New Zealand is as different north to south as North America is east to west. The south island is defined by a mountain ridge running down through the middle of it lending to eye popping scenery, beautiful coastal scenery, beaches, quaint harbours and magnificent fjords. The interior is a wonderland of some of the most beautiful treks in the world with mountain lakes, glaciers, all within reach of quaint mountain towns.
We arrived in Queensland, a town pumped on adrenalin with great restaurants, bars and entertainment. Although it has become a popular excursion trip for cruise ships it still manages to maintain its Kiwi character. Dropping our bags at the B&B we headed into town to have a look, grab a pint and walk the town.
It is situated on Lake Wakatipu, nestled among the peaks of the Remarkable mountain range. The harbour setting is breathtaking. The entertainment is along, or within a couple of blocks of the lake and the scenery is nothing short of eye candy. We discovered plenty of pubs nested in victorian buildings pumping out tunes to suit your taste but it was the wine bar featuring wall spigots of some of the best NZ wines and grown locally where we did our first tasting. It was hard not to try them all but we had a dinner reservation at Botswana Butchery which came highly recommended by our northern Kiwi friends. Dinner did not disappoint with venison, braised Rosso buck and brown butter kumara for me and smokey sweet wild salmon for my wife, accompanied by the rich flavours of local wines that only the New Zealand terroir can bring on.
If you want to be active there is so much to do to the area from kayaking on the lake, hiking a variety of trails, grabbing the gondola up the mountain to take in the view, white watering local rivers to the adrenalin infused rush of bungee jumping.
The next morning we rose to clear skies and the smell of freshly brewed coffee served by our B&B host. A great start to get us on our way to a section of the Routeburn Track at the head of Lake Wakatipu. The drive along the lake up to Glenorchy is stunning. We passed many cyclists both training and touring along the way. From Glenorchy we left the lake and, in typical Kiwi fashion the roads got narrower, then turning to metal (thats gravel to us), then down to one lane including a fjord crossing. I was pretty certain I read something about a driving restriction on the rental car agreement warning about off roading. Well, this “road” was still on the map so I could argue that if I took out the oil pan fording a stream.
We arrived at what became literally the end of the road and found a trail marker near the base of Mount Alfred. Dawning our hiking boots and packs we set off for the Routeburn Flats Hut and Routeburn Falls. The walk takes you along a valley floor lines by towering mountain ridges of the Remarkable range. The forest has a unique fresh growth smell of wood, mosses and greens foreign to me. The path is a 5 star path, well maintained complete with chicken wire grill over the wooden walkways to avoid slips. I found it amazing that we could enjoy the trails free. I expected to pay a park maintenance fee at some point but that doesn’t happen to be the case in NZ.
Places to stay:
Chalet Queenstown B&B. Lovely, friendly, clean and sharp. A great breakfast to set you up for the day.
Central Ridge Boutique Hotel. Great breakfast but be around for pre-dinner wine sampling.
Eichardt’s Private Hotel. Lakefront views in this historic hotel. Some suites have fireplaces.
Places to eat:
Botswana Butchery – our favourite but same it for a special evening as it is a bit expensive.
Vudu Cafe; wait until you try the pavlova.
Fishbone Bar and Grill: Kiwi’s live on an island, albeit a large one or two, and it is rich in seafood. My favourite fish is John Dory but nothing shabby about local snapper.
Things to do:
It’s a mountain biking mecca here so why not rent a bike and travel some of the 90km of the Queenstown Trail.
Tramping – lots to pick from. Bob’s Peak for a spectacular view. Pick up the Wakatipu Walks brochure for a full selection of walk abouts. Day walks and multiway tramps on the Routeburn Track.
Fishing charters, zip lining, horseback treks, golf, the list goes on. And all to work up a thirst for the wine tasting yet to be done.