Every Cloud...

Trip Start Sep 09, 2004
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Flag of New Zealand  ,
Thursday, July 28, 2005

...Anyway, back to the positive side: I'm back in Queenstown. I'm sure I've written somewhere before, but Queenstown is the adventure capital of New Zealand. Not only is it the adventure capital of New Zealand, it is also the party capital. To those that it matters to, Queenstown is a 'cool place to be'. For those that it doesn't matter too, it's a scenically overwhelming part of the country, of the world in fact, and on a spiritual level it can connect with you. Well, I'm here, back with the mountains. I don't think I'll ever be able to put my finger on it but, I really do feel like I'm back too, I feel connected, I feel warm. I love it here.

Once again, the people here are so laid back they may as well lie down. And it doesn't take long to discover that everyone is unconditionally friendly, as if they've known you for years. It's a wonderfully warm feeling and such a pleasant place to be. I think it's partly to do with it being a 'small town' community where most folk know one another. You can walk past a shop and someone will wave, smile and ask how yer doin? It's also down to the fact that they're just good hearted, friendly people. Yes it's a little commercialised (more than the rest of New Zealand) which, as a rule just isn't for me. But as much as this has it's downsides, it also brings with it a pocket of constantly changing newcomers who are here only for one hell of a good time and this just adds to the whole experience (most of the time.)

What I've not mentioned before is that we're now well into winter here and at this time of year Queenstown becomes something different entirely. It's 'ski season' and Queenstown becomes a Mecca for skiers and snowboarders. Many people get here early, just before the season, in a desperate attempt to get one of the much sought after and rapidly dwindling jobs that are so temporarily on offer. A lot of them work the ski season and hit the slopes at every given opportunity. If they're not here to work, it's likely that they've travelled here specifically, and that could be from anywhere. Many actually are from overseas and they're constantly flying in, week after week, just for the skiing and boarding: one long holiday of adventure and adrenaline by day, drinking and partying by night. So with all this, the ongoing adrenaline activities elsewhere, and the superb 'weekend-less' night life, Queenstown is quite a 'happening' place, certainly a good place to be for the next few months...
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