On Walkabout In: Queenstown, New Zealand

After crossing Haast Pass and seeing some of New Zealand’s most spectacular scenery my wife and I rolled into the South Island tourist Mecca of Queenstown:

Queenstown is located in the south central region of New Zealand’s South Island and is centrally located to all the major attractions of the area such as the Wild West Coast, Franz Josef & Fox Glaciers, the Southwest World Heritage Area, Lake Te Anau, Milford Sound, etc.:

Queenstown sits on the beautiful crystal clear waters of Lake Wakatipu that provides recreation for both boaters and fishermen alike:

This beautiful lake along with Queenstown it self is backdropped by a number of spectacularly rugged mountains that gives this city one of the most dramatic landscapes in the world:

Notice how large and S shaped the glacier carved Lake Wakatipu looks on this Google Earth image:

Really just an amazing landscape surrounds the beautiful city of Queenstown.

The city itself is actually a small city of just over 10,000 people that actually seems like more then that due to the number of tourist that flock to this city.  The city is the home of many adrenaline fueled activities but while exploring the town, my wife and I found Queenstown actually quite a laid back city that was fun to walk around and check out the variety of small shops, restaurants, and cafes:

My wife and I stayed in a local caravan park and just a short walk from the caravan park was a ride to the top of a high peak overlooking the city:

My wife and I decided to take a ride on the gondola to the top of the mountain:

found the gondola ride to the top of the mountain to be best place to get our bearings of the Queenstown area because the view from the observation platform are unparalleled:

The view of Lake Wakatipu and the Remarkable Mountains are truly astounding:

Besides looking at the city and across the lake there are also more views to be had of some of the back canyons and valleys that surround the Queenstown area:

Besides the great scenery we were also able to spot our humble campervan down in the parking lot:

With this being Queenstown there was of course a bungee jumping platform near the viewing platform on top of the mountain:

Something I found a bit ironic was at the bottom of the mountain there is a cemetery readily available for anyone who doesn’t survive their bungee jump:

Overall Queenstown is quite a stunning place but keep in mind this place runs on tourism so expect everything that comes with a location being a tourist trap.  We spent two days in Queenstown staying at the local caravan park that was packed with backpackers.  After two days we were ready to go because the crowds were getting to us and we were glad to be on our way again. 

Next Posting: Video of Queenstown

Prior Posting: New Zealand’s Southwest World Heritage Area

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