Queenstown Archives - New Zealand Adventure

Tag: Queenstown

October 2, 2017

Last night at the Hippo Lodge

Today is the first kind of boring day I have since I’m in New Zealand. I need to finish some work, because I don’t know when I’ll have a good internet connection again. I start my workday at a local coffee place where the coffee is delicious, but they only provide internet for half an hour and so I’m soon back at the hostel. I work for most of the day, but also hang out in the backyard with some people from the hostel. I know I’m blessed with a lot of freedom with my work, though it can also be challenging to combine it with vacation sometimes. I don’t complain though, I’m thankful that I can travel so much.

In the evening I decide to go downtown once more and get some dinner somewhere. Though, the place I want to go to is super crowded, so I change my mind and do groceries instead. I think it’s nicer to eat at the hostel with some good company anyway. Just like the first night I was here I make myself some nice Italian dinner.

At the hostel I run into the hostel manager, Miki is his name by the way, and I invite him for dinner. I think that a nice way to thank a good host is to cook a delicious dinner for them. We have a Italian Spaghetti and a nice glass of wine together and have some more good conversations. I thank him again for the hospitality and for the time here. He really takes the effort of making people feel at home here in the hostel in Queenstown. I enjoyed my time at the hostel and am now ready to travel further to more adventures. It was a nice long week in Queenstown.

October 1, 2017

Saturday morning run

The sky is clear of clouds when it’s starting to get light this morning. The view of the sun slowly coming up behind the mountains is so beautiful. Already yesterday I had the idea to go for a run this morning, so that’s what I’m doing when I wake up. I first run to the park where we were playing frisbee golf yesterday and follow the water side to the harbor. Then I go uphill in a forest on the foot of Mount Ben Lemond. It soon get’s steep and the run changes into a hike and later into rock climbing. It’s pretty intense, but really beautiful as the scenery gets better the higher I climb. From the hill I run back to the city and back to the hostel. When I arrive, I’ve been on the way for over an hour and I feel great. I love it so much to run.

The rest of the morning and afternoon are quite relaxed. I do the laundry, clean up my car and make up the bed in the car so that I’m ready to travel further again next week. Then I sit down at the balcony with a good book and enjoy the sunshine while I read. I update my blog and do some groceries.

Around five in the afternoon a couple of people go to to the lake because they want to dive from a cliff. I drive with them to the lake, but don’t feel like diving in the cold water today. It’s fun to see the others jump in the water and I’m tempted for a moment, but I know already from a few days ago how cold it will be. Especially now that it’s much colder outside the last two days. I have a better idea, I collect dry wood to make a small campfire tonight. When the others are too cold to stay outside we drive back to the hostel with the trunk full of wood. We make a quick stop at the supermarket for some marshmallows and other food to put on the fire and then go home.

Guy from Finland doing backflip from the cliff

Guy from Finland doing backflip from the cliff 2

When it’s getting dark we start the fire and put some music on. With some cold drinks and hamburgers and sausages we have a nice dinner with a few guys and then more people join us. Sitting around the fire is always nice and we have a good time together. It’s probably one of my last nights here, since I have decided to hit the road again on Monday. I’ll miss this place, but I’m also looking forward to new adventures.

September 30, 2017

Playing Frisbee Golf

I wake up with the interesting thought that I could actually see myself living here for a while. No worries mama, I won’t. But it’s a good sign that I’m enjoying my time here. It’s the combination of living in a big house with international people and doing things together while being in a beautiful environment. In the mornings here I do some work and later in the day we hang out together and do fun things, quite a good balance.

It seems to finally becoming Spring, the days are getting brighter and longer. It’s still quite fresh outside today, but I love the fresh air here. During lunchtime I walk home to get food and to continue working at the big table in the living room.

When I’ve finished work I go downtown to buy a frisbee, because I saw a frisbee golf parkour the other day in the park. Just when I’m in a store to buy one, a guy walks up to me and tells me he has several used ones at home I can buy for just a bit more than the price of a single new one and so I go happily back to the hostel with seven frisbees. Then I collect some people there and not much later we go together to the park to play frisbee golf. For who doesn’t know what that is, it’s mainly the same as normal golf, but then you have to throw a frisbee in a basket. It’s even more fun than I thought and pretty challenging, because there are many big trees in the park. We play for a while and also do some rock and tree climbing and have a great time outside. When the sun is down and it gets colder outside we head back to the hostel for dinner. I think I want to play frisbee golf again one of these days, it’s a lot of fun.

