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Our clients quite often come in looking for a holiday close to home that can offer great scenery, good food and wine and excitement! I was lucky enough to get all this and more when I travelled to Queenstown New Zealand with a group of girlfriends to celebrate a BIG birthday in January. What an amazing time we had!
We stayed on the shores of Lake Wakatipu overlooking the incredible Remarkables. What a fabulous start to our day every morning, to wake up to this view! Our apartments were about 10 minutes from town and we had the option of either take the shuttle that went every hour, or as we had hired an eight seater van, we could drive ourselves.
As Queenstown is known as the adventure capital of the world, we planned to do as many activities as we could, or were brave enough to do! Day one we were off to the Sky Gondola up to Bob’s Peak where the view of the Lake and mountains is truly magnificent. First, line up for ride on the luge which has two tracks available - must do learners first, then go for it on the big track!
After a buffet lunch in the Stratosphere Restaurant, it was time to really get the adrenaline racing and try the steepest Zip line in the world. It didn’t quite hit me until we came to this line just how steep this was – my knees were knocking, hands sweating and heart racing and I didn’t think I could do it! With no other way down, I was hooked on. Hold your breath and take that step into nothing and away you go! Zip line? Tick. I'm never doing it again!
Day two was Shotover and white water rafting. Again, adrenaline plus heart in your mouth, soaking wet, BUT I survived and another tick! As if that wasn’t enough for one day some of girls decided it might be a good idea to jump out of a plane - not me I tell you! Five of them took the plunge (literally) and just loved it! Still can’t convince me though, why would you want to jump out of a perfectly good plane?
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Day three was a bit wet and windy, so into town for a long, lazy lunch, a bit of shopping and then we decided to go to the Ice Bar. This is a small bar that is at -9 degrees and everything is made of ice, including the glasses. They give you a huge head to knee fur lined jacket with gloves and then in you go. There is a range of cocktails – all taste very good and you get one free drink with your entrance fee. There is a photo booth and a table top hockey game. It was lots of fun, but you can’t stay in for more than about 20 minutes as your gloves get wet and everything starts to freeze. Another tick, and I would go back – and we did on the last night!
Day four and five were touring days to Arrowtown and Lake Wanaka, both lovely little towns with the scenery on the way again spectacular. Wanaka is known for its incredible Maze – what fun!
On day six, most of us decided we must paraglide off the Gondola Skyline Peak. So up we went, as the wind was not very strong we had to walk about 700 metres straight up a very rough track. I have to say it was so strenuous, by the time I got to the top I was not even thinking of what I was about to do! We were all going tandem with an experienced flyer and my instructor was a Frenchman named George - before I knew what was happening he had me strapped in and was telling me to make sure I walked in time with him and then the next moment we were flying!
Wow, how amazing. I can’t tell you how incredible it was, just floating in the air and looking at the most breathtaking scenery everywhere! I loved it - although my heart was beating “a million miles an hour”. A huge tick and yes I would do it again! To top the day off, two of our adrenalin junkies decided to do the Canyon Swing. This is a 60 metre rope suspended over a 109 metre drop to the river. You are attached to the rope and then you step into mid air and fall until the length of the rope and swing back and forward until it stops, then you are winched up. Guess what? You can do it again for half price! My travel companions loved it, but absolutely no way I would do it!
This was an amazing holiday in a fabulous place. We flew to Sydney, then onto Queenstown direct, same coming home. Although it is pricy to do all the activities, food and drink is not expensive and you can buy great seafood and fresh veggies to cook your own. What an adventure! Oh, and I almost forgot, we went Segwaying as well, which was great fun and I would love to do that again too!
If this sounds like a trip you would like to do, come and see me and I will help you have one of the most exciting holidays you will ever have!
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