PRINCESS RIANNE ON THE RAMPAGE -
Queenstown ought to be crowned 'royally resplendent' for it is as remarkable as its mountain range of the same name. The entire neighbourhood is sheer splendour; I was stunned to be surrounded by such stunning scenery. And oh, what a beautiful morning it was! A tad nippy but ultra sunny which was just as well for the rest of the week was rain upon rain upon RAIN.
Louis Armstrong thought how wonderful it was to himself in the song and I SEE it *here*. For nature freaks such as I, this city is a heaven of sorts. The autumnal splashes of colour with its various shades of brown, yellow and orange is why I adore that this season has FALLen.
Glacial Lake Wakatipu is definitely delightful; it's really hard not to have a smile on your face amidst its thunder bolt form. The continual 'wave' of the water in NZ's 3rd largest lake is said to be the heartbeat of a huge monster named Matan, slumbering at the bottom.
Queenstown Gardens is considered one of the finest sites imaginable for a public garden and was laid out in 1876 as a place to 'promenade.' It is here that the seasonal hues really came into their own. I was having the greatest time with my boots crunching the crisp, fallen leaves underfoot and hearing the birds warble mellifluously in the treetops.
To avoid a traumatic incident with a frisbee, it is expedient to keep your eyes peeled for the discs hurtling through the air; much of the gardens are also part of the Frisbee Golf course. Some tinkers whacked me with one on the shin but funnily enough the wind may have lessened the impact and I escaped without so much as a graze.
There's so much to ooh and aah over and that's before I even get round to the fudge.. but let's get to the fudge! Remarkables Sweet Shoppe don't fudge on the fudge and actively encourage multiple tastings. I pigged out on 3 flavours during my sampling: kiwifruit, hokey pokey and passionfruit; some may REMARK that kiwifruit is an odd one for fudge .. I say NAY to you naysayers - it's fantastique!
Kawarau bridge is *the* original world home of bungy and I was glad that AJ Hackett's booking centre agreed to shuttle me there with no charge. I'm not big on danger so went purely to spectate in the adventure capital of the world. At 43 metres high it's not the scariest of drops in existence anymore but you'd NEVER catch me take the plummet. I was nervous as a mere bystander with my feet firmly fixed to the floor but it was cool to observe the daredevils put on their bravest faces and one by one leap into the unknown.
Blood curdling shrieks pierced the air and echoed throughout the gorge, as person after person dangled to an inch of DEATH. One girl buckled on the ledge and stood shakily outright petrified for several minutes and yet she didn't chicken out. Nerves, exhilaration and a sprinkling of insanity peppers the air around.
ALL THE LEAVES ARE GOLD, BUT THE SKY IS GREY -
I've been for a walk, on an Autumn day. That is, subsequent to an apple crumble danish because bad girls always begin the morning with a flaky pastry. This ol' gold rush town 'where history meets nature' is a treasure in and of itself. It is claimed that 1500 miners camped by Arrow River in 1862, after the first discovery of gold and 340 kilos of the precious metal was unearthed. The value would total approx $18 million today.
Sycamores, Ashes, Elms and Oaks were planted in 1867 along the famed tree-lined streets in this really organic, friendly corner of the world. Arrowtown excels in this season and reminds me of Niagara on the Lake; it has that same quaint quality encircling.
IS IT JUST ME OR ARE SANDFLIES AWFUL? -
I was sat on the embankment of the perfectly pretty but neither deep not fast flowing, Arrow River - poised to picnic, when these reprobate bugs attacked my face murderously. The simple dwellings of NZ's first Chinese immigrants in the Chinese Settlement Village was where 30% of Otago Southland's gold was produced. Roughly 8000 men came across to make money and then go back to their mother land. Their brick huts are my size and have been restored to resemble a genuine glimpse back in time. It was chilly while I explored which made me ponder on how the weary workers would have frozen in the harsh winters.
Such is my devotion to hot choc, that I CANNOT stop and I don't want to take it one day at a time. It has now gotten to the point where I may need to join a support group. Patagonia's ginger hot chocolate is an inviting, little secret that I will now be recreating frequently in my own kitchen.
FERG IS A MASTER OF THE BURG -
Clara and I queued 20 minutes at Fergburger just to give our orders and then had to wait another 20 for our food to be cooked; this is the extent of how popular the burgerie has become. I relished my ORIGINAL burger with fries but must comment that it was not the best burger in every single way that has been eaten in my life. Ducks were on the prowl for our crumbs, hovering as we swallowed down each bite beside Wakatipu.
