Queenstown for (octogenarian) Beginners: A Farewell to Travel.

[jastel]

Is Fergburger still a thing there...used to be a queue out the door for them....
You should sneak out at night and get one, too big for your mum probably.
Also a bar/restaurant called Winnies, the roof opens when the place gets too hot/crowded.
Popular in ski season anyway...

 

[Human]

Is Fergburger still a thing there...used to be a queue out the door for them....
You should sneak out at night and get one, too big for your mum probably.
Also a bar/restaurant called Winnies, the roof opens when the place gets too hot/crowded.
Popular in ski season anyway...

Fergburger is most definitely a thing and is absolutely on our to-do list! It's the one place in the world where I don't resent queueing. Having said that, you can now order online apparently.

I'll put Winnies on my list of possible places for me to escape to if it all becomes too much...!

 

[FlyingFiona]

Then after a while it was time for a coffee and dessert, which was also available from the buffet. As I sat down I reflected that this was perhaps a New Zealand version of a “Café Gourmand” @FlyingFiona ? Or maybe the New Zealanders would want to claim that they invented it in the first place?
View attachment 471334

Probably better than a Café Gourmand, you can pick which mini desserts you'd like whereas the French ones are usually smaller offerings of their dessert menu which almost invariably includes crème brûlée and tirimasu neither of which I like. (I do like how economical they are as an option in France). I like the look of your choices!

 

[Major]

There is an amazing video of a plane descending into Queenstown, with low clouds filling the valley. As it descends into the cloud, it is facing the mountain and so will be completing the turn 'blind'. Its put me off ever flying to Queenstown.

 

[kpc]

Quite a few years ago we flew from Queenstown to Milford Sound in a single engine propeller light plane...the views both ways were stunning...and better than the Milford Sound cruise! On the way back, I got to sit next to the pilot upfront and wow that was an amazing experience!

 

[SYD]

I’d pay extra for the jump seat!

 

[Human]

It’s been a surprisingly big day.

Today’s set-piece event was a goldola ride up the mountain followed by a “Premium Lunch” at the Stratosphere Restaurant. “Premium” in this case simply means a table at the window. It cost a little bit extra for a potentially fantastic view.

I write “potentially” fantastic because this was the view of the top of the mountain from my hotel room this morning…


A couple of hours later, it had gotten worse. It also started to rain heavily.


Oh well. There’s nothing that can be done about the weather. Re-booking wasn’t an option because it’s school holidays and every sitting is sold out this week.

Anyone who has visited Queenstown has had their spirit broken by the walk up the hill to the Skyline base. It’s a walk that actually I quite like in my masochistic way (gives me some exercise and helps make up for the extra kilojoules!) but one that was out of the question for my mother. So we bit the bullet and paid the NZ$10 or so for an Uber ride up.

My mother, perhaps surprisingly, does not remember catching a cable-car before. She enjoyed the experience of climbing up the mountain, and watching Queenstown fade and then disappear into the mist.




The weather was not the greatest as we arrived…


This was the view from the lookout, but the weather was starting to clear a little as we walked into the restaurant for our lunch.



Some photos of the buffet.





My food. I had five different types of protein (beef, lamb, pork, venison and octopus) and each one was cooked to perfection – tender and flavoursome. It was seriously delicious. I figured I should try out a Speights Ale while in NZ. I didn’t particularly like it, but it had one thing going for it – unlike the most recent beer I have purchased before today, it was actually served chilled.


Dessert. By the time I had finished I could not possibly imagine eating ever again.


As we ate, the mist cleared to reveal magnificent views of Queenstown and the surrounding area.



After lunch we went back up to the viewing area, now that there were actual views!


We then took the cable car back down the mountain.

 

[Human]

As we walked out, my mother surprised me. I pointed out the Kiwi Park an I mentioned that I hoped we would make it there tomorrow. She immediately replied, “Why can’t we go there now?” She pointed out, with impeccable logic, that the weather was currently great but it might be raining tomorrow.

So we walked in and paid the $60 admission fee for her, with me being allowed in as her “caregiver”.

We had about 45 minutes until the 3pm “Conservation Show” so my mother headed towards the Park’s side hustle (hope it’s not unfair to call it that): the Honeybee Centre. It’s part honey shop, part café, with free honey tastings thrown in. I did partake of some of their different honeys and I do have to admit that the honey I tasted is to normal supermarket honey, what duck confit from a Parisian restaurant is to a Big Mac. Both honeys are “honey”, and both meals are “meals”, but there the comparison ends. I bought a gift pack for my wife and a couple of jars for myself.

Where I do feel I need to do further research is regarding “Manuka honey” (which in NZ is pronounced “ManOOka”). Hannah, who took us through the honey tasting, did know an awful lot about honey and I’m certain that she is personally convinced that Manuka honey does really does have healing and medicinal properties. She said that she keeps her Manuka Honey in her medicine cabinet and has half a teaspoon whenever she is sick. At $200 per jar, I’d say that half a teaspoon at a time is all you’d want to have!

