Joe and I just recently returned from our R&R. This time we chose New Zealand and we had the most amazing experience. Friend that had visited Australia and New Zealand both had told us that we should see Australia first and then go to New Zealand. After visiting Australia last year, I didn't think anything could top that trip. It had always been my dream trip and I was not disappointed with anything about it.
That was until we saw New Zealand. Our friends told us that once we saw New Zealand we would understand why you see Australia first. This is the most amazing, scenic country I've ever seen. It is full of mountains, valleys, volcanoes and lakes. You name it it's probably in New Zealand. I spent long hours going over internet sights to map out as many places we could see in the short time we would be there.
It took us one day of travel to get to Auckland. We arrived in the afternoon and by the time we got checked into our hotel it was time for dinner. We stayed at the Hilton Hotel in Auckland. It is on a pier and sits out over the water. It has some amazing views of the harbour area. We walked along the wharf and had a beautiful patio view of the sun setting on the water at one of the restaurants. It was a wonderful start to what would be one of the best vacations we have ever taken.
The next morning we were on a plane to Queenstown located on the south island. Our friends had told us that we would enjoy the south island much more than the north island. Our view from the air were amazing as we made our approach into Queenstown. It is located in a valley and the landing is very short and quick. You are literally flying between the mountains down into the small airport. It was a beautiful day and we couldn't wait to get out to explore.
We stayed at the Crowne Plaza and it was within walking distance to the town center where the wharf, restaurants and shopping were located. We had a beautiful view of the Remarkable Mountains and Lake Wakatipu. These mountains were featured prominently in the Lord of the Rings Trilogy, which was filmed at multiple locations throughout New Zealand, much of it in and around Queenstown. Many of the tours of the area are centered around the filming locations for the movies. On our first day there were boat races, para sailing and hang gliding events going on and we spent the afternoon sitting at a restaurant having lunch and drinks and watching the events. In the late afternoon we took a boat ride tour of the lake in an old steamer. There was a guy playing the piano on board and there was even an old fashioned sing a long.
Queenstown is a beautiful town with many activities to do. In the warm weather there are water sports, fishing and hiking and in the winter it is a large ski area. Like other areas of New Zealand, Queenstown has become a place for filming movies. Besides the Lord of the Rings Trilogy, Wolverine, The Water Horse, Vertical Limit and The Rescuers were also filmed here. They are in the process of changing the Lord of the Rings sets over for the start of filming of the Hobbit. We were anxious to get out and explore this beautiful scenic area.
On Monday morning we took a helicopter tour of the Queenstown area. It was my first experience in a helicopter and I was excited but apprehensive at the same time. We flew over the mountains out toward the west coast. There we saw the fiords and the coastline of the Tasman Sea. We flew over glaciers and some of the most amazing terrain I've ever seen. Pictures cannot capture what we saw from the air. Some of the areas are not even accessible except by air. There was a weather front threatening to come in with rain so we didn't get to set down on the glacier as planned. The pilot did make up for this disappointment by taking us on a tour of some other areas. We flew over areas where sheep and cattle were grazing along the slopes. We saw red deer running along the slopes. We set down in an area with views of some of the scenes from Lord of the Rings, including a major battle area and the area where the castle was. It was a thrilling way to begin our stay in Queenstown.
On Tuesday we had our fly fishing adventure. I won't go into any details. You can read further about it in my previous post Lucy and Ricky go Fishing. Enough said!
Wednesday we took a 4WD tour of the area outside Queenstown where they had a gold rush in the late 1800's. It was a thrilling ride through mountain roads barely wide enough for the vehicle with views of the straight drop off from my winfow. We took a jet boat ride through the canyon river and again saw where scenes from Lord of the Rings were filmed. Remember the scene of Gandalf riding through a stream on a white horse? We went through that area in a jet boat? Very thrilling! After our boat ride we toured an area where a family first came to search for gold. The fifth generation daughter is still living in the area and maintains a small museum with artifacts and memorabilia from the gold rush days. We also got to pan for gold. It was a fun day.
We had some amazing food while in Queenstown. A lot of the restaurants have patios so it was nice to sit outside and enjoy a glass of wine and a good meal and watch the sun set. It's just now the beginning of fall and the weather was pleasant and the trees were just beginning to change. We could have spent our entire vacation here in Queenstown. I'm certain we will be back. Joe wants to try skiing here and our plan is to return in the winter. We'd also like to rent a car and see some of the outlying sights we didn't get to explore this time around.
