Queenstown
Queenstown is my favorite city in New Zealand, hands down. It has the reputation of being the adrenalin capital of New Zealand with lots of activities available to satisfy any action junkies out there. In winter it's a great ski destination with several ski areas surrounding it. It is in the Remarkables, a mountain range that is ruggedly beautiful. It was the setting of many of the scenes of the Lord of the Rings trilogy. There is jet boating on the Shotover River, bungie jumping at several locations, river rafting, mountain climbing, trekking, fishing, wineries, and many many more activities.
It was very warm when we landed in Queenstown -- high 80's at least. We rented a car (a small Toyota Corolla) that barely fit the three of us and our luggage, but since we weren't going to be carting luggage all over the place this time, we stayed with the smaller car.
Our first stop was the Irish Pub that I love, Pog Mahones. I had lamb stew and a Kilkenny ale and was in heaven. I just love the way they put a big scoop of colcannon in the middle of the stew (mashed poatoes). Mom and Dad loved it too -- and I thought that Dad was going to eat three loaves of the Irish soda bread! Great stuff.
We walked around the town a bit and along Lake Wakatipu. The steamship trip was sold out for the afternoon, so we had to put that off until another day. Since we couldn't do the boat trip, we went to the gondola ride to the top of the peak overlooking the city to get a view up there. I was a little worried about Mom riding the gondola, as she had passed out on one several years ago -- but she did fine on the ride.
There is a bungie jumping place at this location also, and we got to watch several jumpers. I still have not done that yet, but am working up the nerve!
After our experiences at the peak, we headed back to town for a drink at the Loaded Hog. It was nice to sit outside and watch the sun go down as we enjoyed an adult beverage. Not a bad life!
Our hotel was the Mercure just outside the main part of Queenstown. We had a nice view from the room out over the Lake and the Remarkables -- it's really a magical place.
Pog Mahone's is right in the midst of Queenstown, with a great view of the lake. The Irish stew is not to be missed -- tender lamb, a glob of mashed potatoes in the middle, with barley and vegetables. Served with warm fresh Irish soda bread, it's heavenly. They have a great beef and Guiness pie as well with a flakey puff pastry shell.
I'm told that Pog Mahone means "kiss my a**" in Gaellic. I'll leave that to those who speak the tongue of mother Eire to confirm or deny!
