queenstown, nz

last batch of photos from my new zealand trip a few months back from queesntown, finally! these photos are from the last few days of our trip at the south island. here goes my queenstown recommendations.

ACTIVITIES

shotover jet

i think shotover jet at the shotover river is one of the must-do activities you have to do when you're in queenstown. it was SUPER COLD i am not joking my forehead was frozen and i couldn't feel my face and hands but it's really really fun. the river and the canyons are pretty. if you are travelling around april, i recommend you to wear a beanie and gloves. unfortunately i didn't have any when we were there..

paragliding

another one of the highlights of this trip is paragliding. i was a bit hesitant at first, not knowing what to expect. i am not and have never been an adventurous or sporty person so really, i wouldn't do things like bungee jumping or skydiving. not knowing what i was getting myself into, the jump from up the hill looked pretty scary at first but paragliding is nothing like i imagined. i really really enjoyed it a lot. it was a relaxing, amazing, laid back experience and you get to see such a wonderful view from up there with a nice breeze, nothing scary at all! there are 2 places that you can do paragliding in queenstown - we did the one in coronet peak instead of the one overlooking queenstown to get a slightly different view and i'll tell you why in a second. anyway, it was breath taking!

skyline

ok this is probably a very touristy activity to do but if you haven't been to queenstown before then this is a must. i mean, again, check out the view from up there! and we can view this awesome view overlooking the town and lake wakatipu just by going up the skyline gondola, and this was why we decided to do the paragliding at coronet peak to get a different sight of the back of the town. we rode the luge for a few times too which was fun fun.

art & craft weekend market

we weren't planning specifically to go to the art & craft market but since it's just down there from where we stayed, we went to have a quick stroll around and we found this lady selling such cute little cake shaped soap bars. i bought the lemon meringue soap and have used it all. it smells delightful.

FOOD

ferg burger

there's always such a long line at ferg burger so i recommend you to go there when you're not super hungry yet to avoid hangriness. and the burger is huge. another note, right next door to them is ferg bakery where i had the best coffee in queenstown. that's what i think anyway compared to what i had at other cafes in town...

les aples

we were lucky to be able to go to this cute french cafe called les aples, as recommended by amanda. i said lucky because we went there on the last day they opened! we spoke to the owner and she said the place is doing really well but it's time for her to retired. lucky we had a chance to eat there but oops i guess this is not a recommendation anymore then as they're no longer there.

empanada kitchen

empanada kitchen is this little stall just downstairs under our accommodation. awesome snack / small food to munch over in between your main meals. the pastry is light and fluffy, the filling is full of flavour. delicious.

rata dining

oh my god. the best dinner i had at the whole trip. write this down guys, you can not go to queenstown without eating at rata dining. we had the crispy duck for main and the wilted silverbeet and potato puree on the side. everything. is. tasty. if only this restaurant is close by, i would go back to try every single dish they have!

AND THE REST...

i don't know how many times i said how beautiful and photogenic this country is. every place we visited was just so overwhelmingly pretty i tell you i couldn't get my hands off my camera. and my photos don't do any justice to the real views i saw before my eyes and you just have to experience it yourself.

the last photo above was taken from the airport. we were lucky that throughout our trip it was quite a nice weather, yes sometimes it was cloudy and grey but still not too wet. on the last morning we were heading to the airport though, it was raining and cold. around the airport we were surrounded by these mountains covered with snow on top where i got to see queenstown in a different view. yes, even just the view surrounding the airport is so pretty.

if you have been to new zealand before, let me know and share your thoughts!

all photos taken by me using sony rx100