Queenstown Thrills

Queenstown is the adventure and adrenaline fuelled centre of New Zealand...and was to be our next destination. If bungy jumping, canyoning, parascending, sky diving or jet boating are your thing this is the place to come. The town also happens to be in the centre of a beautiful mountain area and sits on the shore of Lake Wakatipu with the backdrop of the Remarkables range of mountains.

Lake Wakatipu and The Remarkables

Our campsite was only 5 minutes walk from the centre of the town. It was compact and quirky..with toilets that had received a unique interior design treatment!

On our first day we walked around the town, along the lake shore and treated ourselves to a Fergburger. Fergburgers are a million miles from MacDonalds in terms of  the freshness of the ingredients,  the range and the taste. People queue at busy times and it wasn't difficult to understand why they are so popular. We also booked a trip for the following morning, which meant an early start.

The jet boat is a New Zealand institution and I'd wanted to try one before we left. There are several jet boat companies operating in Queenstown but the one I'd selected combined two thrills in one outing. The Skippers Canyon jet, like most jet boat companies, offers speed, 360° turns and thrills galore but unlike the other companies includes rather an interesting road trip before you arrive at the jet boat. Mrs B. had bravely decided to join me..but I hadn't told her too much about the approach road...which was probably wise. At 8.30 am a small 4 wheel drive coach picked us up and we set off  on a steep mountain road. Then we left tarmac and started a 13 mile trip along a narrow, unsealed, twisting road with sheer drops. A few days later whilst drinking coffee and browsing the local newspaper we came across this article:

Its a good job Mrs B. hadnt seen this earlier. As it was the drive was spectacular. We saw the rocks that had been used as the Gates of  Mordor in the Lord of the Rings films (plus a bit of CGI) and every turn in the road brought a fresh view of our exposed situation. We passed a part of the road that had collapsed a few months earlier..necessitating cutting through fresh rock to open up a new route.

Part of the Skippers Canyon Rd...

Eventually we arrived in Skippers Canyon itself, donned lifebelts and waterproof capes and set off at breakneck speeds down the canyon passing inches from the rock walls. It was tremendous fun..we hurtled around bends and saw another LOTR location (the ford of Bruien) before heading back along the canyon at 60mph. Mrs B seemed to enjoy herself...but was shrieking at regular intervals.

Mrs B....making a lot of noise!

I returned happy..but slightly deaf in one ear!

Later that day we went up the Skyline Gondola which took us 450 meters up above Queenstown and dined in the Skyline restaurant with panoramic views from our window table. After far too much food we wandered around at the top of the hill and walked through a forest getting views of Ben Lomond. We then returned to find keas investigating the chair lift apparatus. Their natural curiosity served as a good diversion whilst we waited for sunset. Watching the sun go down over the Remarkables made for a peaceful end to a day that had started with plenty of thrills.

Whilst there had been a buzz to Queenstown, which was enjoyable for a short time, we were both keen to leave after a couple of days to experience somewhere a little more restful. We decided to decamp and explore the beautiful landscape in the surrounding area. Heading to the Dart River and the settlement of Glenorchy we set off on gravel back roads to find Lake Sylvan...and eventually found a place to start a walk. Crossing a swing bridge led to regenerating New Zealand beech forest, along an old logging tramway. Moss covered rocks, birdsong and a green light filtered through the tree canopy made for an almost otherworldly atmosphere and a sense of isolation. We found Lake Sylvan itself surrounded by trees and beyond high mountains.

Lake Sylvan

After a few more diversions we headed to a Department of Conservation campsite at Moke Lake about 8 miles up in the hills. This peaceful and somewhat remote location was used in the BBC drama 'Top of the Lake'  screened last year. It was a lovely place to camp and the on site warden was really friendly.

Peaceful Moke Lake

Unfortunately I had an increasingly dodgy travellers tummy so we didn't do too much other than feed a few ducks and watch the sun go down over the hills. The following morning Mrs B. left the camper to visit the toilets whilst I stayed dozing in bed. My slumbers were disturbed by a loud clattering and banging noise on the camper and I thought Mrs B. was trying to wake me up in a rather unsubtle manner. I got out of bed, out into a chilly misty morning to find no sign of Mrs B.....but there were 2 keas on the roof of Ned. I tried to entice then down but they seemed determined to wreak havoc..so worried about the camper and not wanting a repair bill I squirted one of them with a water bottle. It worked...it flew down, followed by its mate, hopped around in front of me with a very hurt expression. Then it flew a few meters and started to investigate a fellow campers tent. After a quick breakfast we left the keas to their mischief and made our departure..we were headed to Arrowtown and the promise of gold.