Julie and Stevie's Most Excellent Adventure - Day 2 or 3 or 4, who the heck knows??? February 7, 2014

Stevie and I arrived safely in Queenstown, New Zealand yesterday afternoon and I must say, it was love at first sight.  Queenstown is very similar to Aspen.  All of the things I love about Aspen, the beautiful mountain scenery, the laid back lifestyle, with the added bonus of being surrounded by a beautiful glacier fed turquoise lake.  Yes, I could be very happy here.  Not only that, but the kiwi's are all great looking people with the cutest accents.  Wish I were 30, well maybe 40 years younger!!

We checked in to the Sofitel Hotel and set out to find a great place for dinner.  The concierge, the most adorable kid with the cutest Kiwi accent, named Gene, pronounced "Jane", recommended Fishbone.  We had an amazing dinner there.  The menu changes daily based on the freshest ingredients.  Dinner was delicious and the wine was perfect.  It wasn't $3.00 per glass (for those of you who read my California blog, you know what I'm talkin' about).  We may have been suffering from a bit of jet lag, so returned to the hotel and called it a day.  When I got to my room, I made a cup of tea, crawled into bed with my computer and had good intentions of writing a few paragraphs.  Before my tea had brewed, I was fast asleep with my computer in my lap.  I woke up around 2:00 a.m., pushed my computer aside, drank my cold tea and went right back to sleep until around 6:00, which seems to be the time that Kiwi's like to pressure wash sidewalks right outside my window.  What's up with that???

By definition, the word remarkable means, “worthy of attention, striking.”  One of the mountain ranges overlooking Queenstown is called “The Remarkables ” and they certainly define the word.  The turquoise lake that wraps around Queenstown is also quite remarkable.  I woke up early this morning, so I set off on a lakefront walk.  The sun was just peaking over the top of The Remarkables to awaken the lake and the town of Queenstown.  The views were stunning and just motivated me to keep going.  Before I realized it, I was 3 miles out of town.  When I turned back toward Queenstown, the sun was in full force and the town came to life with extraordinary colors.  Lake Wakatipu is crystal clear, very inviting, but ice cold, which affected my decision NOT to go paddle boarding.  Instead, we opted for a helicopter tour to the Forbes Mountains Glacier and Milford Sound.

 Now when was the last time you landed a helicopter on a mountain top glacier, and got out to explore?  

Well, it was definitely a first for me, and I highly recommend the experience.  Dang!  If the kids in Arkansas on Brown Street could see me now!!  I couldn’t believe it, so I know they probably wouldn’t be able to envision it, either.  On one side of the glacier, we were looking at glacier clad jagged mountain peaks, the other side, the almost tropical Tasmania Sea.  The vegetation at sea level was incredible.  Huge ferns and Yucca plants with Beech trees and moss everywhere.  It looked very much like the landscape in the movie Avatar.

What a contrast.  It was surprisingly warm on the glacier.  Our pilot, Buck, successfully kept close watch on us to keep us from wandering into a crevasse.  It was kind of amazing thinking about the ice beneath us being thousands of years old.  

After landing on the glacier, we flew a bit further and touched down where the John and Groats River River empties into the Tasmania Sea.   The beach was covered with stones instead of sand, but still quite beautiful.  We’ll be sailing that stretch of water on the crossing from New Zealand to Australia in a few weeks.  I hear, it’s the roughest sea on the planet.  Oh goodie.  Can’t wait.  

Our next stop was to view Bowan Waterfall in the Milford Sound.  Two words sum it up … just stunning.  

After the spectacular helicopter trip, we were searching for the perfect lunch spot.  We found it at Fergburger, a local favorite.  The line is always out the door and today was no exception.  Customers were 30 deep at the counter flowing out the door and down the street.  After trying to decide between the "Southern Swine", which is prime New Zealand beef with American “streaky" bacon, lettuce, tomato, red onion, avocado, aioli and tomato relish, or a Cockadoodle Oink, which is butterflied chicken breast, American “streaky" bacon, avocado  lettuce, tomato, red onion, aioli and tomato relish.  The burger won out for me today.  But next time, I might step out of my box and try something new.

  

We placed our order and had time to walk down to the lake (about 4 blocks) and enjoy about 20 minutes in the sun before returning to pick up our order.  

Not exactly “fast food”, but so worth the wait.  The burgers were HUGE with fresh ingredients.  The menu was very creative and interesting, with something to please even the most sophisticated palate.  In addition to the items mentioned above, they had a "Bun Laden" made with Falafel patties, The "Codfather" with Blue Cod, and The "Holier than Thou" made with tofu.  

After lunch, we rode the Skyline Gondola to the top of Bob's Peak where we viewed The Remarkables, Lake  Wakatipu and various other mountain ranges surrounding Queenstown.  Just beautiful.

So after walking 6 miles, a helicopter expedition, lunch at Fergburger and a Gondola ride, we decided to take a little Cappuccino break and a short rest. 

We had dinner next door to our hotel at a lovely Italian placed called Bella Cucina.  The wine was tasty, the fish was spectacular and the people watching was premium.  I had the sole.  Here is the before and after shot of my dinner:

What a beautiful presentation!

I contemplated saving the skeletal remains to use for a comb.

Cheers!!

Dinner and the entire day has been spectacular!  I hope you'll plug in tomorrow for more adventures.  This is truly the trip of a lifetime and I couldn't have chosen a more fun, dear friend to travel with.  Thanks, Stevie!!