Then the teacher in me came out and I asked, “Have there been reputable, peer-reviewed scientific studies that prove the medicinal power of Manuka Honey?”.

She immediately replied, “Yes, there have”.

Anyone know whether that’s true? I haven’t bought any yet but I’m prepared to be convinced!

 

[Human]

It was then time for the Conservation Show in the outdoor (and netted! ) theatre immediately outside. There were demonstrations of a couple of introduced pests from Australia including the Aussie possum; the possum is to New Zealand what the cane toad is to Australia. But we also had demonstrations of several native NZ birds. The show went for about half an hour. My mother enjoyed it – maybe not quite as much as I’d anticipated she would, but she enjoyed it.






Then it was time for the walk to the Kiwi House for the “Kiwi Encounter”.

Once again I found this fascinating and amazing. It’s such a joy to see actual, live kiwis in their natural habitat.

But my mother found it disappointing. I’d forgotten that she’s stopped driving at night because of vision problems; my eyes could adjust to the very dim light, but hers couldn’t. At one point there was a kiwi standing just centimetres from us, on the other side of the glass. I excitedly showed it to her and she just couldn’t see it at all. In the end she did catch a couple of glimpses, but she described them as being like “dull shadows”. She was pretty tired by then, too.

After the show we caught an Uber back to the Novotel and we agreed to have a rest in our rooms until dinnertime. Presumably my mother needed the rest. I know I did because I slept!

We emerged at 6:30pm. My mother expressed a desire for Chinese food. I asked for advice at the “Activity Desk” (I don’t think it’s technically a Concierge), and was pointed in the direction of “Shanghai to Taipei”, which was a couple of blocks away.


We walked over, climbed up a set of stairs and were greeted by quite a large and vibrant restaurant, complete with large tanks full of live seafood.

For our entire time there, we were the only non-east-Asians. The restaurant served authentic Chinese, rather than Cantonese, food, so there was a lot of stuff on the menu that we didn’t recognise. In the end, not feeling in the mood for adventure, we settled on an egg fried rice, prawn dumplings and spicy venison stir-fry.



The waiter complimented me on my chopstick technique, and he appeared to mean it! Whoever said that flattery will get you nowhere?

The food was very nice… but halfway through the meal my mother got very bad heartburn, necessitating an emergency dash to the pharmac_ down the street (to clarify: I was the one who was dashing). Fortunately the Gaviscon started to work within a couple of minutes and we were able to finish our meal.

I was also able to ask my mother several questions about her childhood, which is the chapter of her biography that I’m mainly working on at the moment.

 

[Human]

After we returned to the Novotel, it was time for some “me time”, in the form of a Zoom meeting with other people from the writing course I did a few weeks ago. We meet, catch up, do a short fun introductory writing exercise (Tonight it was: “Spend 5 minutes writing a paragraph whose first line is: ‘There was a giant cardboard box in her attic.’”), then write in silence for 45 minutes before debriefing. It was really helpful and I was able to complete the first draft of a chapter that I’d started a couple of weeks ago. But it also was the cause of the delay in posting about this TR!

I went for a short walk after that. The temperature was 3 degrees, but it’s a lovely clear night.



So the run-down on today? Once again, my mother had a great day. She didn’t quite enjoy the Kiwi Park as much as I thought she would, but she loved the Skyline, being on top of the mountain, the views, and the lunch.

That makes it another successful and highly gratifying day. I'm so grateful that my mother is able to experience this.

 

[VPS]

It’s great that you are so lucky with that weather change and they are amazing views

 

[RooFlyer]

Where I do feel I need to do further research is regarding “Manuka honey” (which in NZ is pronounced “ManOOka”). Hannah, who took us through the honey tasting, did know an awful lot about honey and I’m certain that she is personally convinced that Manuka honey does really does have healing and medicinal properties. She said that she keeps her Manuka Honey in her medicine cabinet and has half a teaspoon whenever she is sick. At $200 per jar, I’d say that half a teaspoon at a time is all you’d want to have!

The Kiwis tried to trademark 'Manuka honey' a few years ago, across multiple jurisdictions. Australia contested it, claiming that Leptospermum scoparium is native to both countries - it grows well in Tasmania. The trademark was denied - our version is also 'Manuka honey'.

I think honey in general has some antibiotic properties.

 

[JohnM]

As we walked out, my mother surprised me. I pointed out the Kiwi Park an I mentioned that I hoped we would make it there tomorrow. She immediately replied, “Why can’t we go there now?” She pointed out, with impeccable logic, that the weather was currently great but it might be raining tomorrow.

So we walked in and paid the $60 admission fee for her, with me being allowed in as her “caregiver”.

We had about 45 minutes until the 3pm “Conservation Show” so my mother headed towards the Park’s side hustle (hope it’s not unfair to call it that): the Honeybee Centre. It’s part honey shop, part café, with free honey tastings thrown in. I did partake of some of their different honeys and I do have to admit that the honey I tasted is to normal supermarket honey, what duck confit from a Parisian restaurant is to a Big Mac. Both honeys are “honey”, and both meals are “meals”, but there the comparison ends. I bought a gift pack for my wife and a couple of jars for myself.

