Queenstown, the Adventure Capital of the World

We arrived in Queenstown about noon on Monday, Feb. 8 and immediately got on a bus to drive north east to Arrowtown. This was the site of a gold rush in the 1800’s and is now a one street tourist Mecca with shops and restaurants. Later we checked into the Heritage Queenstown Hotel which is located several blocks from the center of town.

Queenstown is known as the “Adventure Capital of the World.” People come here to bungee jump, jet ski, 4 wheel drive, hydro boat, zip line, etc. We didn’t come here to do that, but have enjoyed watching those activities. Queenstown is located along the shores of Lake Wakatipu  with the Remarkable Mountains to the west. The town mainly consists of stores, restaurants, tourist attractions, and apartments. Most of the employment is tourist oriented and lots of young people come here to work and play.

On our second day we traveled to Milford Sound which is on the western shore of South Island. It was a fairly long bus trip because we had to cross the Remarkable Mountains which go directly north to south along the western coast of South Island (much like the Rocky Mountains). Milford Sound is one of 14 fjords along this western coast line. It is in Fiordland National Park, a World Heritage site which occupies the south west corner of South island.

We had a lovely cruise out to the Tasmin Sea and back admiring the hundreds of waterfalls cascading down the sheer rock walls. We saw seals sunning on the rocks and lots of birds. The fjords were formed by glaciers and there is even a glacial moraine at the end of the Sound where the water is quite shallow.

We got to see more of the New Zealand country side and learn more about the country as we drove. We saw lots of sheep in the pastures. The primary tree was the beech tree (not like our beech) which made good wind breaks for the sheep. However, the land is being transferred over to cattle for dairy farming and many of the trees are being cut for pasture. They also raise deer to sell for venison. New Zealand is also known for honey production and the Manuka tree is a favorite for the bees. Unfortunately, they are also cutting those down for pasture land. I guess we never learn not to fool with Mother Nature!

Don at statue of William Rees, Queenstown NZ