Queenstown

Trip Start Oct 09, 2008
1
29
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Trip End Ongoing


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Flag of New Zealand  , South Island,
Tuesday, December 16, 2008

As we were walking through the airport in Queenstown I was approached by a long-haired fellow selling yet another Lord of the Rings location tour. This one involved flying around in a small plane and viewing mountainous Middle Earth locations from above. The brochure promised the tour would "make you feel like a wizard soaring on the back of a giant eagle." I couldn't help but chuckle at the sheer nerdiness of such a sales pitch. "And where do I sign up for the Whale Rider tour?" I asked before I could stop myself. The guy responded only with that constantly started look that all Kiwis seem to have, a look not dissimilar to that of a possum caught in headlights or a sheep getting an unexpected surprise from a farmer in gum boots.

Queenstown is like Aspen if it were built on the shore of a huge lake, obsessed with extreme sports, and full of Japanese tourists. It is also a place where miraculous feats of alcoholic consumption occur Morning view of the Remarkables
Morning view of the Remarkables
 .

Bungee jumping as we know it was invented here in 1988. Twenty years later in Queenstown you have the option of staring death in the face in every possible way you can imagine, as well as plenty of ways that are probably beyond the imagination of any sane individual. There's skydiving, parasailing, paragliding, canyon swing, mountain luge, river rafting, jet boating, downhill mountain biking courses, and thirty minute rides in a stunt plane. Mikeo and I settled on something called river surfing, which entails putting on a wetsuit, helmet, and swim fins, grabbing a boogie board, jumping into a river, and holding on for dear life as you rocket down class 3 rapids for 5.5km. On your second trip down the river, you learn several advanced maneuvers, including one where you turn backwards, get up on one knee on your board, and literally surf a stationary wave. Great stuff.

It's true what they say: New Zealand's south island is much more interesting than the north. Add Queenstown to the growing list of places I could see myself living for a while.

Reading: The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenger
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