Queenstown started as a base camp for the local sheep farmers in 1860 - just about the time of our Civil War. But gold was discovered a few years later and it quickly became a busting mercantile center to out fit the miners.
The gold ran out, the miners left, and the town settled into a backwater settlement in a very beautiful part of the world. Over the years it found its niche again with tourism.
Today there are ~ 30,000 permanent residents and in the high season over a 100,000 people are in town at any given time. It is a young city - seems as if everyone is a 20 something year old. If you want to understand Queenstown, go to any ski town in the US in mid winter. Bars are open every night till 2 AM, and the cost of everything is about twice what you'd expect.
if any one thing makes Queenstown stand out for me, it is the hundreds of storefronts selling daily adventure packages - rafting, paragliding, bungy jumping, canyoning, jet boating, etc.
We did several walks - the toughest was up to the saddle of Ben Loman Peak (just shy of 10,000 feet) - and started about 3 blocks from our hotel. We cheated and took a gondola at the start. But it was still plenty of exercise.
Another highlight was the city gardens - very similar to Stanley Park in Vancouver, BC. Those brits do like their gardens.
Kath and I are working through our viral URI - from the 24 hours enclosed with a few hundred others on Air New Zealand.
Tomorrow, The Routeburn Track.
I'm going to include a link to all our pictures for those who'd like to see a few more.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/hGMakUq9NAyztNVp6
Awesome pictures. Was thinking about whether there were any updates. Thanks again. The party was a big success. More later.
ReplyDeleteThe Kiwi's have a lot of work ahead of them getting the trees in their country replanted. I guess first somebody has to care.
ReplyDelete