Queenstown

On Monday, the 16th of January, we didn't want to get out of bed in the morning. It was freezing cold (the car thermometer showed 10°C!) and incredibly windy. What a crappy weather! It was a shame because our campsite was actually quite nice and we could have had breakfast with a view of the lake and mountains. But we probably would have frozen. So we had breakfast in the car and then hit the road.

From our campsite to Queenstown it was 120 km, and the drive through the mountains and past lakes was very picturesque, with frequent stops at beautiful lookouts. The clouds even cleared up at times and we were able to enjoy the drive. We arrived in Queenstown around noon, the capital of the south and the center of all adrenaline activities. Bungee jumping, for example, was invented here, and people still jump from the bridge, which is the birthplace of this sport.

At first glance, we actually found Queenstown quite charming because it is a small and idyllically located town. The first thing we did was look for a laundromat where we could dry our still damp clothes from the glacier hike. After 10 minutes, our jeans and some other items were dry, and we drove to the town center. By the way, our shoes still hadn't dried by that time. It would take another 2 days!

In the town, we got a box of popcorn chicken from KFC and ate it together with our leftover rice in a small park. Then we went to the travel agency to ask about cool activities. This time we went to a Peter Pan office to try something new. We spent 1.5 hours there planning the rest of our last week in New Zealand. We booked a canyoning adventure ($215 per person), a pub tour in Queenstown ($15 per person), a glowworm cave tour ($80 per person), a Milford Sound cruise ($92 per person), and a whale watch tour in Kaikoura ($150 per person). Basically, we let ourselves be talked into a lot, but we wanted to do most of it anyway, so why not book it right away? As a bonus, we got a free upgrade to the "Discover More" package for the Milford Sound cruise, which includes lunch and entrance to the Milford Deep Centre. Pretty cool. We also asked about bungy jumping, but all jumps had been canceled the days before due to the windy weather, and the next available slots were already fully booked with rescheduled jumps. We also wanted to go rafting, but it was more expensive than canyoning, and the staff at Peter Pans recommended canyoning instead. So we're giving it a try.

A bit lighter in the wallet but richer in plans, we went shopping first. While I got the groceries, Andi went to a walk-in hair salon next door and finally got his long-awaited haircut. He had been complaining about his hair for weeks, but we never had time to wait for an appointment. Now that was taken care of.

By now it was already evening, and we drove to our overnight spot. That was the DOC Campground "Twelve Mile Delta," a few kilometers past Queenstown along Lake Wakatipu. It cost us $27 per night for two people, which is really quite expensive for a field with a pit toilet. In principle, the place could be worth it with its lake view and the opportunity for a swim, but on the evening we were there, it was raining and we spent the whole time in the car. So it didn't really pay off. For dinner, we had pasta with zucchini, spring onions, and ricotta, and we ate in the car while watching a movie. It was cozy.

The next morning, the rain hadn't stopped yet, so we went to the Lakeview Holiday Park before breakfast, where we planned to spend the night. There we had breakfast in the camp kitchen and prepared some things because we probably wouldn't have time later in the day.

At 1:00 p.m., we walked down to the town, where we were picked up for canyoning at 1:30 p.m. According to Wikipedia, canyoning is "the exploration of a canyon from top to bottom in a variety of ways. Rappelling, climbing, jumping, sliding, swimming, and sometimes even diving, equipped with suitable equipment, one makes one's way through the gorges." So we were really excited to see what awaited us!

After about half an hour's drive in the minivan, our group of 7 plus a guide arrived at a parking lot. From there, we were supposed to hike into the Camp Creek gorge, which flows into the Kawarau River. We were pretty lucky with the weather, and just as we started, the clouds cleared up and the sun was shining. Good conditions to get into 6°C cold water!

But before we really started, we all got into thick wetsuits, consisting of socks, shoes, overalls, and vests. Divers usually wear suits like that, and they were definitely supposed to keep us warm. Then we got a climbing harness, a helmet, and a safety briefing. And off we went! First, we walked through the creek for a while until the actual gorge began and the rock walls rose on both sides of us. Soon, we encountered the first waterfall, which we slid down on a rope. It was really exciting and so much fun!! With more waterfalls, smaller climbing sections, and walls to rappel down, we continued for 2 hours. It never got boring, and our two guides (one took the photos) were really funny. Unfortunately, the Creek ended all too soon, and our tour was over. I only got a few scratches. It was definitely worth it!

On the way back to the car, we had a great view of the Kawarau River, and for the first time, we realized how short the section we climbed through actually was. Down there, the path somehow seemed longer :D

We were back in town around 5:30 p.m., and I bought the photos for $20. Actually, it was per person, but I pretended that I only wanted mine. In the Dropbox, which I received the link to, all the pictures were included anyway. By now, it was quite cloudy and rainy again, and we were glad to arrive at the campsite dry.

For dinner, we had leftovers, and after a shower, we went to town at 9 p.m. for the bar tour. The meeting point was a Peter Pan office, and when we arrived, there were already many people there. We got a free, somewhat weird-tasting welcome drink and immediately met some nice people. Around 9:30 p.m., we went to the first bar. Of course, there was an ID check at the entrance, but we hadn't thought about it, and since I didn't have anything with me, I had to go back to the campsite. Luckily, Andi had his driver's license in his wallet, and according to one of the Peter Pan staff, that should be enough. I asked specifically because the driver's license is much more convenient than the passport. After 20 minutes, I was in the bar with my driver's license and got my shot, which everyone gets in every bar. But it was just some artificial stuff, and I'm not sure if it even contained any alcohol. Unfortunately, due to my delay, I missed the face painting, where many people had colorful dots painted on their faces. It looked cool, and I would have liked to have that too. But well, there are worse things. As soon as I was in the bar, we quickly moved on to the next one. There, we got another shot and free fries. There was also the first game, of which there were several planned, and the winner would receive an activity voucher from Peter Pan. Really cool things like jet boating, surf lessons, or skydiving. Unfortunately, we didn't win, but afterwards, we went to one of the organizers and asked about the prizes. Just so we knew if it was worth making an effort in the games. We found out that most of the things were "2 for 1." That means you have to pay for one skydive to get a second one for free. Clever. Because we were nice, we were even allowed to choose one of the vouchers ourselves (apparently, they are always given away next to the games as well), and since the jet boating was already taken and there wasn't anything else cool, we ended up choosing a surf lesson voucher because Andi was so excited about it.

After a short time, we went to the next bar and then to the next one. Many of the people celebrating were already quite drunk, but we always found someone nice to talk or dance with. At half past midnight, we went to the last bar, and for us, this meant a very unfriendly and abrupt end to the party night. Because the bouncers wouldn't let us in with our driver's licenses. They asked for a passport. Great. I was pretty upset about it and complained to one of the organizers. I had specifically asked the other guy before if I needed the passport!! She just said she was sorry and that the other guy should have known about the passport. But by now, he was already home, so I couldn't confront him personally. Well, there was nothing we could do, and because we really didn't feel like walking back to the campsite and back to town again, we just went home. This ending of the evening really annoyed me. We also decided not to redeem the voucher because we didn't want to give them any more money, and the surf camp for one person would have already cost over $300.

So at 1 a.m., we were back at the campsite and went straight to bed. The day had been quite long, after all. And tomorrow there would already be new adventures!