Queenstown adventures and new friends

Queenstown

I came to Queenstown for the same reason so many others do. It is called the adventure capital of New Zealand and one could argue, one of the top in the world. If it feeds your adrenaline rush you can probably do it in Queenstown. Bungy jumping, parasailing, paragliding, mountain biking, jet boating, zip lining, luge carts, skiing, heli-skiing, zorbing, and countless other activities can be found all around the city. The downtown area is lined with shops, restaurants, and bars and the rocky beach is filled with people sunning.

What I didn’t know was that I would find the first people I’d count as friends after just a few short days here. I came to town, with my first set itinerary of the trip, hoping to do some hiking, my first bungy jump and sightseeing in Milford Sound. I set a more rigid schedule than I would have liked as many of the most popular attractions book up quickly.

My first night in my hostel, I met a cool Swiss guy who invited me out for beers with a Brit he had met earlier in the week. The three of us met up and got the night going by splitting a pack of beers. (One of few negatives on New Zealand has to be the high cost of a 6 pack!) Later they introduced me to Queenstown’s famous Fergburger – a monster of a sandwich that formed a helpful baselayer to a night out on the town. We sat on the beach of Lake Wakatipu sipping beer and eating a burger as the sun set over Queenstown.

Ben Lomond Track

The next day, hungover from additional partying we did the night before, I took the morning very slow. I had planned to tackle the hike up to the top of the Queenstown Gondola, but was really dragging. Eventually my Swiss friend talked me into grabbing lunch and we headed out. He is a paraglider and had been eagerly eyeing the top of the gondola hill as countless pilots launched tandem flights 600 meters above town. We found a pair that had just landed in town and found out the launch site was exclusively for those with special instruction because of the nearby airport with its daily flights from Christchurch, Auckland, and overseas. A bit bummed, he decided to try hitchhiking to the next closest launch about 30 minutes away while leaving me at the base of the gondola hill.

Surveying the map of the hiking trails, I decided to tackle the Tiki Trail, a supposedly easy 1.5 hour walk to the first ridgeline whose end point marked the start of many much longer hikes. I set off and nearly instantly was cursing whoever listed the hike as “easy.” Perhaps it was the headache and nausea from the over-indulgence the night before but I struggled to the top and made it in just under 2 hours. A bit ashamed at my poor initial climbing, I decided that I wanted to get a better view of Ben Lomond peak and achieve something a bit more noteworthy. So I headed out for the Ben Lomond Saddle which would be another 2 hours beyond where I was. On the way I actually ran into someone who was in my dorm room in Wanaka 5 days earlier. Crazy small world! Turned out she was in much better shape than me and upon reaching the saddle I declared that I would rest there and then turn back.

Well once again, my bravado got the best of me and I headed up the incline to the peak. As seen in the picture above it is not entirely clear just how tall this mountain is. Besides having to convert for meters — which I’m getting better at every day — I didn’t appreciate the difference 1400 ft would make in my fatigue level. The last pitch took an additional 1.5 hours, one way! All in from lakeside to peak I gained 4780 ft over the course of 6.8 miles. That’s a crazy 13% average grade. For those of you back home in Colorado, the trail up Pikes Peak (considered by many to by one of the toughest in the US; not a fair comparison I’m sure but still nuts nonetheless) averages 11%. Zoinks!

Anyway, the hike was more than worth it and even though I felt like dying, I stayed on the top about 45 minutes taking in the view and photographing every possible angle. The lead image from this story is a panorama from the top. By the time I got back to town, it was dark and I was happy to make a quick dinner with the guys before taking it a bit easier than the night before!

Bungy!

The next day I decided to leap head first into Queenstown adrenaline rushes by completing my first ever bungy jump. And what better place than the location of the first commercial bungy jump in the world? I’ll let the video below speak for itself:

That night I met up with the Swiss to check out a Couchsurfing Happy Hour meetup down on the beach. Couch surfing is best known as a hospitality service providing free lodging for cultural exchange. Members also regularly organize meetup events around the world that provide great opportunities for networking and meeting locals and other travelers. I’ve attended several in Washington, DC and always had a blast so I had high hopes for my first “in-country” experience. Let me just say that it was so refreshing meeting such kind and genuine people. I knew I would find people like them on my trip but it was welcome and affirming when I did so. We all had brought beer to share and sat on the shore talking for hours. People were from all over — France, Germany, Chile, Brazil, Queenstown NZ, Spain, and many more. Everyone was happy to share pointers about traveling New Zealand and beyond. My Swiss friend and I particularly clicked with three individuals and we went out on the town with them after the beach closed for the night. He and I were out until past 2am and made plans to all get back together for a potluck the next night.

The next night we showed up at our new French friend’s house where she was hosting two Couchsurfers. They cooked us a meal on a cast iron stove and we shared drinks and stories late into the night. As we’d all had a few beers, my Swiss friend and I ended up walking back to town by the light of the magnificent southern stars. Walking home, I reflected on why I chose to set out on this trip of mine. Experiences like I’ve had over the past few days are what I was seeking. Genuine culture, adventure, and discovery. I just didn’t think I’d find it so soon.