Queenstown, NZ

I may have been a little under-enthralled with Milford Sound but the scenery on the long-distance drives between towns is worth any price.

Like a delicate patchwork quilt, golden grass pastures lie in squares, rectangles, and triangles belted by green and gold tall poplars and cedar windbreaks.  The Southern Alps run the entire length of this island.  They pierce the sky and make a lovely backdrop to the golden fields.  The texture of the mountains changes with every turn.  Some mountain ranges look forbiddingly sharp like granite whose sides fell off at perilous angles while others roll in great soft curves, covered with low-growing plant life causing the mountains to look like velvet sheets thrown over the bodies of sleeping giants.

New Zealand is known for sheep and cattle farming, it is also known for wine.   We planned this trip with time to visit the northern Marlboro wine region but learned there are seven wine-growing regions on the South Island.  Each produces fine wines.   Great quantities of fruit like apples, quince, and apricots, are peaches also grown in exquisitely laid out orchards.  Surprisingly many orchards are olive groves.  Root vegetables are big crops here too.  Imagine colorful fields of carrots, beets, and potatoes next to fields of kale and rape.  The root crops are for human consumption but the leafy greens are winter feed crops for dairy cattle.  Oh, how I was tempted to stop and pick a mess of kale and rape!

Heading north, we spent a few days in Queenstown.  One would never guess that there are only 10,000 residents in the area.  Queenstown is a popular vacation destination and on Easter Weekend, when we were there, an extra 10 or 20 thousand people were in town.  The cool shopping streets, blocked off from traffic were densely packed with tourists.  The atmosphere was like the first day of the fair!  Some tourists occupied themselves meandering the streets, some walked along the lakeside and ordered delicious-looking smash burgers from grill carts; others splurged on masses of pastel cotton candy.  Many people sat in sunny outdoor restaurants overlooking boats on the lake.   A great many visitors were Asian but many more were from Australia.  We also met a few from the USA.  While Queenstown and its suburbs look fresh and newly built, neighboring towns, famous for gold mining are perfectly preserved and made us think of the old West California gold-mining towns. 

The area is very inviting and the weather is fantastic!  Superb!  Maybe perfect, with clear skies, warm days, and cold nights.  It occurred to us that a single architectural theme took place in recent times as most of the houses on the outskirts of Queenstown have a similar design.  They appear to be constructed with naturally available materials and are architecturally simple to fit unobtrusively into the environment.  Their clean lines, few angles, natural wood, and dark metal pointy-roofed rectangle “boxes” create an atmosphere as one found in ski resort towns.  The strategic placement of large windows makes each house capable of capturing a picture-perfect view of the mountains and lake.  Simple but very appealing!

Make no mistake, this and much of New Zealand is ski country.  Just not at this time.

We spent our first full day in the area in the gold mining town of Arrow Town.  The first man to find gold here found a pound’s worth, and the next guy found ten pounds worth.  The rush began.  Gold is not mined here any longer but the miners’ efforts made a forever mark on the lands.  They mined mountains downed to molehills in just seven years and quit.  Chinese miners tried for another 15 years and then no more.  The Arrow River where gold was first found here runs right through Arrow Town.  Hiking paths and mountain bike trails run for miles along the shallow sparkling stream and at this time of year, it is so pretty!  The aspens in their shimmering yellow dresses draping over the rushing stream almost make a person faint! 

They told us parking was difficult in Queenstown; we knew what to expect when we drove to city center the next day..  What an understatement!  It was crazy and everyone we had a brief conversation with spoke about the bad parking situation.  Imagine driving into Queenstown in a caravan and finding a parking place for one of those big vehicles!!

Stan was determined to find a spot on the street but finally gave up and found an underground parking lot with rates of $2.50 per half hour.  As he often reminds me, we can afford it!

The town is worth the parking aggravation!  It has a vibe that’s very good!  The main part of the town is bordered on one side by the Queen’s Garden park and on the other side, Lake Wakatipu.  The bank has been built into an entertainment center with very inviting street art, shopping and outdoor restaurants.  How happy and civilized it feels to sit in the sun, at a pretty table for two with the lake just to your right, sipping a glass of white wine before a nice lunch.

We didn’t just eat and drink.  We could have, but we didn’t.  We did the very pleasant y three-mile Queens Garden Walk around the lake, watched some people play Frisbee golf among the trees, and found the very best climbing tree ever.  If only we were kids again!

It was a very satisfying day.

On day three in the Queenstown area, I got the worst mosquito bites I’ve had in years.  We have not seen many insects here at all but on that day they were active there on the Mount Crichton Track.

It was a great hike.  Most of it was uphill along a rushing stream.  Halfway, we met people and of course, we chatted.  I recognized the accent as we said hello.  Some were from Virginia and others from North Carolina!  Oh hallelujah, we found Georgia neighbors!  We also met a single hiker, Diana, from Lake Tahoe.  The Southerners moved on; they were on a tour and a strict schedule.  We hung out and chatted with Diana for a good while; it delighted us both when we found we think alike in so many ways and have so much in common!. She is married to a Kiwi.  They have been married for three years but our country is not conducive to awarding green cards to immigrants, even if the applicant is married to an American.  After three years, her husband was just recently granted his first interview for the card.  Likewise and reciprocally, NZ is not anxious to give her rights to property without her living here continuously for five years.   She cannot even open a bank account in NZ even though her husband is a native and owns three properties.

The stuff we learn on mountain hikes!

Back to the bites, as we stood there talking with Diana as she ate a luscious-looking thick avocado, cheese, and sprouts sammie on multigrain bread, tiny but vicious mosquitos had a feast on my ankles.  I never felt a thing until it was far too late.  I had four bites on one ankle and three on the other.  Mosquitoes of New Zealand are vile!  The bites kept me awake last night itching and putting off heat.  I was told the Kiwis have a homeopathic salve made with a particular medicinal leaf but I have no idea where to find it.  I’m treating mine with Adolf’s Meat Tenderizer (my secret weapon for stings and bites), hydrocortisone cream, Ibuprofen to reduce the inflammation, and prayers.