lmost all the places in the kiwi country (New Zealand) are on one side and our quintessential Queenstown is on another! Known to be a very popular holiday destination among the starlets, Queenstown has it all- adventure, alluring panoramic views, vineyards, cruising & shopping (the kind that would burn a hole in your wallet, mind you)!
The minute my troop and I landed in Queenstown, we got a (visual) taste of New Zealand that is often shown in the movies! Snow-capped mountains against crystal clear sky & brrrring breeze! The only place one would rather be!!
Flea Markets
Queenstown often hosts open markets at the city center where the locals put up stalls to showcase their creativity. From cute little hand-made baby dresses to warmly heart-felt hand-made cards, this market has it all! Of all the gorgeous things, what caught my eye were the redolent cupcake soaps that smelled even better than they looked!
Bob’s Peak:
Bob’s peak is a destination 450 meters above ground that offers a Skyline Gondola ride all the way to the top to experience one of the most magnificent views, ever! I had such an enthralling experience that I could not resist leaving without:
a) Taking a million pictures
b) Gawking the view for over an hour despite the Brrr…
c) Then sitting in the café for another hour to sip hot chocolate
d) “Checking-in” on Facebook (Ufff!) reaching out to my prospective future (imaginary) husband to get me to Bob’s peak sometime in the future (like a complete lunatic)
Adventure at it’s best
If you claim to be adventurous, you must ensure you are NOT flying out of Queenstown without:
1) White water rafting in about a degree amidst ice cold water at over 100kmph (I dare you to sit at the BACK of the raft)! The guide/drivers here have a history of quitting their mundane 9-5 job to make people experience this for a living!
When you visit this place, you will see an entire wall of fame showcasing celebrities from all over the world (Kareena Kapoor Khan, Sonam Kapoor, Imran Khan; even the Queen of England) who have taken this nerve-wracking rafting experience!
I must say 50% of my troop (literally) felt sick post this!
2) ‘AJ Hacket Bungy’- bungee jumping at Kawarau Bridge.
Known to be one of first places to have bungee jumping, AJ Hacket Bungy was one of things in my bucket list that I knew I had to do at any cost!
This experience is a lot more surreal than it looks like! The fact that you gotta ‘just jump’ off the bridge relying your life on multiple (apparently) high quality threads is quite a risk! It took me two rounds of a “3,2,1 countdown” to let go & JUMP! And the second I jumped off the bridge, my mind and eyes froze! I yelled in absolute awe! Kudos to me, my folks who saw me do this!
Disclaimer: Don’t try this in the vicinity of your loved ones!
Milford Sound (fiord) Cruise
New Zealand that is very correctly known for its mind boggling beauty, offers its’ guests all the beauty summarized in the Milford Sound cruise! This 100-minute cruise shows you the geological drama of cliffs, waterfalls, glaciers and rainforests. It also gives you a chance (on a lucky day) to say hello to seals & dolphins! It starts from lake Te Anau and goes out into the Tasman Sea and back.
Things ‘not’ to miss in Queenstown if you are a food hog:
1) Ferg’s Burger is known all over NZ –
Overtly popular for its exotic protein burger, Fergburger (eating joint) is always crowded and is known to have 20-minute queue almost every single day! This perhaps is one of the grub’s nobody seems to get enough of!
2) Patagonia’s ice cream
I’ve tried ice-creams & chocolates at way too many places but what Patagonia has to offer is something phantasmagoric!!!!
It’s abundantly rich flavors and hand crafted quality chocolates are a must-have at Queenstown!
3) Cookie Time Bar
If you are a cookie lover, then this is just the space for you! It’s super adorbs ambience and to ‘kill-for lip-smacking’ cookies would make you wanna run back to Queenstown for more!
DID YOU KNOW?
Bungee Jumping at the Kawarau bridge (established in 1988) was the FIRST commercial bungee operations in the world! So now we know who ‘invented’ bungee jumping! Yikes!
Australia is a paradise on earth