BLOG POST 32
We were on our way to the picturesque Queenstown known as the youthful city and an year round resort town in Otago in South Island it has an urban population of 15,300
Although celebrated as New Zealand's ‘adventure capital’ Queenstown offers far more for people who are on holiday. Snugly sitting on the shores of Lake Wakatipu beneath a soaring panorama of the Remarkables Mountain Range, this alpine town is surrounded by a variety of historic, gastronomic and scenic wonders.
It was evening by the time our bus reached our hotel and we got our luggage put into our rooms
The hotel Copthorne Hotel and Resort Queenstown Lakefront was conveniently located within walking distance to the centre of Queenstown and was just a few minutes stroll from the picturesque Lake Wakatipu.
The rooms were big ,clean and spacious and to my delight we had a direct view of the lake Wakatipu .We freshened up and set going without wasting much time to explore the town and have dinner
Queenstown was carved out of the land by glaciers, rivers and lakes, Thanks to generations of daring and determined people, Queenstown is now a diverse area easily approachable for visitors from around the globe.
But it wasn’t always the case. Before the easy modes of travel now taken for granted, getting to Queenstown was an adventure and often a painfully difficult one.
The town is built around an inlet called Queenstown Bay on Lake Wakatipu, a long thin Z-shaped lake formed by glacial processes, and has views of nearby mountains such as The Remarkables, Cecil Peak, Walter Peak and just above the town, Ben Lomond and Queenstown Hill.
Lake Wakatipu With a length of 80 kilometres is New Zealand's longest lake, and its third largest. The lake is also very deep, its floor being below sea level, with a maximum depth of 380 metres .The general topography is a reversed "N" shape or "dog leg". The lake is drained by the Kawarau River, which flows out from the lake's Frankton Arm, 8 km east of Queenstown.
Lake Wakatipu is renowned for its scenic beauty, being surrounded by mountains. The Remarkables mountain range lies along its south eastern edge. It is a popular venue for adventure tourism, with ski fields, paragliding, bungy jumping and tramping tracks within easy reach.
The water in the lake is very clean at 99.9% purity, probably cleaner than bottled water. Because of its depth and clarity the water changes colour depending on the weather, however it being very cold is not suitable for swimming
There are 3 inland lakes (Lake Hawea,Lake Wakatipu and Lake Wanaka.) Queenstown is well known for its tourism, especially adventure and ski tourism.
The area was discovered and first settled in by Māoris. The first non-Māori to see Lake Wakatipu was European Nathanael Chalmers ably guided by Mr Reko in September 1853.
However European explorers William Gilbert Rees and Nicholas were the first non-Maoris to settle in the area.
Rees established a high country farm in the location of Queenstown's current town centre in 1860, but discovery of gold in the Arrow River in 1862 encouraged Rees to convert his wool shed into a hotel named the Queen's Arms, now known as Eichardt’s.
In January 1863 the town was officially named Queenstown with reference to Ireland’s Queenstown.
Queenstown boasts of an awesome 220 adventure tourism activities. One can name it, the city has it . Skiing and snow boarding.jet boarding, white water rafting, bungy jumping, mountain biking, skate boarding, tramping, paragliding, sky diving and fly fishing to name a few.
Queenstown is a major centre for snow sports, Every year from early June onwards, the town transforms into a winter wonderland, attracting snow sports enthusiasts from around the world with its incredible lake , alpine scenery, crisp blue-sky days, easy access to some of New Zealand's finest ski and snowboard terrain and vibrant ski scenes.
Most famous world first commercial Bungy operation was launched on 12th November 1988, at the historic Kawarau Bridge located in a canyon just outside Queenstown. People have been flinging themselves off this 43-meter bridge since 1988
Initially considered to be a passing fad by many locals, the bungy jump quickly became an international phenomenon and draws in thousands of visitors every year.
The bungy has also inspired more world-first, gravity-defying adventures such as canyon swings and zip rides, each one duly complementing the natural landscape they are set in.
Queenstown is also the birthplace of tandem paragliding, pioneered by late Bruce Grant. The sport was launched commercially in 1990, along with freefall photography. In fact, some of the finest views of this stunning area are now enjoyed from the sky.
The cosmopolitan town has a welcoming, vibrant energy that resonated across the resort to make it a unique all over the year holiday destination.
We found it big enough to offer a wide range of accomodation, activities, ski fields, events, eateries and bars , yet small and cosy enough to make us feel like we belonged .I personally rate Queenstown as the best city in the entire country
We followed the directions given and walked down to the town centre .We found a huge youthful crowd gathered outside a restaurant and saw that it was Fergburger’s forgotten brother, Fergbaker selling gourmet desserts and pies.It was famous and tourists
Next we did some free fudge tasting at the Remarkable sweet shop. After tasting varieties like cookies and cream, apple pie, white rum and chocolate, we felt it would be rude not to buy anything so we bought a block of fudge
With a mall and streets compact with clothes, souvenirs, outdoor gear and rentals, we saw no lack of shopping opportunities in Queenstown but as we were used to, we mainly did window shopping.
