Queenstown, NZ

“Whenever I get stressed I just want to hop on a plane to Queenstown.”

John Travolta

I finally reached Queenstown, one of the most visited cities in New Zealand, and considered to be the adventure capital of the world. Basically all happy things can be found here; burgers, a vibrant nightlife, thrill-seeking activities, wineries, mountains, and lakes. The drive from Wanaka to Queenstown involves steep curvy roads, and frightened me at times. I cannot imagine driving larger cars than my own on that route!

While approaching town, a heavy rainstorm hit, with such strong winds that trees were being knocked down. Everybody drove slowly and you could hear sirens all around; the poor visibility combined with branches throughout the roads were not an ideal combination. The storm lasted maybe 30 minutes and then completely cleared up to sunshine and lovely weather. It reminded me of the unpredictable weather back home in Colorado.

Unfortunately I couldn’t enjoy my first couple days in Queenstown; I caught a cold. I suppose with two months of traveling and being surrounded by others in shared spaces, I was bound to get ill sooner or later. However, the timing was horrible because in three days, I was supposed to leave for a non-refundable grand hiking adventure that I had booked many months ago. I needed to heal as quickly as possible.

The first night, I stayed in a hostel called the Jucy Snooze. This was a unique experience because the hostel consists of rooms full of space-like pods. You check in on a machine, get assigned a room and pod with a card, and then you place this key card into a slot in the pod, which powers it. The power just consists of light and a fan. The bed was actually pretty comfortable and I appreciated having privacy in a pod. But since I felt sick that first night, I did not sleep well, and left in the morning to switch to an AirBnb. These were quite expensive around here, but I knew I needed to be somewhere secluded where I could focus on getting better.

I spent several days eating chicken soup, drinking ginger tea, taking Vitamin C, and sleeping. It paid off; I bounced back relatively fast, and I was actually able to reschedule the hiking trip to four days later, so that gave me even more time to recover. I like to think that my immune system will be stronger after I’m done traveling because I’ll have been exposed to so many people and places.

I switched to a different AirBnb after several days, where I met an Australian woman named Susan and we really hit it off. This AirBnb was run like a high-end hostel; there were four bedrooms with clear labels on all doors and devices. All of the rooms were filled when I stayed there and I got to know other travelers in the kitchen/social area in the evenings. Susan was traveling around New Zealand while her daughter was on a cruise around the country.

I tried to find easier activities to do around Queenstown as to not be too tired before my hiking trip. One of these was a short walk to a place called Queenstown Hill, where you get great views of the town. Blessed with beautiful weather, I reveled in the alpine scenery and views of Lake Wakatipu.

In the afternoon, Susan and I met up and rode a gondola up to a spot where there were even more beautiful views of the town. At the top, there was a large luge park, so we bought tickets to ride the luge hills for a couple hours.

Going into it, I wasn’t sure what to expect because when I hear luge, I think of the (dangerous) Olympic sport on ice. But this luge, we would call it alpine sledding back home; you ride a little wheeled cart down a concrete track.

We had lots of fun and rode down a total of four times. I let myself slide pretty fast at times and got my blast of adrenaline for the day. At the bottom of the hill, we rode ski lifts to get back to the top. Overall, a well designed activity with great scenery, for people of all ages.

The next day, I slept in while Susan went canyoning in Queenstown. Later in the day, I picked her up and we drove about 30 minutes out of the city to Gibbston Valley Estate to sample some wines. This winery is well known in the area and it certainly lived up to its hype. I savored the delectable wine so much that I bought some bottles to be delivered to my family back home. I just cannot get enough of wines in New Zealand, especially Pinot Gris.

I wanted to see bungee jumping in action, because this activity was invented in New Zealand and the world’s first commercial bungee jump is at the Kawarau Bridge Bungy. The height is 43 meters, or 141 feet, with the Kawarau river below. We arrived right before they closed for the day and had a chance to see one person leap off the bridge. She made it look easy and fun, and I actually considered bungee jumping myself.

We walked across the bridge and peered over the edge after they closed down, and my fear of heights kicked in again and I thought that maybe I don’t need to partake in this activity. Maybe one day I will return when I feel more courageous, and hopefully with a willing friend to participate.

In the evening, we strolled around the city and visited Queenstown Gardens, a beautiful and tranquil setting. My favorite was a garden full of roses of all colors. All around us people were enjoying a warm summer day, playing frisbee and wandering around.

I should mention burgers in Queenstown; there are several highly rated burger joints in the city that draw in tourists. The most famous one is Fergburger, an incredibly busy restaurant with some of the best burgers in the country. My first night in Queenstown, I tasted this burger after having waited for about half an hour, and it was delicious but I cannot say it was the best burger I’ve ever had.

My favorite would be a place in Seattle called 8 oz burger; they are absolutely mouthwatering here. Tied to this restaurant, I adore Buger Tap & Shake in Washington D.C. I cannot decide which one I like more. I’m glad I tried Fergburger though and I recommend all visitors do so to get the experience.

Particularly in the evenings, the Queenstown streets are teeming with life. Any day of the week, restaurants are full of life and bars are consumed with people drinking until the early AM. It is the most bustling place I have visited in New Zealand at night. While recovering from my malady and preparing for a week long hiking trip, I never ventured out late in Queenstown. In addition, I knew it would be expensive, so I just shared a bottle of wine with people in my hostel, leaving me content.

On my last morning in Queenstown when time came for me to head over to the bus that would take me to my hiking trip, I drove to a parking garage in town to leave my car for the week while I was gone. Not being a morning person and running late as always, I was in a bit of a hurry. When turning into a parking spot next to the wall, I drove too fast and smashed my front left bumper into the cement wall. It left a sizable dent, a horrible start to my day. I didn’t even want to think about how much it would cost to repair the damages and how much in value the price of my car just dropped from one moment of recklessness. Leaving on my hike, I told myself I would just have to put this problem aside in my mind and allow myself to enjoy nature for the next week.

Queenstown is a gorgeous resort town, with a captivating vibe, and full of adventure. But I felt that there were just too many people, tourists mostly, and it was all a bit much for me with everything costing so much. I preferred Wanaka to Queenstown, but I believe both towns are a must-visit on any New Zealand trip.

-Anastasia