This was a free day in Queenstown. Originally, an optional tour was offered for this day, but because of poor reviews from previous travelers, the company canceled it and has not yet replaced it. The thinking seems to be that there are so many things to do here, and so many operators willing to sell various adventure sports, that it is just as well to turn people loose and let them do their own thing.
Our thing was to sleep in a bit, then enjoy a large breakfast, followed by a walk of about 3 miles along the lakeshore. We did about 1.5 miles out and back from the hotel on the gravel trail, retracing what we had done a couple evenings before, but extending farther this time. It was a beautiful morning for a walk. Rain had been predicted, but it amounted to little more than a sprinkle.
On the way back, we passed briefly through part of the residential neighborhood that features so many beautiful and (based on the lakefront location) expensive homes. One happened to be for sale, and the realtor was having “open home” (which is New Zealand-speak for an open house). We figured, why not?
We followed the signs up a driveway into sort of a back alley, discovering that these folks all park their cars in garages on the back side, so as not to spoil the lake view. We removed our shoes, as others had done before us. The realtor immediately picked up our accent, and we admitted to being curiosity lookers. This house was priced at 2.55 million New Zealand dollars (roughly $1,685,000 U.S.) so would be just a bit(!) out of our price range, even if we had the residency permit to live here.
The house was 260 square meters — or just slightly larger than our home in Brooklyn Park. Upstairs were four bedrooms and three baths, all with greater or lesser lake views with lots of glass. Downstairs was a spacious kitchen/dining area and a living room, both opening out to a large patio overlooking the lake through large sliding glass doors. It was a beautiful home, and we could get a really good idea about how people were living in this neighborhood.
After our impromptu real estate tour, we returned to the hotel for a quick clothing change, as it was getting warmer than forecast. We also tried a Facetime to Katherine and Clara back home, but had a poor connection. Then we got onto the water taxi for a ride to Queenstown proper.
We spent our time, initially, with some people-watching and reading on a bench by the wharf. Many Australians are still on summer vacation, and this is the weekend of the Australia Day national holiday, so that brings lots of Aussies here. Today is also Chinese New Year, so hordes of Chinese tourists (who haven’t been trapped by the Corona Virus travel restrictions) are also here. There are also plenty of Americans and others from around the world, so the people-watching is very entertaining.
On Saturdays, various local artists set up tables in the park near the lake to sell their wares, so we wandered through the art fair, listening to street musicians and enjoying the general atmosphere. We then walked among the shops until it was time to purchase our tickets for the Gondola.
The Gondola is a cable system that takes people up to Bob’s Peak, on the mountain high above Queenstown, where there are scenic views, restaurants, and various adventure sport venues. One of the most popular is The Luge, which is really a bunch of little carts one can drive down a paved track — popular with kids. Others include mountain biking (many were bringing their bikes up with them on the Gondola), paragliding, and bungy jumping.
The bungy concession is operated by the same A.J. Hackett company that pioneered the whole business out at Arrowtown. However, the jump here is a little different. First, it isn’t as long of a drop. Second, rather than having the bungy cords clamped around one’s ankles, the jumper is in a full body harness. And third, there is no water at the bottom or boat to recover the jumper. Instead, after a lot of swinging around, the jumper is hoisted back up to the jump platform.
Two members of our group signed up to jump, and most of the rest of the group went to watch. One was a 75-year-old widow from Texas, who discovered that anyone at 75 and over who comes to jump gets to go for free. The second was a 60-something woman from Wisconsin. Both accomplished their mission.
After a much more tame drop for us — riding the Gondola back down to Queenstown — we got in line at Fergburger. The Fergburger claims to be the best hamburger in the world, and the line of tourists waiting to try one seems to support the claim.
The operation is efficient, and we didn’t have to wait too long. They are huge, so we split one. Whether it’s the best burger in the world is a matter of opinion, but it was a very good burger, indeed.
Our receipt at Fergburger got us a 10% discount next door at Mrs. Ferg’s gellato shop. Again, probably not the best in the world, but excellent ice cream. We missed the departure time for the next water taxi by just minutes, so there was nothing to do but find a table in the shade at the pub next to the wharf and get a beer. Other members of the group had the same idea, so we nursed our beers along until the next ferry departure. It was a good, relaxing free day in Queenstown.
Our thing was to sleep in a bit, then enjoy a large breakfast, followed by a walk of about 3 miles along the lakeshore. We did about 1.5 miles out and back from the hotel on the gravel trail, retracing what we had done a couple evenings before, but extending farther this time. It was a beautiful morning for a walk. Rain had been predicted, but it amounted to little more than a sprinkle.
We followed the signs up a driveway into sort of a back alley, discovering that these folks all park their cars in garages on the back side, so as not to spoil the lake view. We removed our shoes, as others had done before us. The realtor immediately picked up our accent, and we admitted to being curiosity lookers. This house was priced at 2.55 million New Zealand dollars (roughly $1,685,000 U.S.) so would be just a bit(!) out of our price range, even if we had the residency permit to live here.
The house was 260 square meters — or just slightly larger than our home in Brooklyn Park. Upstairs were four bedrooms and three baths, all with greater or lesser lake views with lots of glass. Downstairs was a spacious kitchen/dining area and a living room, both opening out to a large patio overlooking the lake through large sliding glass doors. It was a beautiful home, and we could get a really good idea about how people were living in this neighborhood.
After our impromptu real estate tour, we returned to the hotel for a quick clothing change, as it was getting warmer than forecast. We also tried a Facetime to Katherine and Clara back home, but had a poor connection. Then we got onto the water taxi for a ride to Queenstown proper.
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| Chinese family feeding ducks by the water taxi dock |
On Saturdays, various local artists set up tables in the park near the lake to sell their wares, so we wandered through the art fair, listening to street musicians and enjoying the general atmosphere. We then walked among the shops until it was time to purchase our tickets for the Gondola.
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