Picture perfect Queenstown

Day 7 &  8: Queenstown

There may not be a sufficient enough superlative to describe Queenstown and our visit here. Breathtaking scenery, a foodies heaven, hyper buy local, tourist-friendly and, in many ways, enchanting. 

Our Day 6 highlight was the visit to Glenorchy and Paradise. Glenorchy’s spectacular landscapes have been a prime location for some “minor” films of late including the entire LOTR trilogy, The Hobbit and Narnia. A short 20 kms away from Glenorchy, lies Paradise more famously known by its other name Isengard and the Wizards Vale. Today, Paradise maintains a healthy population of sheep, shepherds and Aussie Shepherds. 

Day 7 was “be a tourist” day which we conducted in true Canadian style. First we walked around Queenstown Gardens (think mini Stanley Park), followed by an adventure up the gondola to take in the incredible views of the city centre and lake. 

We finished the day with an exquisite meal in Arrowtown at AOSTA. Aosta is an alpine valley in Italy very similar in climate, flora, fauna and soil to Central Otago. The restaurant produces a fresh sheet daily; those who chose to dine at Aosta can never be quite sure what the menu will look like. No worries though, it was a taste adventure. You can see today’s menu here …

Tomorrow morning we will say goodbye to our lovely B&B hosts, Dan & Mitzi. They have been wonderful hosts and their B&B truly sublime. (Editorial note: I’ve been looking for the perfect opportunity to throw in “sublime” :)). We are off to Milford Sound in the morning and our overnight boat cruise up the fjords. More superlatives coming up.

In the meantime thanks for tagging along and Happy Valentine’s Day. With love ❤️ P &J