Queenstown!!!

Well, take that, former gym teachers. We were very close to missing this bus to the airport this morning, but we ran and made it. In fact, I even ran faster than Laura (and I was wearing my pack, too) and she's very fit. The bus driver was very nice He gets a mention here, not only for holding the bus for us but because he sounds just like the old Professor Dumbledore.

The flight to Queenstown was short. I listened to three songs and then we prepared for landing. Once we landed it was clear this place is special. Mountains everywhere! But it's also damn cold. It was probably 5C this afternoon. But the thing is, the town smells wonderful. Sometimes it smells like Christmas in the suburbs, sometimes it smells frosty, sometimes it smells like nice, wet forest. It's the best-smelling city I've ever been in.

We got to our hostel very early (just in time for rain) and they wouldn't let us check in, so we walked around trying to find tacky post-cards for friends. Then we got awesome breakfast and hot chocolate at Cafe Vudu. I got eggs Benedict-awesome-and Laura got a breakfast quesadilla. The cafe was very cute, with a little fireplace. We took a quick walk to the lake... and the sun came out!

Afterwards, Laura and I split. Laura went on a jetboat and I wandered around the Queenstown Garden. This was beautiful and, of course, smelled good. The gardens are quite near the lake, so I was able to see pine forests, lake and mountains all at one go.

We then met up around 3 and headed off to take a gondola up the local mountain. The view was lovely, but the best part was the mountain luge track. This was similar to the one I went on in Switzerland, but the track is paved so you can pass other people. I had a lot more fun than the first time I luged. After this, we got some tea and waited for the sun to get a little lower to take some pictures of the mountains.

Once we got off the return gondola, the sun had made all the mountain tops pink and pretty. There's a nearby old cemetery, so we got some great pictures. If you didn't pay close attention, the whole scene felt more Scandinavian than New Zealandish.

For dinner, we at at the famous Fergburger where we ate outside (it was a miracle we got any seat at all, and these were heated anyway). We had GIANT burgers... I mean, at least 7" in diameter, awesome crispy fries and cider.

I really like Queenstown. It's a cute little mountain town. Half the shops cater to skiing and boarding. The town is filled with mostly twenty-somethings and a few Asian tourists. It's just fun to be here, even if it's wicked cold.

Tomorrow we will see the kiwis and walk around the lake!