September 29, 2017

Swimming in the lake

This morning I start with working. I don’t feel so much like working, but that’s the responsibly of having your own business of course. It gives you a lot of freedom, but you also have to work during vacation sometimes. Actually it’s pretty good, since another guy at the hostel is also working on his laptop, so we’re both working at the table in the living room. It even gets better when someone else drops off a pizza of last night which still tastes delicious. I think I can get used to the hostel life. During working I also do the laundry so I have a clean bed and clothes when I hit the road again on Monday.

In the afternoon I go to the lake with two friends. We sit at a jetty for a while, but then I decide to dive in the water. It’s super cold, but totally awesome. After one time I go in there another couple of times and then warm up in the sun again. It’s so nice to be out here. The only sounds you hear is us talking, some birds in the trees and the water and wind. It’s a perfect day for being at the lake, it’s bright and sunny outside. At the end of the afternoon we go back to the hostel and relax there for a while. I’m glad I’ve met all these great people here.

In the evening we go to a local bar for a pub quiz. I’m not that good in those quizzes, since I never watch the news, but actually we’re doing really good and end up third place. We have a lot of fun and then go back to the hostel where we watch a movie and hang out until late. Another great day in Queenstown.

September 28, 2017

Relaxed day in Queenstown

I plan to make it a relaxed day today and I desire coffee, so I start the morning at Starbucks. I stay there and do some webdevelopment work until the end of the afternoon. Then I go to a famous local food place, the Fergburger. It’s good that I’m there just between lunchtime and dinnertime, because normally there are long lines of people waiting for a burger, but I can order almost straight away. The burger and fries are very nice and so is the milkshake. I guess they think I look like an English prince, since they put the name Edward at the first order and Henry on the second.

I enjoy a nice lunch and walk through downtown Queenstown. Then I go to the park right next to the water. It’s bright and sunny weather and there are many people outside. On the water are speedboats and in the sky are some paragliders. Queenstown really is a place of activities. I walk downtown again and fine a bar with a big bookcase in the corner, a nice place to read a book. I love to read, but normally I don’t always find the time and rest for it. Now that I’m on vacation it’s easier and I want to make it a habit I can take home with me.

On my way back to the hostel I get some groceries for dinner. Since I have a kitchen here, I feel like I should make use of it before I have to cook on a gas cooker again next week. I added some more days to my stay here in Queenstown and will probably start driving again on Monday. Back at the hostel I hang out with the other people for a while, play some games at the x-box, have dinner and don’t go to bed too late. Although the evenings are also fun here, I like to stick to an early schedule, because I love the mornings so much. Today was a relaxed day, tomorrow I probably have to do some work again.

September 26, 2017

Awake at night

Last night I went to bed very early and well prepared with an eye mask and earplugs, but still I wake up in the middle of the night when the panda returns. It’s not just him, but also the fact that the beds are too small for a tall guy like me and that I’m not used to sleeping with more people in a room that makes sleeping here challenging. I’m glad I slept at least a couple of hours and that I can lay on the couch in the living room. I take my blanket and pillow and lay on the couch and put some nice music on. Outside there is lightning and thunder and rain. I actually enjoy this moment, it’s relaxing and peaceful. Chances are that I’ll be a bit tired during the day, but then there will be coffee again and I’ll be fine. Even though it’s a really nice place to stay here, I think that the short nights will determine my decision to start traveling again by the end of the week. There are still a few places here in the South that I like to visit and then I’ll slowly travel up North again.

