Can Queenie live up to the hype?

Ever since I stepped off the plane (and really even before that) I've heard folks talk about how Queenstown is so great.  Based on multiple conversations I've learned that it's the most beautiful place in New Zealand, that there is the most fun stuff to do here, and that it is the best party around.   That is quite a lot of hype to live up to, espiecally since all of NZ is pretty gorgeous and fun.

Haven and I did the 5 hour drive to Queenstown after hiking on the glacier in the rain all morning.  We decided to take a short cut and ended up on a road with a series of switchbacks so tight that you were doing full U-Turns about every 100m.   Oh and definitely no shoulder or guardrail either.  Haven and I determined that this is where the send the road course racers to practice up.

The road was still a shortcut, but we still got in after dark and we were a little beat (and have I mentioned that its COLD here?).   We got settled and tried to rally ourselves for a night of drinking.  Given that we've been in bed most nights at 9 and our best night of drinking involved 2 bottles of wine and a lot of games of War, this was going to be a big night out.   This was the party town right?

Apparently it isn't the party town on Tuesday night.   Or maybe just not on Tuesday at 9:00.  We tried several different bars and a lot of wandering around town.  I even dragged Haven to the big backpacker bar for the people watching experience (and to use the free beer coupon I had).  I was very, entertained by the ugg-boot-wearing, jean-skirts-with-colored-tights-are-high-fashion, I-came-abroad-on-Daddy's-money-to-get-drunk-and-laid crowd.   Personally, the people watching didn't get any better than this for me.  Unfortunately, Haven was one step away from breaking her beer glass and using the shards to slit her wrist.  So we finally gave up, called it a night and still made it to bed before midnight.  Oh well, at least we tried.

I'm happy to say that we were successful in finding the party on the Friday night before we left.  We met a group of guys from our hostel that included a Scot, 2 Irishmen and an Austrian.  Then we picked up an Italian to add to the bunch.  Basically a lot of good accents.  We hit the town hard and made the most of the Queenstown party scence.   See we can stay up past midnight!

Since we arrived after dark, we had to wait for the next day to see the beauty of the place.  I admit that it's pretty gorgeous although you'd expect a lot from a mountain range named the Remarkables.   They are, indeed, remarkable.  The city sits on a large lake and the mountain rises straight up out of the lake.  They had also had their first snowfall so the mountains had a lovely dusting on them.  Unfortunately, the wind rolling across the lake was so strong and cold that we had no desire to go outside.  Still it looked really pretty from the hostel window or when we walked into town for groceries =)

As for Queenstown having the most things to do.   That I'll cover next....

(Unfortunately this website was screwing up the day we left town and I couldn't get Haven's pictures up before she took them home.  In other words, I'm going to be pictureless for a week or so....sorry!)