Queenstown: the Adventure Capital of the World is like a seductive magnet

By Kip Brook, Word of Mouth Media NZ

It’s like a dream come true. My dawn charter flight makes its final approach into Queenstown Airport which has just been voted among the best approaches in the world.

This spectacular New Zealand resort is the adventure capital of the world and I am blown away by the summer scenery.

It’s no wonder Queenstown with its magnificent scenery and high octane activities is ranked eighth on Lonely Planet's list of top 10 places in the world to visit this year. Queenstown is no longer just a winter skiing destination. It offers fuel-injected fun all summer long.

My limousine arrives at St Moritz, the hotel with the best five star views in town. The lake view suite has spectacular views.

I stroll into town for the best biggest breakfast at Fergburgers Cafe. Just ask for the fluffer.

Next on the list: a thrilling Kawarau jet boat ride which hits speeds over 90kmph and does 360 degree spins producing squeals of fun from others in the boat. Boat driver Kevin tells me Kawarau is the longest running commercial jet boat company in the world. They leave on the hour from the wharf right by town.

It gets even better. Guide Pete Hitchman takes me into the bush on one of his You vs Wild survival tours, based along the lines of the Bear Grills tv programme. On the Sam Summers track, Pete teaches how to survive. He shows how to make an aspirin from a tree, which plants can be safely eaten, and what plant to use as an antiseptic and how to filter water. He lights a fire, by friction with a shoe lace. It feels great being outdoors enjoying nature in the wild.

I’m exhausted. Back in town I sip a latte outside Vudu Cafe and watch a stream of paragliders float off gondola hill. I glance up the gondola and decide to hire a bike and hit the forest tracks in the high-octane new mountain bike park from the gondola back in to town. It’s a big adrenalin-buzz; so steep – even on the beginners green track - but exciting.

By afternoon’s end I soak in a hot tub at St Moritz. This is the best place in the world right now. This adrenalin-junkie, sexy, love-making capital of the world is so seductive for activity-lovers who embrace the staggering beauty of this wild destination.

Refreshed, I wander down to Steamer Wharf to eat at Wai restaurant for yummy whitebait and salmon, washed down by a buttery Spy Valley chardonnay. Superb hostess Katie suggests going to the sub-zero ice bar for a drink, or possibly a trip on the steam ship Earnslaw which will celebrate its 100th anniversary this year.

Around the waterfront, couples stroll arm in arm; girls in bikinis and guys in baggy shorts get the last of the sun on the lakeside beach. The setting sun casts a rosy tint over the rugged Remarkables . This picture-postcard resort destination is a Mecca for people with a lust for high-octane excitement.

At dusk I unwind with a back massage at Sofitel. They were named last year by Travel and Leisure magazine as having the best spa in the world. Michelle is an outstanding massage expert and worked on all my bumps and bruises from a gloriously hectic day. Tired but inspired, I plod back to my fabulous St Moritz suite, flop onto the bed and ponder my potential conquests for the next day.

Who knows what I will get into: skydiving, paragliding, rafting, hang gliding, bungy jumping, canyoning, horse trekking, mountain biking, water skiing, sailing, deer hunting, canoeing, mountain climbing, kayaking, fly fishing, ice skating, luge and river surfing.

Ends

BUDGET 2012:
Parliament Debate Live - Video Of Budget 2011
Keith Ng Interactive Graphic: How the Budget Breaks Down
BUDGET 2012 - FULL COVERAGE: Reports / Analysis - Press Kit - Reaction (from everybody) - Previews (from everybody) - Pre-Budget Announcements

Gordon Campbell: On the Budget’s Spreadsheet Victories

It wasn’t as if expectations were sky high, exactly. Chances are, it was always more likely that we’d be seeing Bigfoot rampage through the Beehive lock-up than catch a glimpse of a credible growth agenda from this government. More >>

Sludge Budget Report - Short The Dollar! MEMO: To international bankers FROM: C.D. Sludge Please short the dollar! It'll be good for both you and us. And you know you want to. Greexit, Eurogeddon... watch out... flight to quality and all that. Follow your instincts. The NZ Debt Management Office has been so surprised at the unprecedentedly low interest rates that it can borrow at that it has already entirely pre-funded the 2013 fiscal deficit - all $8 billion of it! More >>

Pattrick Smellie Comment: Doddling along the best we can hope forCriticising Budgets for lacking vision or imagination is like shooting fish in a barrel, but even so, this year's Budget again feels like a missed opportunity. Perhaps it's the intrusion of real world needs that means the government couldn't make better political use of the $558.8 million it expects to gather in its first partial asset sale. More >>