Welcome to Queenstown, home of The Remarkables. The Remarkables are the mountains in the background of the picture below. They are well named and are quite stunning in person. Jay and I both agree pictures don't do them justice.
Of all the towns we've visited in New Zealand, Queenstown is the one I would want to move to if I were to ever move to New Zealand. It is a little bigger than most towns (as in, it has more than 1 gas station) but it doesn't have the congested feeling like Wellington or Auckland. Plus the view, you really can't beat that!
As I mentioned yesterday, we slept in this morning after our pub crawl and left our day a little empty. The only plan we had was jet-boating!
Jet-boating was an activity neither Jay nor I intended on doing when we initially envisioned this trip. When we were at the Maori experience, a Brit who has a lot of family here in New Zealand highly recommended this activity in Queenstown.
The jet-boat is a New Zealand invention that can ride on as little as 3 cm of water and fly up to 80 km/hr. The Shotover Jet is the 'original' and speeds down a canyon twisting and turning as it goes. Because it can sail on such little amount of water, its able to get very close to the canyon walls, and the driver was not shy at all about getting paint-scrapingly close. As our friend said, you think they are going to crash but never do. I was certain we would crash at least twice, but we narrowly missed each time.
I am so glad we decided to do this activity. It was exhilarating and really amazing to ride so close and so fast through a canyon.
Afterward, we headed to Fergburger. We're honestly not sure why it's so famous, but it provided a very hearty lunch. As you can see from above, our burgers were huge!
Jay got the traditional Fergburger while I opted for the Sweet Bambi (what can I say, I love venison). This burger did not disappoint! What made the burger sweeter was a delicious chutney sauce.
With our stomachs pleasantly full, we rode the sky gondola up to the chalet on top of Queentsown. The views were remarkable! We got lucky and grabbed a great seat right by the window as we enjoyed an afternoon beverage.
This spot was perfect for viewing the scenery and watching some bungy jumpers. Jay and I opted for the original bungy jump (honestly b/c we had a coupon for it) but watching this one made me a little envious. The picture of you jumping has Queenstown and the mountains in the background! I'll let you know later this week if I am still envious after we do our jump. I am so excited!