Where I do feel I need to do further research is regarding “Manuka honey” (which in NZ is pronounced “ManOOka”). Hannah, who took us through the honey tasting, did know an awful lot about honey and I’m certain that she is personally convinced that Manuka honey does really does have healing and medicinal properties. She said that she keeps her Manuka Honey in her medicine cabinet and has half a teaspoon whenever she is sick. At $200 per jar, I’d say that half a teaspoon at a time is all you’d want to have!

Then the teacher in me came out and I asked, “Have there been reputable, peer-reviewed scientific studies that prove the medicinal power of Manuka Honey?”.

She immediately replied, “Yes, there have”.

Anyone know whether that’s true? I haven’t bought any yet but I’m prepared to be convinced!
View attachment 471640

Be aware that you may not be able to bring honey into Australia. Don't risk not declaring it.

 

[Human]

Be aware that you may not be able to bring honey into Australia. Don't risk not declaring it.

We’ve been universally told the same thing: the honey must be commercially packed, sealed, packed in our checked luggage, and declared. We’ve also been told that it wouldn’t be allowed into WA or Tasmania, but that the other states will let us bring it in.

I’ll post if that ends up not being the case!

Edit: from the Australian Border Force website:

 

[Human]

My original plan for today had been to go to the Kiwi Park. But we did that yesterday, which made today a “nothing planned” rest day, sort of. The biggest day of our trip by far is tomorrow, so I wasn’t fussed about a “lighter day” today.

Having said that, I’ve still done over 11,000 steps so far today. For better or worse, our “lighter” day could be more accurately called a “shopping” day.

We did give ourselves a sleep-in and a 9:30am breakfast. After breakfast while my mother got ready for the day, I went out for a short 25-minute walk into Queenstown Gardens. The sun was shining and it was lovely.





Then my mother and I ventured out into Queenstown. I’m not going to bore you with a blow-by-blow account. We went into shops, we bought things, we ate stuff.

OK – I can’t resist showing you the “Ferg Pie” and pretzel that I bought from Fergbaker for lunch.



And of our purchases and places we visited, I do want to point out two that, in my opinion, deserve to be plugged and patronised. These two establishments aren’t exorbitantly priced or cynical, they just have a lot of character and go “above and beyond” the normal tourist souvenir overseas mass-produced downmarket (and upmarket) chaff. Yes, it’s aimed at tourists, but their products actually deserve a second look. (And no, I’m receiving no incentive to plug these places!)

First, Frank’s Corner. My wife and I first encountered Frank’s Corner during a visit to Glenorchy last year; when she found out that there’s one in Queenstown she solemnly instructed me to visit, as is her custom and solemn right when I’m travelling and she’s stuck at home! Frank’s Corner sells only quality, locally-made art and crafts.











I even met Frank himself, who spends his day alternating between a cart which sells mainly merino and possum fir products down the bottom of the hill in Camp St, and the actual shop which is a couple of hundred metres up the hill. It’s some way of keeping fit!

 

[Human]

The second establishment I loved visiting is one whose products simply make me laugh – a lot – and which always attract admiring comments from others when I wear them. This is Global Culture, which has branches all over NZ including two in Queenstown.


It sells T-shirts, hoodies, that sort of stuff. I can testify that its products are high-quality and last for years. More to the point, they’re clever – really clever – and quirky. They fit in perfectly with my dry and somewhat juvenile sense of humour. I walked in – once again – because my wife wanted one T-shirt for herself and one for one of our daughters. I walked out with six. T-shirts, that is. Not daughters.

Here's what I mean:






This one appeals both to my love of New Zealand and my space geekiness:


From today I can also testify that the fudge from The Remarkable Sweet Shop gives the same sugar high that it always has… no further comment.

Oh, we also, amusingly, paid a visit to the Four Square Supermarket.


Why? My mother wanted Whittaker’s NZ chocolate. Yes, yes, I told her that it’s readily available in Australia. But it’s NZ chocolate and she wanted to purchase it in NZ.


She walked out with seven bars. Who am I to argue?

 

[Human]

Several times this week we’ve walked past this Irish Pub…



Each time, my mother has said that she would like to have dinner here. It took me a while, but I became convinced that she meant it. So tonight, we did!



We each had an Irish Stew which was delicious. I also had a very nice pint of Magners Irish Cider, which I’d never had before.



Tomorrow is by far the biggest day of our trip. Early to bed tonight!

 

[JohnM]

Tomorrow is by far the biggest day of our trip. Early to bed tonight!

Let me guess; Shotover Jet &/or AJ Hackett Bungy Jump?

 

[Human]

Let me guess; Shotover Jet &/or AJ Hackett Bungy Jump?

You're so, so close!

A full-day trip to Milford Sound.