The hostel is on a hill at the outside of town and has a really beautiful view of downtown and the lake. Especially tonight with the lightning it’s lovely to just look out of the window for a while. Just when I walk to the freezer for a midnight snack, the lighting hits again and the whole town goes dark for a couple of seconds. Then the lights turn on again and I can make a bowl of ice cream and cookies. I like nights like this. I call my grandma in America for a while and we have some good conversations about traveling and life as we usually do. Then I try to sleep again on the couch in which I to my surprise succeed and I wake up a couple of hours later when the first people go to the kitchen for breakfast. I also have breakfast myself and then get my sporting clothes from the car, because I want to check out the gym in town.

The gym is at an industrial area and is located in an old garage, pretty cool. It feels great to work out again, though I can feel that I’ve gone a few weeks without. There are not many people around, just somewhere between five or ten are also training. I work out for about an hour and then run back to the hostel. There some people are heading to a second-hand store and I join them. It’s nice to go to those stores, because you never know what you’ll find. I get myself a nice small backpack for day trip hikes, something I forgot to bring on this journey. We go to a few more stores and then return to the hostel. Time to work for a bit again.

Around dinner time we get the idea with some people to go to town and have pizza somewhere (read: I introduce them to Monday Pizzaday). We go to a nice bar called London where they have good pizza’s en nice beers. Later some more people from the hostel join us for drinks and we have a good time. I don’t make it too late though, because I have to watch my budget a bit and I’m also a bit tired from the short nights of sleep. All with all, it’s a nice day again and I enjoy staying here for a while.

September 24, 2017

Going to Queenstown

It is funny how in the evening you can think you’re tired of traveling and done with it and then wake up the next morning and be full of energy again and think ‘let’s go on a new adventure!’. That was last night and this morning. I think it’s part of the journey, sometimes you’re just tired and want to be home and at other moments you embrace the adventure again and continue traveling.

I guess I needed some sleep, because this morning I wake up by my alarm clock at 7.30. Normally I’m awake before the alarm goes of, but I’m glad it’s still early. It’s a bright day again and I do a short drive to the first town to post the stories on my blog. There is a nice fireplace, so I also take the opportunity to read again. I’m not quite sure yet what I’ll do today. On one hand I want to stay in nature, on the other hand do I also need to do some work and have a shower, so it might be good to drive to Queenstown and stay there for a couple of days.

I decide to book a hostel in Queenstown for a week. Even if I don’t stay there for a full week it’s nice to have a place to stay with internet and a shower. I can use it as a base to work and travel from. At least it gives some peace of mind to know where I’ll be sleeping for a few days.

I drive to Queenstown, but make one small stop at Arrowstown, which used to be a gold miner town. It’s now a really touristic place with shops and restaurants, but still nice to see. Then I drive to the hostel I booked, but there is no parking place as they said online and I have to walk a long end to get there. When I finally arrive, the guy at the reception is very unfriendly and the room is much smaller than on the pictures, so I quickly decide that this is not the place I want to stay for a week. The guy says I still have to pay for the first night and I promise him a bad review in return.

For a moment I think about just leaving Queenstown and continue traveling, but then I make up my mind to give it one more chance. I go back online and find another hostel a bit out of the city centre. It’s called Hippo Lodge and is only about a five minute drive. A really friendly guy welcomes me and shows me around. It’s the exact opposite experience I just had and feel very welcome here. There is a living room with couches, a kitchen and the rooms are nice and clean. I decide to book a room in this house. I’m very happy that I found this place after all, this feels like a home where I could stay for a while.

Since I haven’t eaten so healthy lately, I decide to cook a good meal tonight. I go the grocery store and get all the ingredients for a nice spaghetti. I also get breakfast for about a week, since there is a fridge here and I’m probably staying for at least a couple of days. Last but not least, I also get myself some ice cream. I think it’s good to take good care of yourself from time to time and it also often helps with making some new friends.

Back at the hostel I cook myself some delicious Italian dinner and after that hang out with the other people here. There is an x-box in the living room, so I game for a while with some guys and then feel that I’m getting tired and go to my room. This hostel feels like a home with many international people in it and I’m glad I’m staying at one place for a while, taking a vacation of the vacation.

Tag: Queenstown

Last night at the Hippo Lodge

Saturday morning run

Playing Frisbee Golf

Swimming in the lake

Relaxed day in Queenstown

Awake at night

Going to Queenstown

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