It may have been cold, it might have been wet, but the views of the pulchritudinous lake are too sweet to ever forget. I don't know how many of you fully comprehend how backwards I am when it comes to electronic devices. WHY ME??? I dropped my phone, cracking more glass off the top as it shattered to the ground after I'd tripped over in the dark. The situation could have been much worse as I momentarily panicked that it had fallen into the water. Never come to me urgently for a hand with these matters or entrust me with any of your valuable possessions!!!
KIWI BIRDLIFE PARK IS KINDA AN EXPENSIVE SNOOZER -
Every inch of the acreage honours the legacy of its founders and the biz remains in the family of this sanctuary. Narrated audio guides take guests on a numbered tour of the expanse, providing factlets along the course.
The Conservation Show was insightful and had the audience learning a great deal about wildlife native to Aotearoa. Little birdies delighted with their flight but the owl was spooked. Although the host is normally opposed to fur, she actively encouraged us to purchase possum fur as the population is wildly out of control here. I believe the statistic is that there are currently 7 or 8 possums to every single person in New Zealand. I don't love that so many traps have been put out by roadsides etc to drastically diminish their number but they are destroying the forest and killing our endangered species.
WHO DOESN'T WANT TO HUG UP ON A KIWI? -
I want to cuddle one terribly! Why do they have to be creatures of the night? These endearing national icons captivated the crowds who had flocked to the Kiwi Houses in darkness to view them lunch, hop, skip and jump. This was the most active I have witnessed kiwis.
The birdies in the park are plentiful but they aren't always up for putting on a display. They're being mysterious .. it's what feathered fowl do in the Southern Hemisphere. Most likely, they're merely tolerating us being there but nonetheless it was the coolest to see some.
AN IMPOSSIBLE HILL TO CLIMB -
Nina, Clara and I took a walk in the rain up part of Queenstown Hill. We decided it wasn't needful to haul ourselves up to the top when we were being slovenly and the steps were slippery. The landscape beneath us was looking good (albeit hazy) anyway so why go above and beyond?
Communal soup from the Backpackers, had a large group of us gathered at the table as an international clan in one of the kitchens. It is kinda awesome that all it takes to bring people together is a big pot of vegetable broth. We had good chats as we slurped from our bowls, until Nicole from New York ladled out a sizeable but extremely dead cricket from her portion.
QUEENSTOWN IS PRETTY PERFECT -
It would look magical on a snowy winters day on Christmas cards! The next day on a morning lacking sufficient sun, Clara and I set off to Sunshine Bay whilst Nina did her bungy jump. Stopping only to first buy a muffin from the supermarket before trudging over the pebbly beachfront on a morning shrouded with cloud. The track is short and gentle, reaching an 8 metre waterfall.
You may be interested to hear of the legend of Lake Wakatipu.. The visible rise and fall of the water is believed to be due to the beating heart of a giant 'living' at the bottom of the lake. A Maori chief's daughter and the lover she had taken, burned him alive when her father forbade her to marry her love and had the giant kidnap her.
HAVING A BALL WITH THE BALLS -
Oh it's a jolly holiday with Kay and Rob! I was elated to get together with Kay, one of my work friends from England :) They truly are an adorable couple and I can't get over their immense generosity at allowing me to intrude their 30th wedding anniversary trip. Not only did they come to collect me from my hostel but they were sweet enough to have me stay in the beautiful home they'd booked for a few nights in Queenstown and then they treated me to an Indian feast that night too!
My murg zaffrani, tandoor-grilled chicken, saffron infused cashew curry was nicely spicy and dreamily creamy. Nobody had to encourage me to get my chops around it! It is genuinely wonderful to have familiar faces from home visit the land I am currently living in and to have a good catch up simultaneously. I couldn't have asked for greater company while dining on curry at our long overdue reunion. It is just as well we had the hilly incline to face on the way back to our modern lodgings as my belly was chocka from all the food!
I've been for a walk, on an Autumn day. That is, subsequent to an apple crumble danish because bad girls always begin the morning with a flaky pastry. This ol' gold rush town 'where history meets nature' is a treasure in and of itself. It is claimed that 1500 miners camped by Arrow River in 1862, after the first discovery of gold and 340 kilos of the precious metal was unearthed. The value would total approx $18 million today.
Sycamores, Ashes, Elms and Oaks were planted in 1867 along the famed tree-lined streets in this really organic, friendly corner of the world. Arrowtown excels in this season and reminds me of Niagara on the Lake; it has that same quaint quality encircling.
