Queenstown... my bar away from home

Alright, let's pick up where we left off, shall we?

Queenstown

April 25

It was a long day getting to Queenstown, so Bev made sure we were on the bus and down the road by 8:00. Now usually we would spend most of the morning sleeping, but this morning everyone was alert, faces firmly plastered against the windows. Oh, it wasn't the scenery that had our rapt attention, it was, of all things, another bus.

The night before in Franz Josef, Bev told us he'd heard through the driver grapevine that a Kiwi Experience bus had crashed in the winding highway between Franz Josef and Fox glaciers. Two people were sent to the hospital with broken bones, but that was the extent of the serious injuries. The bus had quite literally plunged off a cliff, but the vegetation is so thick in that area that the bus got caught in it, and was still lodged there as we passed by. Green bus + green vegetation means we didn't see much, and I'm quite sure Bev was keeping his eyes glued to the road, so he was no help.

We had breakfast at Lake Matheson (AKA "Mirror Lake"), right in view of Mount Cook, New Zealand's highest peak. It made for some pretty cool pictures.

The rest of the day was basically spent on the road, except for a brief lunch stop, and a break in Wanaka, a GORGEOUS ski town just outside Queenstown. A couple girls were spending the night there, and we were picking up three more passengers on our way into the city.

Our only other stop on the way into Queenstown was the Kawerau Bridge, the site of the world's first commercial bungy jump. It's a short one at only 43 metres, but a good introduction for those who had never done it before. There had been some talk over lunch about some of the guys giving it a try, and Bev was having a blast taking the piss out of all us girls who said we'd never do it. Not being one to back down from a challenge, I told Bev that if I did the jump, he was buying my drinks that night (and vice-versa if I chickened out).

Free beer? You better freaking believe I did that jump!!

It was a blast, and I was really surprised that I actually went through with it. Nick, my Yankee friend, got the whole thing on video, and I was told by both Bev and the guys in the boat that bring you ashore that I'd had one of the best jumps of the day (I was, coincidentally, the last jumper of the day. It was ANZAC Day (kind of like Remembrance Day), so most places were closing early. Bev had called ahead to make sure they would stay open for me and two other guys who also jumped).

Thrilled and soaked from the shoulders up, I got back on the bus to a boisterous round of applause, and proceeded to give Bev a big, damp hug :D. He got revenge by playing Blame Canada on the loud speaker on the way into the city...

Me and Bev, our crazy bus driver!
That night was meant to be our big night in the city. Since everyone has a day off in Queenstown, the drivers are also able to relax and have a drink with the tourists. Bev was happy to join us, and as he doesn't pay for drinks at any of the bars anyway, was more than willing to keep his word.

Our haunt for the night was called The World Bar. Nothing too spectacular, except that cocktails are served not in glasses, but teapots. Every potent concoction is served with a round of shot glasses, and is meant to be shared amongst a group. On the way into Queenstown we'd received coupons for a 1/2-price 'teapot', and you'd better believe we put them to use.


April 26

We woke up the next day (and I say 'day' because it certainly was not morning), but that was pretty much the extent of our activities. Nick had snuck out early to do the Nevis bungee jump, a 134m jump from a special track suspended between two cliff faces. It's the second highest in the world (the first is over 200 metres and is somewhere in South Africa), and is just one of many things that draws thrill-seekers to Queenstown.

Well, Nick got back just before 2:00 p.m., and found us all exactly where he'd left us: in bed. He, myself, Mary, Lynsey, and an English guy named Rich (though we called him Mitch for three days before we realised that...) were sharing a VERY small room at a really nice hostel Bev had recommended. Despite being 'cozy,' the beds were very comfortable, and were exactly what our throbbing heads required.

I got up just after 3:00, hunger outweighing the need to sleep off my hangover. I grabbed some Subway down the road, and got back to find that the girls were up and Rich/Mitch had already headed out with some other guys from the bus. There was a footy game on somewhere, and he had been determined to get up and watch the replay.

The girls and Nick were headed for the gondola ride. Similar to the one I took in Christchurch, it offers spectacular views of the city, with the added bonus of a mini go-kart track once you get to the top. There is also (yet another) bungy jump site at the top too, and one of few in the world that offers jumps at night. Seeing the sparkling lights of the city as you drop the 47m is supposed to be spectacular... I wasn't really interested in the bungy, but keen to check out everything else.

After a quick look-see and a go-kart ride or two, we headed back down to the hostel. Some of our previous tour had decided to stay on an extra day in Franz Josef so they could do the full-day glacier hike, and they would be arriving in Queenstown that afternoon around 4:00. One of the Irish girls had sent a text around saying that money was getting tight, and was anyone interested in doing a BBQ at the hostel instead of going downtown? We were all very much game.

The feed was great, and it was nice to catch up with some of the folks we'd left behind. After dinner a bunch of them were up for hitting the bars again, but Lynsey and I gave it a pass. The two of us, along with Mary, would be getting up at 6:00 a.m. for our Milford Sound day-trip, and we were still hurting from the night before. The Irish trooper she is, Mary decided another night in the pub couldn't hurt. I think I heard her stumble in around 4:00...


April 27

Morning came early... much earlier for some than others. Mary was quite a sight, and used far more profanity that was absolutely necessary when Lynsey and I tried to get her out of bed...

The day-trip was good, but not quite what I had expected. First of all, I didn't know Milford Sound was so far from Queenstown. I'd expected a couple hours on the bus, a hike, a boat cruise and then a ride back to the city, arriving in the late afternoon. Not so much.

Milford is about four hours from Queenstown. There would be no hike, just a 1.5 hour boat cruise and then it was back on the bus. Our ETA into Queenstown was 7:00 p.m.

Yikes.

We got to the docks around lunchtime, ate our free, very small, lunch on board, and toured the Sound until almost 2:00. Two of the guys from our bus, Adrian (yet another Irishman) and Karl, a Swede with platinum blond dreadlocks he hasn't cut for 10 years, joined us as well.

We got back to the city and immediately headed for the showers. Our reason for going out on the 25th was because it was our first night in Queenstown. Since some of us would be leaving the next day, it seemed only fair to go out again as part of our last night in Queenstown. It's quite sad how easy it is for backpackers to find an excuse to head to the bar...

The Guys (L-R): Ronnie, Karl and Adrian
The night was spectacular. Everyone was well into the tour by that point, had made some good friends and were always willing to meet new ones. I spent most of the night with the guys: Karl, Adrian, Rich/Mitch and Ronnie, an insane man known to me until then only as "The Flying Dutchman."

From Holland, Ronnie had this rather odd habit of needing to run... all the time. Every time Bev stopped the bus for a photo-op, Ronnie would fly past the crowd, all the way to the lookout, snap a few photos and sprint back. If there was water about, you would undeniably find him in it. He was weird, and a freaking riot.

We hopped around to a few places that night, but wound up at the World Bar once again. Remembering my headache from the day before, I stayed clear of the teapots, and stuck to good ol' fashioned beer. Oh ale... you haven't betrayed me yet!

Me and Caroline
Having sacrificed a decent dinner for a decent shower, by around 3:00 a.m., Lynsey, Mary and I were starving. We had remembered Bev saying something about Fergburger, a place down the road from the World Bar that sold the biggest, juiciest burgers he'd ever had, and stayed open late to cater to the nightlife crowd. We stumbled over, relieved to find it still open, and downed the best burger I've ever had in my entire life. Bellies full and heads swimming, we called a cab and headed for bed.