Queenstown "Bottom of the World"

I’ve arrived. New Zealand is impossibly green.

Queenstown is wrapped in mountains, sitting right on the edge of Lake Wakatipu. The hills are a solid, velvety green with tiny trees scattered across them, a kind of landscape I don’t think I’ve ever seen before. The airport is small and rustic charming, with boarding outside and just two baggage carousels. All the shops at the airport were closed by the time I arrived; however it was still daylight, not even sunset. Getting my luggage and calling an Uber was super easy.

I’m staying in an Airbnb on Anderson Heights near Camp Street, up on the hill overlooking the city. I got settled into the house for the week, logged into the Wi-Fi, and looked up late-night food since it was already around 10 pm. Then I headed down the hill to explore. There’s a grocery store nearby, but it was already closed, so that’s first on my list tomorrow. I’m glad I grabbed two bottles of water at the Auckland airport. Something told me to.

I ended up at Toast & Oak, a classy spot. The kitchen was closed by the time I arrived, so it was snack menu only. Blue cheese olives and sourdough felt like the most savory, decent option, and I brought some bread back with me. If I’m running late tomorrow, at least I’ll have something in my stomach before my scheduled wine tour. My server was kind and answered a few questions about grocery stores, Uber versus taxi, need for cash and where to get it, and we talked about the Southern Lights. He used the phrase "bottom of the world" which intrigued me. I am 1300 miles from Antartica and 4000 miles from the South Pole. That seems like a long way still. New Zealand is the 8th closest land mass to the South Pole according to Wikipedia.

Last night they had brilliant southern lights here, the same phenomenon people call the Northern Lights in the northern hemisphere. I’m hoping I get lucky and see them while I'm here. No luck tonight.

It feels a little strange being alone on my birthday. All day while traveling, I kept looking around and wondering if I was the only American (US citizen) nearby. I heard accents everywhere, English mostly, but not American English, and it was oddly disorienting to realize I was the outlier. Part of me misses home, but another part of me feels deeply connected to the mix of people moving through the same terminals and streets, each of us carrying our own story and our own reason for being here. There’s no “that’s my people,” but instead this quiet sense that we’re all someone’s people.

And the one good thing about being 18 hours ahead on your birthday is that you get to celebrate for two days! 🤩🥳🎉

Also, getting back up that hill is serious cardio.Læs mere