Queenstown - Day 1, Part 1

We were on our own for Day 1 in Queenstown. After sleeping in, we checked out the view from the deck of our room. Got lucky again - the room exceeded expectations (good value for hotel and food in New Zealand). We had a nice view of Lake Wakatipu - one of the largest lakes in the country, over 80 KM long.

The hotel was set up with one bedroom suites - perfect for a ski trip. Queenstown hosts 3 popular ski areas. We were told there are 10k residents, and usually at least 30K tourists in town.

The town reminded us of Mammoth or any other US ski town - lots of restaurants, hotels, and a crowded downtown area. Queenstown has the advantage of sitting on the beautiful lake.

On our agenda for the day was a cruise across the lake in the TSS Earnslaw, an old Steamship that is one of the major tourist attractions in town. Fortunately, it was a great day for a cruise.

Check out the guy at the front of the boat. He was walking all around, narrating his video of the ship and the cruise. OK, it was nice - but who in their right mind wants to watch an hour long video of a slow boat on a lake? He also had the knack for being in the way of many scenic shots :) (and yes, I imagine I was guilty of that many times as well)

A little jetboat action. Queenstown is well known for extreme sports - jetboating, bungy jumping, and more. Apparently jetboating on the lake is for wimps - I tried to get Lou to go to the Shotover River, but he wasn't having any of that.

A view of the hotel complex as we cruised by.

And, a few shots from the cruise - we spent about 45 minutes crossing the lake, let some people off, and then cruised back.

Oops ... a shot of the mountains (almost)

Here's the mountains ... I'm beginning to feel as though these guys are following us around New Zealand.

One downside to Coal Fired Steam Power :)

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Yep - my buddy again.

Our destination - the Walter Peak farm. You can get off here and visit the farm and have lunch. We opted to head back to town for Part 2 of our Day 1 in Queenstown adventures.

The weather held for us, and we had a relaxing cruise back (we did not participate in the "sing-along" held in the salon - although Lou would have had to hold me back if Delta Dawn had been on the list).

We were lucky to have such great weather - cold but clear. Easy to see why Queenstown is popular in both winter and summer.