A tourist town well worth visiting for its panorama of stunning vistas
This is where all the missing people are! Remember all those times we have been amazed at the lack of tourists everywhere we go? We found them…and they are all milling around the shopping malls, bar eateries and adventure activity stands in downtown Queenstown.
There is a reason this town became popular – the setting for all this madness is breathtaking. A massive, lightning bolt shaped lake surrounded by mountain ranges on all sides with blue rivers carrying their flows from the higher glaciers down and out to the sea.
And mere kilometers away, quiet can be found on the dozens of DOC tracks that cover the area. Knowing its reputation for sky rises (but really, does 5 stories anywhere else in the world count as a sky rise?) and crowds, I considered skipping Qtown altogether.
Monday – Move Day
A last morning walk in Omarama to appreciate the sun rising in the valley beyond before packing, cleaning and making the short 2.5 hour drive to Queenstown. Back over the unique geography surrounding the Lindis Pass (but without its striking blue sky today) to the top of the switchbacking hill down into the Qtown valley.
This time when we stopped at the overlook, we put on our boots and climbed up on the Rock Peak track.
The views in all directions were splendid, despite the cloudy day, and watching all the big airliners circle to fly the same landing path in through the valley was entertaining. (Other than Christchurch and Auckland, this is the major international gateway – people can fly directly to the “good stuff of NZ” from all around the world.)
Then down into the “mini-America shopping center hell” for our grocery shopping and to buy new SIM cards before arriving at our Airbnb in Frankton.
Frankton is about 10km from Qtown, on a small arm of the lake and just the right distance from the traffic. There’s a lake path we can use to walk or bike to town or for a stroll along the lake the other way or to explore a river or, or, or.
We are on the first floor of an old house with a slightly musty smell, but with stylish comfortable furnishings and the main attraction – an incredible view up the lake from the front windows. An unexpected bonus is the view from the kitchen to the Remarkables mountain range. But best of all is facing west looking up the lake which meant incredible sunsets every night. Divine.
Tuesday – Town Day
Our first stop needed to be the Qtown DOC office for information on which trails are open and that meant heading right into the center of Queenstown. It was already busy with people eating, shopping and booking adventure activities.
We found out that many of the hikes are closed due to recent flooding, but there are still some good options. We had our first experience of a DOC ranger talking down to us as if we’re dumb enough to try to summit a mountain in sandals and without a jacket, but we realize that in this town she has to speak to the lowest common denominator.
We started with a stroll through the Gardens and then climbed steep city streets to the start of the Queenstown Hill Walk. The walk up is through a pretty forest and then emerges for great views over the town, the lake, the Remarkables and across to the Gondola, which brings its riders to about our level.
It was fun to watch the tandem parachuters descend from the hilltop, and equally fun to watch them land in the park when we returned to our car.
Town was much busier by this time so we did a bit of people watching as we explored and had our picnic lunch on the promenade.
Even though we aren’t partaking, I completely understand the people jumping on the jet boats, hydroattacks, jet ski tours, canyoning excursions, etc. And I understand the eating out and enjoying that with vacationing family and friends in a beautiful setting. What I cannot fathom is why you would fly all the way to Queenstown, New Zealand to shop ‘til you drop at the same brand name stores you can find in any city in the world? Different strokes…
In the late afternoon, we walked part of a disappointing Lake Hayes loop but decided not to finish it since it provided neither inspiration nor interest. Once home, I took an enjoyable lakeside walk along the shore to Frankton Marina. Incredible sunset to end the day.
Wednesday
Glenorchy day. What started as a cloudy morning turned mostly sunny later – perfect for our plans. We drove through Queenstown (already busy) and began the beautiful lakeside drive to Glenorchy, which is a small town at the top of Lake Wakatipu.
Nestled in the mountains, Glenorchy is the base of many excellent walks and tramps, plus some river boat adventures.
Unfortunately, most of the hiking in this area was closed during our visit due to the previously mentioned torrential rain of a few weeks ago that washed out the road to Milford Sound, etc. We’re grateful that we didn’t have any big impact from those storms, but were sad that we couldn’t do many of the hikes we had planned for this area (Dart River, Routeburn day 1, etc.).
Instead, we stopped by a few lookouts on the way out and then undertook our “warm up hike” at Whakara Reserve, up an old 4WD track to the site of a Scheelite Mine and Battery (a valuable tungsten mineral mined here from the 1800’s-1970 and used in steel for armaments, etc.) The walk is pretty and the views of the lake and the surrounding mountain peaks, including the glaciers, are beautiful.
After a quick stop in Glenorchy, we drove up and around the top of the lake where the very broad, braided Dart River feeds it from the glaciers and mountains of Mt Aspiring Park.
