At first glance, you don’t realize what the town actually has in the way of entertainment. So walking into town was like taking into an adventure.
When you use a car you miss so much. So it was decided we would do it on foot. Marching down the road we went full of expectations, and at the bottom of the road we turned right into Shotover street.
It is a busy road, and on our right, looking up towards the mountainside, we saw the cable car (see photo) running up the side of the mountain.
On the left side of the cable car there is also Ziptrek. You can’t see the Moa zip-line tour areas because it’s hidden within the forest that blankets most of the mountain.
You must be wondering what a Zip-line is?!
It is a cable line running through the trees, high up over the countryside. You hang the cable and slide down and along the cable with speed depending on the slope of the cable.
Along the way there are tree-house-platforms, one of which is 8 stories (25m/82ft) high. And the speed, in which you travel, can go up to 70/44mph down the cable. We didn’t go on that, but that could have been a very thrilling adventure, all of its own!
(Sorry about making a mistake in a previous New Zealand blog of mine (https://steemit.com/travel/@artguru/the-blue-blue-hills-of-fiord-lands) about where the BMX bike cycle-boarding was. It wasn’t by the cable car. It was next to George Road.)
You can also take fast sliding gondolas down a slipway winding down the mountain too. As you slide you can see stunning views as you twist and turn down the mountain side.
You have the usual shops, malls, banks, etc. So our walk twisted down this and that road, until at last we got to the…
The bluff runs out into the Wakatipu Lake area like a finger of land. Thus, creating a harbour between this bluff and the cable car mountain side of town!
On this bluff of land is a park. The park area not only accommodates a children’s playground, but also a large fish pond at the top of the ridge.
Looking down from the park’s hillside, through the trees, we could see quite a few yachts moored along the park’s shore. Such peaceful views when one or two ducks add charm of the place.
The park has walkways and cycling trails running through it and around it. I never went all the way to the tip of it, like the others did, but doubled back over the top and saw the vast pond with its lily-pads.
Then moved over and down the other side of the bluff, and this is what I saw there.
Along the way back we stopped to look at the harbour and what was happening there.
We observe the progress of the TSS Earnslaw Vintage steamship cruise boat as it came slowly into harbour.
Queenstown also provides scenic cruises along Wakatipu Lake, which takes in glorious views of snowy misty mountain ranges. Which we didn’t do, but that must be something special to experience I should think.
This town is indeed a place that needs a full holiday to experience all there is to see. But sadly we didn’t have time to do them all. Time wasn’t permitting!
I must say though, with so much walking to see everything, I think it’s very wise to hire cycles or mobile balance motorized scooters from Segway.
