Queenstown

Goodbye Stewart Island, what a beautiful and peaceful place... I took the 8:00 am ferry back to Bluff on the South Island. From Bluff a minibus took me to Invercargill where I had to change to another minibus. I had abouf half an hour before the next bus departed, so I did a "speed tour" around the city centre of Invercargill - at the first and only glance nothing special. On the way to Mossburn where I had to change again, I slept most of the time, but from Mossburn to Queenstown, I watched the beautiful landscape with the mountains. Back in Queenie, I first did my laundry and at 5:00 pm, I went for a short hike on the Tiki Track which goes up the mountain behind Queenstown (you can take a gondola as well) - only 8 km back and forth, but an elevation difference of some 500 meters. A good part of the track was quite steep and the surface quite demanding. You should definitely wear hiking boots. For me it was much fun, but it is definetely no track for someone who has no hiking experience. However, I also saw a (female) idiot doing the track in flipflops. I did the ascent in one hour and seven minutes and was once more rewarded by a stunning view on Lake Wakatipu. Well, I had also brought a beer and there actually cannot be many more beautiful places to have it😄 I had to go the same way down again. At some points you definetely have to be cautious and slow down. After a well-deserved shower, I went for dinner in town.Read more