Queenstown, New Zealand

So my first travel post is about Queenstown, NZ, "The Adventure Capital of the Southern Hemisphere". I lived in Queenstown for about six months, and will do my best to give you advice on where this amazing town!

Queenstown is located on the South Island of New Zealand in the Central Otago region. Known for wine and extreme sports, Queenstown is an amazing place to visit.

Whether you visit in Summer or Winter you will find something that will get the adrenaline pumping! Don't let that fool you though, Queenstown is beautiful and has a calm serenity about it that can help the most stressed businessman relax (which might be why so many companies choose to have their retreats there!).

Activities

I will start with the adreniline pumping activities that you can take a part of in Queenstown. The most famous of course are the winter sports. If you're a beginner or a pro, there is something in Queenstown for you! If you are planning a trip to Queenstown, you should buy your ski passes as early as possible, there are so many early bird deals available, you could end up saving hundreds of dollars.

Don't fret if you are planning a trip in the Summer months, there is still plenty to do! If you're an adrenaline junkie you can take your pick from bungy jumping, sky diving and the worlds first jet boat ride with Shotover Jet! In my opinion, the best is definitely the Canyon Swing (I'm not the bravest of people). I could try to describe the experience myself, but I'm pretty sure this video does better than I ever could!

Crazy right?!

If you're looking for something a bit slower, then nothing can beat a trip on the steamship TSS Earnslaw. From $55 you can go on a 1.5 hour cruise, and travels over the Walter Peak Farm

Accommodation

Now when you're in Queenstown you will need somewhere to stay! Queenstown has a great variety of accommodation from backpackers, all the way up to 5 star boutique hotels that are quite popular amongst the rich and famous.The best place to go to find somewhere to stay is http://www.newzealand.com/au/accommodation/. Just search the Central Otago Region, and you can choose want price point you would like to look at. 

Restaurants and Bars

If I had to recommend one restaurant and bar that you have to visit while in Queenstown, it would be Winnies Gourmet Pizza Bar. With it's open roof top, classic wooden architecture and a bar that you're not only allowed, but encouraged to dance on, you can' go wrong. The food is amazing as well. I would personally recommend the Montonara pizza, but there will definitely be something there that you will love!

So that's a quick introduction to Queenstown, I would definitely recommend looking into it further! There are so many amazing things to see and do that I can't describe them all here without having a post that's 10 pages long!

-Steph