The Trip That Keeps Growing: Blog 27 Queenstown (The Birthplace of Bungee Jumping

After our night in Christchurch, we boarded our bus for the 7 hour bus ride to Queenstown. Although we missed out on the Fox Glacier, I really believe we got the better end of the deal. The drive through the center of the South Island was absolutely stunning -- from rolling green, pastoral fields with grazing sheep to beautiful crystal clear blue lakes to the snow covered Southern Alps. We had a perfect view of Mount Cook, New Zealand's highest mountain at 12,218'. It was a spectacular day. We arrived in Queenstown in the late afternoon, after a stop at the Wooing Tree Winery for some wine tasting and a chance to try our hand at bungee jumping. No one was brave enough, but we did watch as a young lady took a swan dive off the bungee platform. You could not pay me enough to do that!!! Dinner was in a local pub and the steak was very good.

Views from our drive to Queenstown:

Snow-covered Southern Alps

Beautiful pastoral scene

Snow-covered Southern Alps

The Southern Alps

Lake Tekapo and the Southern Alps

Lake Tekapo

Mt. Cook and Lake Pukoki

Lake Pukoki

Grazing Sheep

The Southern Alps

View from Wooing Tree Winery

River where they bungee jump

Queenstown was founded during the 1860s gold rush and has since blossomed into a year-round resort area. Located on Lake Wakatipu with The Remarkables mountain range to its back, it is a summer resort, winter ski town, and a mecca for thrill-seeking adventurers. Called the Adventure Capital of New Zealand, it offers many activities for the not so faint of heart – white water rafting, jet boat trips (which we will do), skiing, bungee jumping (which we will definitely not do!), hang-gliding, and tandem skydiving. One of the more interesting activities is watching the TSS (Trans Screw Steamer) Earnslaw, the last remaining coal-fired passenger vessel in the southern hemisphere cruise back and forth across the lake. Known as the "Lady of the Lake", it has been in operation since 1912 and it is still powered by its original twin 500 hp coal-fired steam engines.

Although Lake Wakatipu is a glacial lake, the Maori have a different story as to its origin. According to Maori legend, the lake was formed by the imprint of a sleeping demon who was killed by a Maori warrior in revenge for the kidnapping of his Maori lover. Because the demon’s heart never stopped beating, the lake rises and falls about 3” every 5 minutes.

Queenstown is a rather small city -- the main part of town is located has 4 streets running north-south and 4 streets running east-west. It is a very walkable town, except for the killer hill at the top of which is our hotel. But the views from the hotel of the lake are stunning.