bus that took us to cardrona had to put chains on the wheels as we got closer to the slopes, due to heavy snowfall. all this meant that the journey up took not the 1 ½ hours, but 3, as we crawled slowly and carefully uphill. got kitted out, and was quite pleased with myself after the first 2 hour lesson that i had not fallen over on the last 2 attempts down the slope. all this changed in the next lesson, however, as the new instructor whisked us up almost immediately to a much higher slope and taught us turns, which i just could not seem to master. lots of falling on my backside ensued, but i enjoyed it nonetheless!
from my feet attached firmly to my snowboard, the next day brought my feet much less firmly on the stirrups of a horse… yes, i´m afraid i resorted to the ultimate in lord of the rings geekishness, this was the ´ride of the rings´.
i seem to have worn a lot of oversized and bizarre clothing so far in my time in new zealand, but nothing compares to what i was wearing today. A dark brown and full length (on me) oilskin jacket you would imagine a highway robber wearing in an R.L stevenson novel, stylish wellies and a helmet. i am almost embarassed to show you a picture of it… but not quite.
i was set upon chester the smallest and fattest of the bunch, though not the less feisty for it. i was told he was something of a don in the stables, and the muscle of the group. in practice this meant that he pretty much did what he liked, and continuously nipped the other horses in the bum. we were shown how to get the horse to start walking, turn right, left and how to stop. (you would be amazed at how natural the word woah is to say!) all very simple really, but still one of the most unnerving things i have done, especially as chester would deteminedly take me up and down steeper inclines and jump over obstacles. the horses were well trained though, and the guide was most certainly the boss. it was funny to witness all the different characteristics of the horses. one horse, who seemed to stay at the back of the line constantly, did not like to get his feet muddy and would take the long route round every crossing. the hierarchy was also very visible in the order of the horses, and chester would continuously strive (to the point of gallop) to remain as close behind the guide as possible.
the scenery was completely mindblowing though, and in all honesty i was so overwhelmed i cant remember half of what the guide told us of the places and sites where this and that were filmed (including prince caspian and wolverine). after ongoing chit-chat amongst us all, it faded into an almost complete silence as we reached the end of our trek through serene valleys and shady forests. it was an absolute highlight in my time of new zealand, and a beauty i am still blown away by as i look at the imitation photos i hastily tried to take (with one hand as the other was grasped firmly to the reigns, as a result most of the pictures are not exactly straight…i suppose thats what photoshop is for…note chesters ear in the photo below)
the amazing experience did come with a price however, for as i got off chester i seemed to have forgotten that i had legs, and that they could move. i felt like a wooden doll as i clambered back into the van that would take us back, and the pain in my thighs was to continue for a day or two yet..
