Queenstown Arrival

I continued my trend of chatting with my seat-mate on flights, and I was lucky enough to be next to a Queenstown native who advised me to skip the super obvious jet-boating and try one on the Dart River. Two short hours later I was on the Interconnect bus to the Queenstown City Centre where I easily located my hostel, but as it was only 9am in the morning, I was unable to check in.

 

I felt pretty tired and a little overwhelmed because I have not been alone in weeks, so I decided a long black coffee and a B&E [bacon and egg] pie would make me feel better. [I also accidentally stole a mocha thinking it was my order, so there was also that!]

I decided to do the Skyline Gondola and snap some good picks of the mountains and Lake Wakatipu. Stunning… see photos.

Now, no trip to NZ is complete without seeing a kiwi, even if it is not a kiwi in the wild, so I decided to head to the Kiwi Bird Preservation area to see some NZ flora and fauna. Kiwis are nocturnal birds and they are not a huge fan of noise, so I decided to poke my head in the Kiwi House before the feeding. And LO AND BEHOLD there was a KIWI! They are such tubby, waddley little things. [During the kiwi feeding there were some obnoxious children that were super loud and scared the kiwis away.] Right behind the Kiwi hut, there is a baby tuatara viewing area! It was so cool; they were SO CUTE! I was able to see the big daddy Tuatara when one of the ladies who worked at the conservation park pulled him out of his den. The weka was an intelligent bird that took apart its own enclosure to make its nest and the NZ falcon was absolutely gorgeous!

Finished off my day with a Fergburger [waited in line for 20 minutes to order and then another 25 to actually get my order] with my German roommate. We met a lovely Swiss couple in line who struggled intensely to pick a burger. I decided on the Sweet Bambi: a venison burger with Thai plum sauce, tomatoes, aioli, and lettuce. Oh, and the burger was as big as my face… and I ate all of it!

A nice walk around the lake and a visit to the Piano Man rounded out my evening! Absolutely delightful!