Queenstown
New Zealand’s adventure capital.
Queenstown is renowned for its adventure sports, outdoor activities, ferg burgers and stunning backdrop of the Southern Alps. We can honestly say that this place should be anyone's excuse to visit New Zealand. Having been unlucky with the weather on the West Coast, we arrived into Queenstown with the sun blazing and streets buzzing with life. Having planned four nights in Queenstown, when we arrived we were questioning whether it was enough! We checked into Nomad’s Queenstown, which is super necessary to book in advance because Queenstown is now such a popular tourist destination that there is a serious lack of accommodation for travellers looking to spend time here. Hostels all average around 30-34 dollars per night.
Queenstown is named ‘the adventure capital of the world’, and so there’s loads on offer, however do bear in mind to save some money if you want to get involved. There are bungee jumps, sky dives, jet boating, skiing, mountain biking, paragliding, windsurfing and so on…
Skyline Queenstown Luging is set high above Lake Wakatipu and has two thrilling tracks with the most incredible scenery as your backdrop. For those unsure of what luging is, its essentially like a very basic go-kart track but with no motor, and downhill. We went with a group of friends which was great fun, be warned it can get pretty brutal! Heading up to the luging also gives you the chance to travel up the gondola and see those remarkable views, you also get a sneak peak of the AJ Hackett bungee that looks over Queenstown.
For all those foodies out there Queenstown is the one. Having done our time in South America, we had met so many people from all over the world and had heard so much about the Ferg burger by around 10 different people… Ferg Burger is a busy joint known for its high end, inventive burgers and has been voted one of the top ten burger joints in the world. Safe to say we were pretty excited! And it certainly did not disappoint, if visiting make sure to indulge in the Chief Wiggum with slow roasted pork belly, lettuce, tomato, red onion, hash brown, alioli and apricot seeded mustard! If your looking for a quick fix and the Ferg Burger queue doesn’t cut it (normally around 45 minute wait!) then a visit to Devil Burger next to Nomads is a good option, some say these burgers are equally delicious to Ferg's. Joe’s Garage is another great restaurant with outdoor seating, it has a seriously good breakfast menu which runs all day, and is perfect for a hangover cure. Also next to Nomads is Balls & Bangles, a bagel shop with your wildest creations of not only bagels but also donuts and milkshakes. The milkshakes are like a work of art, this chocolate flavour one was topped with a brownie, ice cream, chocolate cream, oreos, maltesers, chocolate sauce, and a syringe filled with nutella. Safe to say I had to have a nap after I was done with it.
A great trek to do from Queenstown is Ben Lomond. It’s a full days walk and can be pretty tough, especially considering weather conditions at the top. The views are insane, you can see a 360 degree view of the snow capped peaks of the Southern Alps. Just be sure to bring some sugary snacks and also warm clothes with you, no matter how warm it is in QT before you leave it can get very chilly at the top.
