Queenstown, New Zealand: Bungy Jumping, Alpacas and Epic Views-by Edyta- Four nights in Dunedin went by fairly quickly and we soon found ourselves on the road again, driving through picturesque New Zealand scenery. Next stop was Queenstown, a touristy resort town in the middle of Otago region, situated on the beautiful Lake Wakatipu and surrounded by tall mountain ranges with snowy caps. We've heard from locals that Queenstown is a touristy place but this is not at all a bad thing. This beautiful town has something for everyone: extreme sports for daredevils, hiking trails for nature seekers, and restaurants and bars for those that prefer a relaxed vacation. We got there on November 11, 2014 and stayed for five nights. Yet again we booked a room using Airbnb. When we first saw the house we rented online we knew it would be the perfect place for us. Situated about a 15 minute drive from Queenstown, it was a remote oasis with amazing views. The owners turned out to be super sweet and we chatted with them frequently by their fireplace. A very unique thing about this place were five cute alpacas. The owners keep these funny animals as pets and lawnmowers. Every day during our stay we would go over to see them and feed them a treat of bread. One of our first activities in Queenstown was a hike up Queenstown Hill. It was a fairly quick but very steep hike in the woods. When we finally came across an open space we saw one of the most spectacular views of blue Lake Wakatipu and surrounding mountains called The Remarkables. It was really cold on the top. On our way down we saw an elderly lady walking down with two hiking sticks right at the point where the trail loop was getting pretty steep and rocky. We offered our help and she gladly accepted. It turned out that she was an Austrian lady visiting New Zealand on a tour. Some kid at the info center told her this hike would be easy but that was far from the truth. She just had two knee surgeries six months ago, but was such a good sport about it. Wanting to explore, she set out on this hike alone. We took her under our arms and walked down listening to travel stories from her youth. It felt nice to do something good. We wrapped the day with a round of drinks at Below Zero Ice Bar where, as the name suggests, everything was made of ice. During our stay in Queenstown we took a scenic drive along Lake Wakatipu to the small town of Glenorchy where we went for a walk along the Glenorchy Lagoon. It was an easy and relaxing walk with some picnic tables along the way. Aside from that, Vlad jumped off the bridge that was birthplace of bungy jumping, the Kawarau Bridge. It was here where AJ Hackett first launched the world's commercially operated bungy jumping. I think I was more nervous than Vlad. He was really excited and happy he pushed himself out of his comfort zone. Since Vlad did something daring, I decided to go paragliding. Unfortunately the weather was bad for two days and the flights kept getting cancelled due to unpredictable winds. I guess I'll have to wait to do it elsewhere. Queenstown was our favorite area of New Zealand. The surroundings were simply astounding and we loved the house in which we stayed. We were very sad to leave this place and hope to return there one day. Here are some facts about Queenstown and photos below. As always, let us know if you have any questions or comments below. Geography: Queenstown is located in the South Central part of New Zealand's South Island, region of Otago. Population: 28,000 people live in Queenstown Best Known for: Being a resort town with beautiful views; The Remarkables mountain range; Lake Wakatipu; ski slopes; extreme sports (paragliding, skydiving, bungy jumping); bungy jumping originated here and was developed by AJ Hackett; tramping (hiking) trails; Fergburger. What We Noticed: beautiful views of snow covered mountains and green rolling hills; beautiful blue color of Lake Wakatipu; lots of international tourists; souvenir shops; great selection of restaurants; two ice bars; movie theater; charming and happening town; and of course lots of sheep and cows.
Comments
Again, I am blown away by the photos. I think this is my favorite Airbnb of your trip thus far. That's like the place they use to make puzzles out of, or super organic butter and milk labels... damn! Not to mention that the alpacas and sheep have stolen my corazthon... ahhh!!! <3 @vladdy - awesome bungee shots. @edu - forget paragliding, do bungee jumping in Asia!
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