Next stop - return to Auckland and Lake Taupo on the North Island.
Stay tuned!
That was until we saw New Zealand. Our friends told us that once we saw New Zealand we would understand why you see Australia first. This is the most amazing, scenic country I've ever seen. It is full of mountains, valleys, volcanoes and lakes. You name it it's probably in New Zealand. I spent long hours going over internet sights to map out as many places we could see in the short time we would be there.
It took us one day of travel to get to Auckland. We arrived in the afternoon and by the time we got checked into our hotel it was time for dinner. We stayed at the Hilton Hotel in Auckland. It is on a pier and sits out over the water. It has some amazing views of the harbour area. We walked along the wharf and had a beautiful patio view of the sun setting on the water at one of the restaurants. It was a wonderful start to what would be one of the best vacations we have ever taken.
The next morning we were on a plane to Queenstown located on the south island. Our friends had told us that we would enjoy the south island much more than the north island. Our view from the air were amazing as we made our approach into Queenstown. It is located in a valley and the landing is very short and quick. You are literally flying between the mountains down into the small airport. It was a beautiful day and we couldn't wait to get out to explore.
We stayed at the Crowne Plaza and it was within walking distance to the town center where the wharf, restaurants and shopping were located. We had a beautiful view of the Remarkable Mountains and Lake Wakatipu. These mountains were featured prominently in the Lord of the Rings Trilogy, which was filmed at multiple locations throughout New Zealand, much of it in and around Queenstown. Many of the tours of the area are centered around the filming locations for the movies. On our first day there were boat races, para sailing and hang gliding events going on and we spent the afternoon sitting at a restaurant having lunch and drinks and watching the events. In the late afternoon we took a boat ride tour of the lake in an old steamer. There was a guy playing the piano on board and there was even an old fashioned sing a long.
Queenstown is a beautiful town with many activities to do. In the warm weather there are water sports, fishing and hiking and in the winter it is a large ski area. Like other areas of New Zealand, Queenstown has become a place for filming movies. Besides the Lord of the Rings Trilogy, Wolverine, The Water Horse, Vertical Limit and The Rescuers were also filmed here. They are in the process of changing the Lord of the Rings sets over for the start of filming of the Hobbit. We were anxious to get out and explore this beautiful scenic area.
On Monday morning we took a helicopter tour of the Queenstown area. It was my first experience in a helicopter and I was excited but apprehensive at the same time. We flew over the mountains out toward the west coast. There we saw the fiords and the coastline of the Tasman Sea. We flew over glaciers and some of the most amazing terrain I've ever seen. Pictures cannot capture what we saw from the air. Some of the areas are not even accessible except by air. There was a weather front threatening to come in with rain so we didn't get to set down on the glacier as planned. The pilot did make up for this disappointment by taking us on a tour of some other areas. We flew over areas where sheep and cattle were grazing along the slopes. We saw red deer running along the slopes. We set down in an area with views of some of the scenes from Lord of the Rings, including a major battle area and the area where the castle was. It was a thrilling way to begin our stay in Queenstown.
On Tuesday we had our fly fishing adventure. I won't go into any details. You can read further about it in my previous post Lucy and Ricky go Fishing. Enough said!
Wednesday we took a 4WD tour of the area outside Queenstown where they had a gold rush in the late 1800's. It was a thrilling ride through mountain roads barely wide enough for the vehicle with views of the straight drop off from my winfow. We took a jet boat ride through the canyon river and again saw where scenes from Lord of the Rings were filmed. Remember the scene of Gandalf riding through a stream on a white horse? We went through that area in a jet boat? Very thrilling! After our boat ride we toured an area where a family first came to search for gold. The fifth generation daughter is still living in the area and maintains a small museum with artifacts and memorabilia from the gold rush days. We also got to pan for gold. It was a fun day.
We had some amazing food while in Queenstown. A lot of the restaurants have patios so it was nice to sit outside and enjoy a glass of wine and a good meal and watch the sun set. It's just now the beginning of fall and the weather was pleasant and the trees were just beginning to change. We could have spent our entire vacation here in Queenstown. I'm certain we will be back. Joe wants to try skiing here and our plan is to return in the winter. We'd also like to rent a car and see some of the outlying sights we didn't get to explore this time around.
Next stop - return to Auckland and Lake Taupo on the North Island.
Stay tuned!
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