Yes, this is the other end of our beloved Mt Aspiring Park which we hiked while in Wanaka. There is a 5 day track that connects the two entrances (no roads) but it is closed right now. There is also a 5 day track that connects this area to Milford Sound (no roads) but it is also closed due to flooding.
What a magical and special place this is. I completely understand why people tackle these challenging tramps – worth it to get to places that are unreachable any other way. But for us (and anyone else right now) the only open trail in the region is the Glacier Burn track. And just like in Wanaka when the Rob Roy Glacier Valley track was closed, this “consolation hike” turned out to be no slouch.
After a false start up the wrong side of the stream (trail washed out there), we quickly made our way into beech forest and started a long hike up and up for about 90 minutes until we reached the glacial basin.
There’s not a glacier here now, but it was carved out by one and there is now permanent snow towards the top, towering cliffs, and long streaming ribbons of waterfalls.
From here, where the trail officially ends, we scrambled over rocks, along the stream and through grassy tussocks higher and higher until we realized the day would eventually run out. I reluctantly (and Hale happily) stopped for lunch in one of the most picturesque spots you can imagine.
Just us, with the rushing sound of water and breathtaking views in every direction: up to the waterfalls at the head of the basin, sideways to cliffs that seemed ready to fall in on us and down the valley to where this stream enters the wide Dart on its way to the lake, with the next set of mountain ranges rising on the other side of the valley.
We scrambled back down, with a few slips and slides, and sadly left this paradise to re-enter the woods. But that too is a treat. After the assault on the senses of the basin, these woods are a peaceful, serene retreat of mosses, ferns, stately trees and the occasional glimpse of the aqua blue lake down below. All too soon, we arrived back at the car.
On the return trip, we made a side detour up a gravel road to Paradise. This tiny settlement is truly situated in heaven with its location in Mt Aspiring Park and its views of the glacial valley. After the obligatory photo op and disappointment that we can’t hike here this trip (next time!), we enjoyed the beautiful drive back home – with the lake truly putting on its best blue colors at this time of day.
Ferns and Flowers from the Glacier Burn Track
Another gorgeous sunset to end another fantastic day.
Thursday
We started the day with working on our plans for early July and didn’t get out of the house until noon. Not bad sitting enjoying this view though while we talk and budget!
We decided to do two tame hikes near to each other and not far from town. Driving through Qtown to get to them takes a long time with all the vehicle and pedestrian traffic – hard to imagine this place is usually far busier. Not only is it not peak season (holidays are all over) but also there are no Chinese tourists right now due to the coronavirus outbreak.
The first hike (Mt Crichton) travels up through pretty woods along a stream to an old prospector’s house (Sam Summers hut) set in a beautiful spot by a canyon with a rushing waterfall, then carries on out to a viewpoint over Lake Dispute and then back down a more open trail with views over Lake Wakatipu and its surrounding mountains.
After a picnic lunch at a lakeside reserve, and a brief foot dip in the chilly lake, we walked a recommended section of the lakeside path between 12 Mile Delta and Bob’s Cove. It was alright, but compared to the prior day, we weren’t overly impressed. My favorite part was the many Eucalyptus trees lining the path – adding both visual and aromatic pleasure to the walk.
Next stop was down to the Shotover River to watch the jet boats and see the famous canyon tunnel that rafters traverse. We’re doing neither but wanted to see what all the fuss is about.
Heading home, I was busy planning for the next day’s big Ben Lomond full day summit hike when I received a note from our next Airbnb host that she’s looking forward to welcoming us tomorrow. Oops!
This is the first time I have had the wrong day in my head. I knew we were only in Qtown for a partial week, but I had 5 in my head instead of the accurate 4. All was well as far as logistics and reservations – it was just that mentally I was off by a day. Luckily we hadn’t booked any activities, etc. so it was a simple matter of accepting that we wouldn’t get to climb Ben Lomond this time and changing plans to leave in the morning.
We tried to watch the replay of the Nevada Democratic Debate but couldn’t find it so listened to the recording instead with our dinner and another beautiful sunset.
Wrap
We are both very happy we didn’t skip Queenstown.
Yes, it is touristic and busy compared to the rest of New Zealand. But, nothing in NZ is really busy or touristic compared to US or European standards.
The more important “But” is that the region is drop dead gorgeous and not to be missed.
We would stay longer next time, despite the high costs and the annoyance of traffic. It’s also good to know that people who come to NZ for all the adrenaline (or shopping?) experiences here, do also get to see some of the natural beauty that we’ve been lucky enough to see all around the country.
(Week 18 of our journey)