And now for something completely different. We left the peace and quiet of Milford Sound for the hustle of Queenstown – the adventure capital of New Zealand. And we arrived on St Patricks Day to find everyone out celebrating in the sunshine.
We dumped the camper van and checked into a fabulous hotel where we enjoyed a long shower and a large bed. No more not being able to stretch out !
We woke early the next morning for the first of our Queenstown adventures – a sunrise balloon ride over the surrounding mountains.
It was amazing – floating around above 8500ft taking in the stunning scenery. Once again we were blessed with fabulous weather !
On landing we were treated to champagne and pastries before returning to the hotel, where in true Hobbit style, we had a second breakfast !
We spent the rest of the day taking in the views over Queenstown by travelling the skyline gondola to the top, followed by an afternoon of leisurely strolling around town and along the shore of Lake Wakatipu, the third largest lake in New Zealand.
The following day, after a lengthy lie in – our first since we arrived – we embarked on our second adventure. Hang Gliding !!!
Once the van took us to the Coronet Peak were we kitted out in very fetching Guantanamo Bay style outfits before being strapped into our hang gliders.
After some practice running, we launched ourselves off the mountain under the expert control of our tandem pilots.
That evening we enjoyed a fabulous meal in Queenstown to celebrate our amazing bravery (!!) before heading off the next morning to our next destination 🙂 The departure board says it all.. 🙂
