Record Breaker

Dedication, dedication

Lake Wakatipu

If you wanna be a record break-er, Oooooh.

Sorry got a bit carried away there, always liked that theme tune and also had it rattling around in my noggin on visiting Baldwin Street, the world's steepest. Dunedin has its fair share of steep roads but this one really takes the biscuit proved by the tyre screech marks on the road of many a tired engine trying to crawl up it. Crawling did seem like the method of choice to reach the top although sprinting back down was only the way on realizing my bus to Queenstown left in half the time it took me to walk over here.

Queenstown

Legging it all the way back to grab my bag then down to the bus station arriving completely knackered and with only seconds to spare the bus never moved for another 20mins anyway. Typical.

First Intercity bus trip in New Zealand even getting commentary on board as we passed through some great scenery with the ground outside getting slowly higher and steeper the closer we got. More importantly though the sky also began to change from the grey clouds of the last few days to no clouds at all other than thousands of little woolly looking ones roaming the fields. Over 40 million sheep in New Zealand, 10 to every person in the country.

New Zealand is known for it's extreme sports with Queenstown being the centre for it all with 101 ways to brown your trousers on offer but all at more elevated prices meaning my aspirations to drop through the sky like a lead balloon will have to wait to the cheaper alternatives in Taupo in the north island.

The Remarkables

Checking into another YHA in Queenstown in the town centre the place did have some great views over the lake with the town itself being more than a bit picturesque after a wander around the lake in the sun admiring the little alpine town.

Three other guys Neil, Rob and Tom from the UK also checked in at the same time with the plan on spending Christmas here so we headed over for a few pints at the bar opposite soon finding out just how expensive Queenstown can be.

World's Steepest Street