I was sat on the embankment of the perfectly pretty but neither deep not fast flowing, Arrow River - poised to picnic, when these reprobate bugs attacked my face murderously. The simple dwellings of NZ's first Chinese immigrants in the Chinese Settlement Village was where 30% of Otago Southland's gold was produced. Roughly 8000 men came across to make money and then go back to their mother land. Their brick huts are my size and have been restored to resemble a genuine glimpse back in time. It was chilly while I explored which made me ponder on how the weary workers would have frozen in the harsh winters.
Such is my devotion to hot choc, that I CANNOT stop and I don't want to take it one day at a time. It has now gotten to the point where I may need to join a support group. Patagonia's ginger hot chocolate is an inviting, little secret that I will now be recreating frequently in my own kitchen.
Clara and I queued 20 minutes at Fergburger just to give our orders and then had to wait another 20 for our food to be cooked; this is the extent of how popular the burgerie has become. I relished my ORIGINAL burger with fries but must comment that it was not the best burger in every single way that has been eaten in my life. Ducks were on the prowl for our crumbs, hovering as we swallowed down each bite beside Wakatipu.
It may have been cold, it might have been wet, but the views of the pulchritudinous lake are too sweet to ever forget. I don't know how many of you fully comprehend how backwards I am when it comes to electronic devices. WHY ME??? I dropped my phone, cracking more glass off the top as it shattered to the ground after I'd tripped over in the dark. The situation could have been much worse as I momentarily panicked that it had fallen into the water. Never come to me urgently for a hand with these matters or entrust me with any of your valuable possessions!!!
Every inch of the acreage honours the legacy of its founders and the biz remains in the family of this sanctuary. Narrated audio guides take guests on a numbered tour of the expanse, providing factlets along the course.
The Conservation Show was insightful and had the audience learning a great deal about wildlife native to Aotearoa. Little birdies delighted with their flight but the owl was spooked. Although the host is normally opposed to fur, she actively encouraged us to purchase possum fur as the population is wildly out of control here. I believe the statistic is that there are currently 7 or 8 possums to every single person in New Zealand. I don't love that so many traps have been put out by roadsides etc to drastically diminish their number but they are destroying the forest and killing our endangered species.
I want to cuddle one terribly! Why do they have to be creatures of the night? These endearing national icons captivated the crowds who had flocked to the Kiwi Houses in darkness to view them lunch, hop, skip and jump. This was the most active I have witnessed kiwis.
The birdies in the park are plentiful but they aren't always up for putting on a display. They're being mysterious .. it's what feathered fowl do in the Southern Hemisphere. Most likely, they're merely tolerating us being there but nonetheless it was the coolest to see some.
Nina, Clara and I took a walk in the rain up part of Queenstown Hill. We decided it wasn't needful to haul ourselves up to the top when we were being slovenly and the steps were slippery. The landscape beneath us was looking good (albeit hazy) anyway so why go above and beyond?
Communal soup from the Backpackers, had a large group of us gathered at the table as an international clan in one of the kitchens. It is kinda awesome that all it takes to bring people together is a big pot of vegetable broth. We had good chats as we slurped from our bowls, until Nicole from New York ladled out a sizeable but extremely dead cricket from her portion.
It would look magical on a snowy winters day on Christmas cards! The next day on a morning lacking sufficient sun, Clara and I set off to Sunshine Bay whilst Nina did her bungy jump. Stopping only to first buy a muffin from the supermarket before trudging over the pebbly beachfront on a morning shrouded with cloud. The track is short and gentle, reaching an 8 metre waterfall.
You may be interested to hear of the legend of Lake Wakatipu.. The visible rise and fall of the water is believed to be due to the beating heart of a giant 'living' at the bottom of the lake. A Maori chief's daughter and the lover she had taken, burned him alive when her father forbade her to marry her love and had the giant kidnap her.
Oh it's a jolly holiday with Kay and Rob! I was elated to get together with Kay, one of my work friends from England :) They truly are an adorable couple and I can't get over their immense generosity at allowing me to intrude their 30th wedding anniversary trip. Not only did they come to collect me from my hostel but they were sweet enough to have me stay in the beautiful home they'd booked for a few nights in Queenstown and then they treated me to an Indian feast that night too!
My murg zaffrani, tandoor-grilled chicken, saffron infused cashew curry was nicely spicy and dreamily creamy. Nobody had to encourage me to get my chops around it! It is genuinely wonderful to have familiar faces from home visit the land I am currently living in and to have a good catch up simultaneously. I couldn't have asked for greater company while dining on curry at our long overdue reunion. It is just as well we had the hilly incline to face on the way back to our modern lodgings as my belly was chocka from all the food!
