Queenstown

Easily identifiable by its lightning-bolt shape, Lake Wakatipu in Queenstown is New Zealand's 3rd largest lake and the South Island's 2nd largest lake. Mountains run straight into the lake. Queenstown, an adventure resort of world renown, is sited on the banks of Lake Wakatipu. The area is also a magnet for wine buffs with 82 wineries registered in the Otago region. From dusk to dawn Qtown rarely sleeps. The three of us (Viv, John and Maris) arrived just after the New Years Eve holiday which saw 50,000 people descend on Qtown but most had left by the time we arrived on Jan. 5th. We were invited to stay at the cottage of the Goff's (from Rhode Island). It was a lovely place overlooking a fruit orchard about 25 minutes outside of Qtown. Maris has always wanted to bungy jump so the day after we arrived we went up the Skyline Gondola to watch her go. It was terrifying to watch but she, in fine Scanlon fashion, did a magnificent leap off the platform! 47 meters free fall! The next day, we all rode the jetboat on the Shotover Canyon River. A kiwi invention, this boat rides on top of the surface and skims along inches from the canyon walls. The following day was my turn to test my courage. While Maris and John waited at the landing field, I rode the gondola up to the top of the mountain where my pilot, Dangerous Dan, waited for me. He was born and raised in Qtown so I felt very safe in his care. We trekked farther the mountain and after harnessing me into the paraglider apparatus, we raced off the edge and lifted into the sky. It was so great! We caught the warm thermal air and just drifted around the hills overlooking Lake Wakatipu. After a bit, Dan asked if I wanted to test some G-Force and he gave the cord a yank and we spun in tight circles, just like an amusement park ride. Soooo much fun! We landed some 25 minutes later, light as feather, in a rugby field, where John and Maris were waiting for me. The following day, we drove to nearby Arrowtown,an old gold mining town with quaint shops and cafes and then drove across The Remarkables Range (fantastic scenery) to the resort town of Wanaka, still essentially a country village, not as developed as Qtown, but attracting more and more wealthy residents. It was an amazing road trip full of fun adventures and one we will all remember for a very, very long time.