Queenstown. OVERRATED. That was my first instinct on arriving. Maybe the lack of money and ski-gear in my luggage provoked intense feelings of jealousy at those who could hit the slopes, or go para-gliding, or bungy-jump from all of the local locations, but I was not a fan of that touristy, commercial, though quaint town off the shores of Lake Wakatipu.
Anyway, before I hit Queenstown, I had a nice bus journey down from Fox Glacier. Our driver was the friendliest yet, and had certain qualities that I've seen in many Kiwis around New Zealand. It was a beautiful drive through the mountains and past large stretches of water. We had several stops along the way; once at a salmon and trout farm where I had a succulent fish sandwich, and later at an enclosed waterfall where we switched drivers for one not quite as jolly or high-spirited. Stopping so frequently meant I got a good chance to actually socialise with the other passengers, some of whom had been on the bus from Nelson to Fox Glacier. Raul, a Cuban-American, was taking a three week vacation from his work; Grace was a Korean-American who had been studying in Melbourne for a year; and Hat-Sun was another Korean (there were a lot) who ended up staying in the room opposite from me when we arrived.
And arrive we did after watching "The Real Middle Earth" and passing a lake from the Narnia films whose name I don't remember, and stopping at Lake Wanaka and Lake Hawea.
My first impression of Pinewood Lodge wasn't great, and I think that's what led me to feel a certain bitterness towards Queenstown. That, and the fact that I did very little on my first day there, but I'll get to that. I arrived in the evening of Sunday, 21st June, and after a quick look around town found my room to be overrun by more people than could accommodate it. Two beds out of four had been taken before I checked-in, and when I returned from my walk, two more people were there. After a little bit of confusion it turns out that one girl simply forgot to book another night before she went snowboarding in the morning, so everything turned out just fine, and I was sharing a room with Will, a skiing instructor, and Michal and Julius, two guys who had been travelling together (though not by choice, it seemed) for a couple of weeks on a Kiwi Adventure Tour, or something like that.
As it turns out, Pinewood Lodge was a decent place, especially as a ski-resort. Many people would come back from the mountains each day and drip-dry their clothing outside, hoping that the frosty air would claim the moisture from it. The only downside, I think, to staying somewhere with so many...brainless (!) winter enthusiasts was that the kitchen was an appalling mess. Dishes stacked so high in the sinks from people not washing up is not cool, but I got over it.
I had my first lie-in for weeks the next morning. It felt so good waking up in the middle of the day, as opposed to at some unholy hour to catch a bus to some far off magical place. I then went to an internet café where I spent five, yes count them, FIVE hours uploading photos to facebook and updating the blog with the last two entries because the connection was so shockingly slow. After I was done being antisocial I went around the corner to Ferg Burger, a burger restaurant which is renowned for its enormous and hearty burgers. For $17 (about £7), I got a huge chunk of meat sandwiched between bread and layers of vegetables, a pack of fries the equivalent of at least two McDonalds large portions, and a drink. Wow was it worth every cent. As I was walking around that evening I bumped into Raul for the last time. I pretty much didn't recognise him; he was wearing so many layers, but we talked for a bit. The next day he was going to be doing what I was doing, so we discussed how exciting it would be, but I always find there's a danger in holding your expectations so high (I'm looking at you, Spider-Man 3 trailer).
Anyway, after our chance encounter I desperately searched for anywhere that sold SD cards and was still open - most places shut early compared to back home; it's just the nature of the level of consumerism there. Eventually I found a pharmacy that sold me one for $35 (RIP-OFF), but I was glad to have bought it, because I was running out of space, and the next day I'd be going on an all day adventure to Milford Sound...
Anyway, before I hit Queenstown, I had a nice bus journey down from Fox Glacier. Our driver was the friendliest yet, and had certain qualities that I've seen in many Kiwis around New Zealand. It was a beautiful drive through the mountains and past large stretches of water. We had several stops along the way; once at a salmon and trout farm where I had a succulent fish sandwich, and later at an enclosed waterfall where we switched drivers for one not quite as jolly or high-spirited. Stopping so frequently meant I got a good chance to actually socialise with the other passengers, some of whom had been on the bus from Nelson to Fox Glacier. Raul, a Cuban-American, was taking a three week vacation from his work; Grace was a Korean-American who had been studying in Melbourne for a year; and Hat-Sun was another Korean (there were a lot) who ended up staying in the room opposite from me when we arrived.
And arrive we did after watching "The Real Middle Earth" and passing a lake from the Narnia films whose name I don't remember, and stopping at Lake Wanaka and Lake Hawea.
My first impression of Pinewood Lodge wasn't great, and I think that's what led me to feel a certain bitterness towards Queenstown. That, and the fact that I did very little on my first day there, but I'll get to that. I arrived in the evening of Sunday, 21st June, and after a quick look around town found my room to be overrun by more people than could accommodate it. Two beds out of four had been taken before I checked-in, and when I returned from my walk, two more people were there. After a little bit of confusion it turns out that one girl simply forgot to book another night before she went snowboarding in the morning, so everything turned out just fine, and I was sharing a room with Will, a skiing instructor, and Michal and Julius, two guys who had been travelling together (though not by choice, it seemed) for a couple of weeks on a Kiwi Adventure Tour, or something like that.
As it turns out, Pinewood Lodge was a decent place, especially as a ski-resort. Many people would come back from the mountains each day and drip-dry their clothing outside, hoping that the frosty air would claim the moisture from it. The only downside, I think, to staying somewhere with so many...brainless (!) winter enthusiasts was that the kitchen was an appalling mess. Dishes stacked so high in the sinks from people not washing up is not cool, but I got over it.
I had my first lie-in for weeks the next morning. It felt so good waking up in the middle of the day, as opposed to at some unholy hour to catch a bus to some far off magical place. I then went to an internet café where I spent five, yes count them, FIVE hours uploading photos to facebook and updating the blog with the last two entries because the connection was so shockingly slow. After I was done being antisocial I went around the corner to Ferg Burger, a burger restaurant which is renowned for its enormous and hearty burgers. For $17 (about £7), I got a huge chunk of meat sandwiched between bread and layers of vegetables, a pack of fries the equivalent of at least two McDonalds large portions, and a drink. Wow was it worth every cent. As I was walking around that evening I bumped into Raul for the last time. I pretty much didn't recognise him; he was wearing so many layers, but we talked for a bit. The next day he was going to be doing what I was doing, so we discussed how exciting it would be, but I always find there's a danger in holding your expectations so high (I'm looking at you, Spider-Man 3 trailer).
Anyway, after our chance encounter I desperately searched for anywhere that sold SD cards and was still open - most places shut early compared to back home; it's just the nature of the level of consumerism there. Eventually I found a pharmacy that sold me one for $35 (RIP-OFF), but I was glad to have bought it, because I was running out of space, and the next day I'd be going on an all day adventure to Milford Sound...
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