New Zealand - South Island Part 4

I arrived into Queenstown on the 9th, and shopped around for a motel.  Eventually settling on the Blue Peaks Lodge, for NZ$150 I got a studio apartment, kitchenette and private bathroom.  After staying the night, I realized I was probably overpaying for what I needed, so I decided to just stay the night, and then move into Comfort Inn, which is basically a backpacker hostel.  Well, after that experience, I've decided that I'm too old for hostels and shared bathrooms, and despite the cheap $75/night prices, it's just not worth it.  I ended up not showering the last two days because the bathrooms were too gross, yet I was too tired to shop around for another place to stay.  I probably would've been better off sleeping in my car.  Don't get me wrong... for $75/night, this place was completely what you'd expect.  If that's your budget, this is the place for you.

This area is full of super scenic sights, and there is no shortage of Lord of the Rings tours.  Two places that were highly recommended were Glenorchy and Milford Sound.  Glenorchy is where a lot of the LOTR stuff was filmed, so I opted for that hike the following day, and I booked a tour for Milford Sound the day after.  Having done a fair share of solo driving, I'm glad I opted for a coach ride to Milford Sound, especially since the mountain roads are narrow and windy.  And since none of the motels give free wifi, I chose the bus tour that did.

On the drive to Glenorchy

Glenorchy - Routeburn Trail

Glenorchy - Routeburn Trail

Somewhere between Glenorchy and Queenstown

View of Queenstown from Queenstown Hill

Smurf Home on Queenstown Hill

On the ride to Milford Sound

More scenes from the ride up to Milford Sound

Milford Sound

More Milford Sound

So what's there to do within Queenstown?  This city is very walkable, despite all the hills, and it reminded me a lot of San Francisco for those reasons.  You can hike up the Queenstown Hill, explore the lakefront, or check out some trendy restaurants.  I checked out (twice) the famous Fergberger, and killed time at the various casinos in town.  If it weren't for backpackers and adventure enthusiasts, this town would disappear, but fortunately, there will never be a lack of either.

Random sign in downtown Queenstown

Since Queenstown is very walkable, I decided to try returning my rental car a few days early.  However, the airport closes at 7pm everyday, and by the time I found this out, I had already packed up my days, so just a word of caution for anyone flying through Queenstown, you won't be able to do much with respect to the airport in the evenings.  Another piece of advice for anyone in the area... there are some really good deals on Queenstown excursions if you book early enough.  On Saturday the 12th, I flew back to Melbourne, and my New Zealand trip, a full 10 days, seemingly flew right by.