Welcome to New Zealand – Queenstown, Ben Lomond and jet boating

From Melbourne I flew to New Zealand, where I planned to spend three weeks travelling. It was already deep into New Zealand’s autumn, so I decided to visit the South Island first and then make my way up to the North. The flight into Queenstown gave a spectacular introduction to New Zealand’s amazing scenery.

Queenstown is a small city sitting on a lake, which is a major transit hub and tourist destination. From my hotel I strolled to the lakeside, the heart of the town. On the way I passed travel agencies offering every imaginable type of outdoor sport – bungee jumping, parachuting, canyoning, mountain biking and more. There were shops selling the requisite gear for these activities, including several outlets selling goods for the upcoming ski season. The streets were full of tourists, some slim and in sporty outdoor gear, and some plumper and in normal casual clothes. The vibe was like a French ski resort in high season, and indeed in winter Queenstown is also one of New Zealand’s most popular ski destinations.
I spent my first afternoon making a short walk along the lake and then chilling on a floating bar back in town.

The next morning, I woke up early and enjoyed sunrise from my hotel’s terrace.

My body was now totally confused – Melbourne had been 11 hours ahead of the UK, but the time difference with New Zealand was 13 hours. I didn’t think that more than 12 hours was possible but then realised that New Zealand, unlike London, was still on summer daylight-saving time. Profiting from the cool morning air, I set off on Queenstown’s most interesting walk, the ascent of Ben Lomond. At first, I was a bit disappointed, because the forecast sun had not materialised, but as I made the steep climb up, I started sweating and was happy for the shade the clouds provided. As my climb progressed, the views got better and better.

At roughly the halfway point there was a rather special toilet for hikers, painted so that it blended into the mountain landscape.

The summit offered 360° views. In the west I could see Queenstown far below, whilst to the east mountains towered out of a bank of approaching dark clouds. The mountains to the south, in the Fjordland National Park (subject of a future post), still carried the vestiges of last winter’s snow. I enjoyed the views and snacked on some chocolate bars until the first drops of rain on my fur announced that it would be a good time to head back down.

The climb and descent had taken me around four and half hours, so I had plenty to time to try some other typical Queenstown activities. First, I had a coffee in a trendy café, then I decided to try a jet boat ride.

I chose one of the operators offering tours from the main jetty on the lakeside and was soon whizzing across the lake and then up the Shotover River at speeds of up to 95kmph.

To add some excitement to the speed, our pilot entertained us by making several 360° spins.

Our boat returned to the quay with happy passengers. On arrival, we could see almost the whole range of Queenstown boating options – a traditional old wooden ferry, a jet boat, and a strange two-seater shark-shaped vessel (just visible in the photo below), part way between a boat and a submarine, which was apparently capable of great speed.

My first day had been an encouraging introduction to New Zealand. On the way back to my hotel (a slow walk with stiff legs after the climb) I bought a bottle of Pinot Noir and an obscenely large pizza and enjoyed both on the terrace of my hotel.

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