Adventures in Queenstown

Abe and I are now on the North Island—I will soon upload a map of all of the places I have been so far—and we both agreed that we are missing something about the South Island. Maybe it’s because we spent three months there or because we have not yet had time to sightsee here since we need to work first. Or maybe the South Island suits us better.


I read an article in a NZ magazine about the North-South divide and realized that the regions have as many stereotypes as the North and South of the United States, and they are surprisingly similar. Busy Northerners are materialistic and Southerners are provincial and conservative. In the U.S., New Yorkers are often targeted for being rude or looking down on any place that is not New York City. In New Zealand, some Kiwis have a name for the residents of the islands’ biggest city: a JAFA or “just another fucking Aucklander.”


Abe and I will visit more of the North Island and see for ourselves what is true once we have worked and saved a bit more money. But for now, we are in love with the natural beauty and diversity of the South Island. The South Island’s cities are all very different from one another, and they are spread out all over the island leaving the vast areas of land completely unpopulated. Hailing from the East Coast of the United States, I have never seen completely uninhabited land before I came here, and I think it must be similar to what our country used to look like before the Europeans arrived.


One of my favourite places in the South Island was Queenstown, and I am finally sharing the pictures now—a good internet connection is too hard to find in this scenic country! Queenstown is known as a party city and the “adrenaline capital” of New Zealand where you can do everything from the comparatively tame bungee jumping to parapenting (parachuting off a mountain) or zorbing (rolling down a mountain in a giant ball that eerily resembles a hamster wheel).


I love Queenstown because of the restaurants, nightlife, and the beautiful scenery. The city is built around the longest lake in New Zealand, Lake Wakatipu, and the lake is a perfectly clear blue-green. Little beaches, barbecues, trees, and the Queenstown Botanic Garden line the lake on one side of the city, and the wharf full of restaurants, sweetshops, and cafes line the other side. Queenstown often roars at night with young travellers celebrating their successful adrenaline rides of the day, there is a peaceful, natural beauty to it too.

The beautiful Lake Wakatipu

The Queenstown Botanic Gardens

This is one of the many beautiful forest walks that surround the huge lake.

Lake Wakatipu right before a storm

Bob's Weigh was one of the many Queenstown cafes we fell in love with.

This sunset was captured from our fantastic new hostel: Adventure Queenstown.

Nothing could be better than coffee and toast at the Patagonia Cafe. They serve jams and caramel with their toast!