New Zealand VIII - Queenstown

26th October - Queenstown with the Remarkables in the background

Queenstown is the Bemuda Triangle of the New Zealand backpacker circuit. People get drawn in and never leave. It is set in an amazing location, on the side of a huge lake with snowcapped mountains surrounding it, a great nightlife, and masses of activities. By the same token Queenstown itself is not a pretty place. It feels like a naff alpine village. The buildings have been thrown together without any consideration of how they might look together. In saying that Queenstown does have a certain charm to it. I really enjoyed my stay there. It is a great place to catch up with people you have met earlier in your travels. I spent most of my time going out in the evening and recovering the next day.

The luge is the best value activity that you can do while in New Zealand. There is one in Rotorua and one in Queenstown. Concrete tracks snake down the side of the mountain and you race down them in plastic go-karts. It is amazing fun with a group of you going down the track together. I did it in Rotorua and twice in Queenstown. On the second day in Queenstown we were getting pretty aggressive with our blocking tactics on each other, ramming one another into the walls. In the penultimate race Chris managed to ram my kart so hard into the wall that I ended up rolling it. I only grazed my wrist and bumped my head, but apparently my facer mid-roll was a picture. I am hoping that someone builds a track in the UK. I also climbed Queenstown Hill which doesn't sound particularly impressive, however, if this hill was in the UK it would be a mountain. The climb is steep but worth it for the great views.

I stayed at Discovery Lodge for my first couple of nights in Queenstown. It is OK but expensive and the kitchen isn't great. The price is supposedly justified by the central location but Queenstown isn't a big place. I moved to Alpine Lodge, which was about a 5 minute walk from the centre, and much cheaper. It felt homely and had a good lounge and kitchen. Alpine Lodge isn't listed in the Lonely Planet Guide which I thought was a bit strange (I heard about it from other travellers). I chatted to the guy who runs it and he told me that Lonely Planet have sold out. They have a deal with the VIP backpackers chain to promote those hostels above all others. Not only do they promote the VIP hostels but they fail to list other hostels in places at times. Apparently the Rough Guide hasn't sold out.