The bus service in Queenstown was Connectabus taking passengers to outer suburbs and nearby Arrowtown and Wanaka.
We then wandered to the water front to Steam Wharf and could see the historic steamboat, the TSS Earnslaw. For more than a century the ship has docked here, giving Steamer Wharf its name. A number of other boats and yachts call the wharf home too, and numerous operators offer leisure cruises to look out
Steamer Wharf had more than 10 bars, including the Minus 5 Ice Bar, constructed entirely out of ice. Many of the establishments along the wharf offered open-air dining, allowing tourists to take in the views of the lake
The harbour view with the stunning mountain background gave us a picture post card feeling .The ambience was very festive
There were buskers with people flocking around them, boats coming and going, ducks were being fed
We started searching for an Indian restaurant as our taste buds were almost threatening to go on a hunger strike for spicy food. We could see many amazing cafes and restaurants, casinos and dessert shops on offer ,surprisingly we could find piano players on the streets
Suddenly we heard Indian music from around a corner ,it was like bliss pouring into our ears ,we rushed into the restaurant from where we could hear a popular Telugu song and Eureka ! we found an Indian restaurant and settled down with a happy sigh.
The owner of the restaurant who was busy checking something on his laptop came to us and warmly welcomed us .He told my husband “ sir you are very fortunate to be sitting in a VIP chair “.We were intrigued ,which VIP ,mutely we asked him ,he mentioned a famous political leader
We had a very satisfying spicy meal and left the restaurant with our appetites and taste buds satisfied
We were on our way to the picturesque Queenstown known as the youthful city and an year round resort town in Otago in South Island it has an urban population of 15,300
Although celebrated as New Zealand's ‘adventure capital’ Queenstown offers far more for people who are on holiday. Snugly sitting on the shores of Lake Wakatipu beneath a soaring panorama of the Remarkables Mountain Range, this alpine town is surrounded by a variety of historic, gastronomic and scenic wonders.
The hotel Copthorne Hotel and Resort Queenstown Lakefront was conveniently located within walking distance to the centre of Queenstown and was just a few minutes stroll from the picturesque Lake Wakatipu.
Queenstown was carved out of the land by glaciers, rivers and lakes, Thanks to generations of daring and determined people, Queenstown is now a diverse area easily approachable for visitors from around the globe.
But it wasn’t always the case. Before the easy modes of travel now taken for granted, getting to Queenstown was an adventure and often a painfully difficult one.
The town is built around an inlet called Queenstown Bay on Lake Wakatipu, a long thin Z-shaped lake formed by glacial processes, and has views of nearby mountains such as The Remarkables, Cecil Peak, Walter Peak and just above the town, Ben Lomond and Queenstown Hill.
The water in the lake is very clean at 99.9% purity, probably cleaner than bottled water. Because of its depth and clarity the water changes colour depending on the weather, however it being very cold is not suitable for swimming
The area was discovered and first settled in by Māoris. The first non-Māori to see Lake Wakatipu was European Nathanael Chalmers ably guided by Mr Reko in September 1853.
However European explorers William Gilbert Rees and Nicholas were the first non-Maoris to settle in the area.
Queenstown boasts of an awesome 220 adventure tourism activities. One can name it, the city has it . Skiing and snow boarding.jet boarding, white water rafting, bungy jumping, mountain biking, skate boarding, tramping, paragliding, sky diving and fly fishing to name a few.
The bungy has also inspired more world-first, gravity-defying adventures such as canyon swings and zip rides, each one duly complementing the natural landscape they are set in.
Queenstown is also the birthplace of tandem paragliding, pioneered by late Bruce Grant. The sport was launched commercially in 1990, along with freefall photography. In fact, some of the finest views of this stunning area are now enjoyed from the sky.
The cosmopolitan town has a welcoming, vibrant energy that resonated across the resort to make it a unique all over the year holiday destination.
We followed the directions given and walked down to the town centre .We found a huge youthful crowd gathered outside a restaurant and saw that it was Fergburger’s forgotten brother, Fergbaker selling gourmet desserts and pies.It was famous and tourists
The bus service in Queenstown was Connectabus taking passengers to outer suburbs and nearby Arrowtown and Wanaka.
The harbour view with the stunning mountain background gave us a picture post card feeling .The ambience was very festive
There were buskers with people flocking around them, boats coming and going, ducks were being fed
Suddenly we heard Indian music from around a corner ,it was like bliss pouring into our ears ,we rushed into the restaurant from where we could hear a popular Telugu song and Eureka ! we found an Indian restaurant and settled down with a happy sigh.
The owner of the restaurant who was busy checking something on his laptop came to us and warmly welcomed us .He told my husband “ sir you are very fortunate to be sitting in a VIP chair “.We were intrigued ,which VIP ,mutely we asked him ,he mentioned a famous political leader
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