QUEENSTOWN, NEW ZEALAND
Photo from the plane already showing the beauty of Queenstown
It was a beautiful Spring day when we hopped on to a plane in Rotorua, New Zealand, taking us to the South Island. On our way to travel the South Island of New Zealand, we headed for Queenstown. Flying toward a destination that I was soon to discover would be my absolute favourite destination so far. I could already see the beauty from the plane window below me!
As we left the airport the beauty of Queenstown on the South Island of New Zealand was evident immediately. Beautiful mountains were everywhere to behold and the magic of this town started to capture me in its hold!
A view taken from downtown Queenstown, New Zealand
We headed to our hotel to get settled, we were staying at The Rees. I highly recommend The Rees Hotel, http://therees.co.nz, when you travel to the South Island. It is absolutely beautiful and quite luxurious! Our room was a two bedroom suite and for the four days we spent exploring in Queenstown, New Zealand it had all the comforts of home. Added to that was the luxury of an incredible view from the patio of our living area.
After a full day of travel and getting our bearings around Queenstown, was time to settle in for the night and be ready for our first tour the next day.
SOUTH ISLAND WINE TOUR DAY
Early the next morning our tour operator picked us up and we headed out to enjoy a day of touring wineries on the South Island. Always a highlight of any vacation for me as I do love to drink wine.
First stop of the day was at Gibbston Valley wine cave. We enjoyed a splendid wine and cheese tasting here.
Gibbston Valley Winery
The next stop was a quaint little winery surrounded by stunning views with the name of Mt. Rosa. This one was known for it’s mulled wine and it was indeed lovely to try!
Mt Rosa Winery
It was now approaching lunch time and little did we know we were about to experience the biggest treat of our day! As we approached our destination it was clear this would be something special, but I think I will let the photos show you why.
Beautiful views at Wild Earth Restaurant and winery
Amazing lunch experience at Wild Earth Restaurant and Winery
NEW ZEALAND CROMWELL HERITAGE PRECINCT
In the South Island of New Zealand there is a lovely place called Cromwell Heritage Precinct. It’s a project of historic places and magnificent views that only the South Island of New Zealand can provide.
Beautiful view at Cromwell Heritage Precinct
Next stop on our tour was Scott Base Vineyard. It is a quaint, with outdoor seating and out of this world views. At this location we enjoyed a lovely wine and cheese platter.
Wine and Cheese at Scott Base Winery
After a fabulous day of touring we headed back to our hotel for dinner. We settled in to await the next day of adventures to come.
SAFARI OF THE SCENES TOUR
The next morning we had a tour scheduled for early in the morning. We were picked up at our hotel and off we went to experience the “Safari of the Scenes – Glenorchy – Nomad Safaris” tour. If you are a Lord of the Rings fan this tour will knock you out of your socks! But don’t worry if you are not, the scenery will be breathtaking enough to capture your attention either way! An off-road style of vehicle was used and perhaps that should have given us an indication of what was to come.
Tour vehicle for Safari of the Scenes
I am not very familiar with the “Lord of the Rings” series. Because of that I did not recognize the places that we visited. But what I can do is show you some photos of these places, and tell you they were stunning! After all, I am sure you will want to experience it for yourself when you plan your vacation to Queenstown New Zealand.
One of the scenes from the Safari Tour
DOWNTOWN QUEENSTOWN, NEW ZEALAND
No visit to Queenstown, New Zealand is complete without experiencing the town itself. So for the next couple of days we had free time to explore. Downtown Queenstown has such an awesome vibe, once your hotel shuttle drops you off it is walkable and you will want to make sure you see it all.
FERGBURGER AND FERGBAKER, QUEENSTOWN, NEW ZEALAND
Let’s start with a lunch experience of ours that was definitely one of the highlights for us. Ask anyone in Queenstown, New Zealand where you can find Fergburger. Everyone is familiar with this iconic restaurant. However, you will need to leave lots of time to stand in queue. These delicious burgers are made with fresh buns right next door at Fergbaker. We walked to the lake and ate them at a Floating Bar called Perky’s.
Enjoying our Fergburgers on Perky’s Floating Bar
NEW ZEALAND BELOW ZERO ICE BAR
Later that day we decided we wanted to experience something else that we had heard about in Queenstown, New Zealand. The Below Zero Ice Bar, http://belowzeroicebar.co.nz. Located in downtown Queenstown, New Zealand, this bar gives a unique experience. We were provided with heavy coats and gloves to wear. Afterward, we were taken to the bar where absolutely everything was made of ice! It was such a fun experience and we thoroughly enjoyed it!
Below Zero Ice Bar
NEW ZEALAND “THE WINE BAR”
The next day we headed in to explore some more of Queenstown, New Zealand. After enjoying lunch at a restaurant named “The Cow” http://thecowpizza.co.nz, we visited a place appropriately named “The Winery” http://thewinery.co.nz.
We had so much fun here!! A sample card in hand and you can try hundreds of different wines! You simply insert the card and pick your sample size and enjoy. What a fun experience this was for us.
The wine bar in Queenstown
For the remainder of the day we did some sightseeing in downtown Queenstown New Zealand. As a result we discovered some interesting little side streets and explored more of the town. Afterward we took the shuttle back to our hotel to rest up for the next day’s big adventure.
TE ANAU NEW ZEALAND
The next day we packed up an overnight bag, stored our luggage and headed off to Te Anau, New Zealand. This is the little town that we would spend the night at before heading to our final adventure.
We hit some nasty weather on the 2.5 hour drive time to Te Anau. It was Spring in New Zealand and as we discovered there is a strong potential of snow. Nevertheless we did arrive safely at our destination and checked into our hotel for the night. The next morning we would be leaving for our final adventure. By the way have you ever before experienced snow on palm trees?
Palm trees with snow
SOUTH ISLAND DOUBTFUL SOUND OVERNIGHT CRUISE
Early the next morning we had breakfast at our hotel and made our way to where we would board a shuttle. This shuttle would be taking us to a dock. From the dock we would be taking a Ferry to Doubtful Sound, New Zealand. Here we would board a small cruise vessel and head out to explore this Fjord, located in the far south west of the South Island of New Zealand.
One of the ferry boats we had to take to reach Doubtful Sound
When we boarded our cruise vessel we were greeted by our captain and first mate. They were the nicest people we could imagine spending time with. We quickly settled into our cabins and headed out to explore the sound. Words cannot describe this experience, perhaps magical comes close. It was like we were the only humans in nature and everywhere you look was the most beautiful scenery you could ever imagine.
Doubtful Sound is so beautiful
ADVENTURE IN DOUBTFUL SOUND, SOUTH ISLAND
Luckily for us we did not just have to ride around in our cruise vessel. The crew encouraged us to try some adventures. We went kayaking and fishing and had so much fun! Also, at the end of the day we stopped to get fresh lobster for our dinner from the lobster traps our captain had set earlier.
The author kayaking in Doubtful Sound
More time cruising around looking for wildlife would fill our day. We spotted penguins and dolphins in their natural habitat, we looked all day for a whale that had been sighted earlier but he kept evading us.
Catching our dinner in Doubtful Sound
When we came to the end of our adventure in the Sound we were greeted by a cute little friendly bird. The bird was a Kea, a native bird of New Zealand and he wanted to say hello.
A Kea bird greeted us as we were disembarking
That ended our time in New Zealand. As a result, we drove back to Queenstown and the next day boarded our plan toward the next destination. I hope you enjoyed my rendition of the beautiful country of New Zealand.
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