Exploring Queenstown, New Zealand

After arriving in Auckland late in the evening and spending the night in an airport hotel, I flew straight down to Queenstown to start my kiwi adventure.

And what a place to start it, Queenstown is truly beautiful. A little town sitting on the edge of Lake Wakatipu, nestled in amongst snow-capped mountains and evergreen forests, it's easy to see why millions of people choose to visit Queenstown every year. For such a small place, it is an extremely popular destination and accommodation gets booked up fast, so make sure you book in advance if you're planning a visit. I stayed in the Adventure Q2 hostel, which I would highly recommend, it's one of the best hostels I've stayed in (and I've stayed in a lot!) because I think it gets the balance just right between accommodating those who want to party and those who want to sleep! My time in Queenstown combined jet lag and early starts meaning I definitely fell in the latter camp, so I very much appreciated their quiet hours. A major bonus for me was the fact that every bed has a curtain so I could snuggle up in my own little pod in privacy!

I arrived mid afternoon on Friday, and spent the rest of the day sorting myself out and arranging tours and bungy. I'd originally planned to drive myself to Milford Sound on Saturday and join a boat tour there, but after talking about it at the hostel's tour desk I decided it would probably be more cost effective to go with a coach trip. Although as the crow flies Queenstown is only about 50km from Milford, there is just the small matter of the Southern Alps in between - if you're not flying you've got to go around them, making it a four hour drive each way! While as a Brit the fuel prices in New Zealand are pretty normal for me, they're still by no means cheap, and an eight hour drive would end up costing me a fair bit, especially as a solo traveller with no one to share the cost with. So coach it was, and though it meant that the car I'd hired sat out of use for a day, at least it was much better for the environment that way!

I went with Go Orange, who have a backpackers discount, so I paid $129 for coach and cruise, which I think was a pretty good deal. As someone who has been known to get VERY travel sick, I was nervous about the coach ride, but thankfully had no problems at all. Our driver, Bob, was great, the journey was smooth and he provided an excellent commentary along the way. To say the journey was scenic would be an understatement, it was spectacular, and we stopped off at a couple of the most photogenic spots. My favourite being the aptly named mirror lakes.

The Mirror Lakes

Once at Milford we began our cruise almost immediately and it did not disappoint. The scenary was stunning, I'll let my pictures do the talking for me on that account.

I was so lucky to pick a day that was clear, which according to our guide is a rarity at this time of year, as I got to see the Sound in all its glory, and our boat was able to get right up close to the waterfalls! The cruise was smooth (again, no travel sickness thank goodness!) and our driver provided a great commentary. Sailing between the imposing peaks was breathtaking. We were even served a free lunch! The highlight of the cruise for me was definitely Stirling Falls, pictured below with another boat approaching it to give you perspective of just how huge and magnificent it is. I was also super excited to see seals for the first time, though I didn't know then that there would be many more to come throughout my New Zealand trip.

Getting right up close to Stirling Falls

I would definitely recommend Go Orange if you're looking for a Milford Sound tour company, though to be honest I think you can't go wrong with any of them. If you are planning to drive, the roads are steep and windy but as long as you're a confident driver you should be good. Be aware, though, that there are often avalanches throughout winter, so be sure to check the weather and safety recommendations before you set off.

Two sunbathing seals

Mitre Peak

Back in Queenstown I had booked myself in for another incredible experience the next morning- albeit of the more thrilling variety - the Nevis Swing. It's the biggest swing in the world, with a 70m freefall and a 300m arc. I've always wanted to bungy, but I don't think I would physically be able to make myself jump off, plus I have an irrational fear of my knees getting dislocated... A giant swing was the perfect alternative then! The feeling of being dropped from a height and going into freefall was crazy. There is a split second when, after you hear them press the release button, you feel suspended in mid-air, then the drop comes. And all at once it is exhilarating and terrifying and awful and amazing. I'm a quiet person, but I think it was an instinctive reaction to scream at the top of my lungs! When the freefall ends you are left to swing. I let go and hung upside down like a bat, enjoying the sensation of weightlessness while making pretend snow angels in mid air. It was an experience I'll never forget, although hopefully it won't be once in a lifetime!

I had picked the earliest slot by necessity, having left it too late, but it worked out very well for me as it meant the rest of the day was free to explore. After making myself a nice brunch in the hostel kitchen I went for a stroll around the lake and took in the absolutely beautiful scenery. I then drove off in search of Lord of the Rings filming locations... I think I'll save that for a separate blog though. Of course I wasn't able to motivate myself to write while on the road, and I'm running about a month behind, but bear with me and hopefully I'll catch up soon. The next stop on my trip was probably my favourite, Mount Cook Village.