Queenstown

Queenstown ranked right up there with Nelson as our favorite areas visited within New Zealand. We were really happy that we had dedicated extra time to the city. The weather was much chillier than we had experienced elsewhere and the mountains surrounding the town were snowcapped by the morning. We had spent our first evening strolling through town considering our options and parroozing the various local shops. We found some charming restaurants that lured us for later meals and visited the tour operator to plan an upcoming trip to Milford Sound. Our hosts warned us of inclemate weather for the next few days so we planned our trip to Milford Sound early and hoped for the best. Our intent was to fly there and back and then enjoy the fjord via a cruise. The host’s warning was correct and our first booking was rain checked. The rescheduled tour ended up on an unexpected lovely day. We were thrilled that we had taken the flight option rather than the coach option. Not only was the transit more than four hours shorter each way but we got the birds eye view of the Southern Alps. We had hoped to visit Mt. Cook while we were in Queenstown as well but the poor weather scared us off the winding mountain roads. We figured it was better safe than sorry. Last thing we needed was our rental in the ditch just to see the highest point of New Zealand! We did manage to take the gondola up a nearby mountain (I believe one of the Remarkables) and enjoyed the view over a couple glasses of wine/beer. We experienced the luge ride the area is known for and then road back down. That was the most adrenaline I had been able to convince Mike of. I had fancied the idea of bungy jumping (Queenstown is the birthplace after all) but there was no swaying his determination against it. I must admit, I wasn’t overly disappointed. Free falling with all bets on a springy rope sounds rather intimidating.
We were rather amused on the morning of our departure from New Zealand when the news reported the Perth International Airport was closed down due to a suspicious package. That was the airport we were flying into so we were wondering whether we would be making it to Exmouth in time for our Whale Shark Dive. It was only a few hours delay in Auckland before were were on our way. Fortunately, most of the night prior had been spent dealing with the situation and we caught it on the tail end.