Camping in Queenstown

The final part of the southern scenic route crossed in to Central Otago and took us to Queenstown, birthplace of the bungy and jetboat (not that we would do either). We drove along the length of lake wakatipu, passing the ‘devils staircase’ and a mountain range known as ‘the remarkables’ (how modest). Once we had located a parking spot, we embarked upon a local food tour of our own making - empanadas at a hatch with a very friendly server, tacos down an alley with equally chatty staff, and a delicious ice cream at famous Mrs Ferg’s. The queue for burgers at Fergburger was insane and we decided no burger was worth waiting that long for. We sat in the grassy, social square to devour our purchases. A walk around the gardens helped to burn off a few cals, however we forgot to rent a frisby to play the popular frisby golf. We spotted the first of many scooby doo mystery machine themed vans parked in the car park. On the way back we had a quick browse around a cool art shop, Vesta, with work from kiwi artists.

After much deliberation we decided we had just enough time to go up the steep gondola and ride the Skyline luge. We shared our gondola pod with two local ladies who use their annual pass to go up the mountain three times a week after work, how great! At the top we caught the end of a haka song performed by a Maori choir to the tune of Auld Lang Syne. After finding a suitable  helmet with GoPro mount, we had a quick lesson in how to use the controls, and then we were off. The sled gained speed down the slope unless you pulled on the handles to brake which was confusing at first (we saw a few people who could not get the hang of it at all). The first few rides we stuck to the basic track, gathering confidence to ride the more thrilling advanced track. As expected, Hugo sped off ahead as I carefully navigated the corners. Every now and then you could turn your head to take in the breathtaking views of lake wakatipu and the surrounding mountains. On my final run I managed to get myself stuck on the escalator at the bottom, much to my embarrassment. The GoPro managed to get a bit of footage of our runs before it ran out of battery!

Adrenalin pumping, we headed to the supermarket to stock up on supplies before continuing to our campsite at 12 mile delta. By the light of the setting sun we cooked a green Thai curry on our gas stove, dancing to music as we embraced outdoor living.

We were afforded more stunning views the following day as we wound along the road to Glenorchy, an end-of-the-road town with film locations from LOTR. We took a walk around the lagoon, appreciating the signage giving a hare and a tortoise speed for completing the loop. We refreshed ourselves with an iced coffee and beer, and then paid for a shower at Mrs Woolly’s local store. Just as we set off back towards Queenstown, we saw a thumb hovering above the road side. Being the kind souls we are, we pulled over and made space for our first hitchhiker, who happened to be British. We later regretted our decision as she talked non-stop for the 50 minutes or so ride, telling us how important it was to keep an open mind and have smashed avo and wine on mountain tops. Once we had parted ways, we deservedly opted to grab a pie from Mrs Ferg’s bakery, and another ice cream/milkshake.

Keen to avoid routine, we chose a different DOC site for the night, Moke lake. Driving along a quiet road through a majestic valley, we passed sheep and then unexpectedly a Chinese photoshoot with a couple posing in ball gown and suit amongst the livestock. The setting was picturesque to say the least. We sat out with our camping chairs and admired the view of the lake. A young boy camping with his dad started up a conversation as he hauled in some leaves with his fishing rod. We both went for a swim in the lake, the boy encouraging me to dip my shoulders in. He was clearly excited about his camping trip as he insisted on giving us updates on how it was going every 5 minutes. They started a fire on a bed of stones, which drew our curiosity as there was typically a fire ban on campsites. Turns out we were right as the camp manager marched over and told them that they had 30 seconds to put out their fire before he gave them a 10,000 dollar fine! Needless to say the man quickly obliged, although he did grumble about it to us later on. It didn't seem to put a dampener on his son’s amazing camping trip though. We enjoyed a breathtaking orange sunset accompanied by some roaming sheep and a couple of very hungry ducks circling the van and then bedded down for the night.

After a hearty breakfast of eggs and beans and a farewell to our new friends, we set off on our hike on the Moonlight track which we had understood led to Ben Lomond saddle, a plateau on the mountain overlooking Queenstown. Clearly this was not a well frequented path as we saw a grand total of 3 utes, 4 horse riders and 1 guy walking the other way in our 6 hour walk. We did see many spectacular views though, and spent quite a lot of time stood still taking photos. I took the opportunity to refresh my feet in a stream crossing our path. After realising that the track was not going towards Ben Lomond saddle, we opted to stop for lunch at a particularly picturesque spot in the intersection of three valleys. We had a picnic of lemon curd sandwiches and enjoyed the silence. Thoroughly aching after retracing our steps back to the campsite, we made some soup on the stove outside the van and chatted to a group of Dutch people having a reunion next to us. With no showers at the campsite, Hugo had a bathe in the lake - a true wild man.Read more