Not-so-Quaint Queenstown - Part 1
(11th - 15th December)
We'd avoided it long enough, so we thought it was about time we head to Queenstown. A leaflet had been left on our window advertising a new campervan park that had opened in Queenstown, near to the town but also near to a river. So we decided to check it out and we're sure glad we did. The welcome was really genuine and friendly, the checkout was late o'clock, the wifi was free, the river ran right through the middle and there was generally a great vibe about the place. We later discovered they'd only been open just over a month and they had been quite horrified about some of the stories they'd heard about campers' previous campsite tails. They couldn't understand why you'd work in tourism if you weren't going to be polite to your customers. We couldn't agree more. In fact, there's only a few campsites we've stayed more than one night, and so far that's all down to the friendly hosts we've been blessed with.
Anyhow, the campsite wasn't the main reason we were in Queenstown. Chris wanted to do something adrenaline-junky-ish. I suggested the luge. After Kayaking, I thought this was a reasonable compromise as I wasn't ready for anything too adventurous. For those who don't know, the Queenstown Luge is basically a black plastic tray on wheels, with handlebars to steer and brake. If you've ever been to Robin Hill on the I.O.W you may've experienced something similar. We got the gondola up the steep mountainside, and then the chair-lift takes you to the start of the track further up the mountain. From there you don a helmet, get into your luge and head down a track on the mountain as fast as slow as you have the guts for.
When getting the gondola we saw someone doing a bungee jump at the top (well, initially I just heard someone screaming, then I saw some string and what I assume was a person who'd just jumped off attached to it). By the time we got to the top they'd finished their jump. Whilst not keen on a bungee, Chris was keen to find out where he could swing (similar to a bungee, but you can be upright and the ultimate aim is to swing, rather than wreck your corneas hanging upside down aimlessly). As we got the chair lift I saw some people about to jump off the mountain the other direction, with a parachute on their back. That seems more my kind of thing if anything, but right now I'll stick with the luge.
After the Luge experience, we went into town and found a couple of places offering the Swing. We settled on the Shotover Canyon swing. This was mainly because it was cheaper for me to spectate and I was allowed to change my mind when I got there, if I wanted and do a jump myself (as if!).
The Shotover Canyon is a fast flowing river that many people take boat rides down, either jet boats (reasonably safe) or white-water rafts (I am NEVER getting on one of those again). Above the river are some rocks and cliffs, and a bit of private land that the shotover canyon swing company has used to create, well, a giant swing basically. It's touted as the world's largest cliff drop swing, as you free-fall for 60m (whilst attached to bungee cords), then go into a swing across the river and enjoy the view. There are loads of different styles you can jump off, according to your thrill-factor. They all have varying degrees of scaryness, as depicted by sets of pants (the more soiled the pants, the more scary the style). We booked it for the next day so that Chris had some time to get his head around the idea of what he'd just signed up for...
We'd avoided it long enough, so we thought it was about time we head to Queenstown. A leaflet had been left on our window advertising a new campervan park that had opened in Queenstown, near to the town but also near to a river. So we decided to check it out and we're sure glad we did. The welcome was really genuine and friendly, the checkout was late o'clock, the wifi was free, the river ran right through the middle and there was generally a great vibe about the place. We later discovered they'd only been open just over a month and they had been quite horrified about some of the stories they'd heard about campers' previous campsite tails. They couldn't understand why you'd work in tourism if you weren't going to be polite to your customers. We couldn't agree more. In fact, there's only a few campsites we've stayed more than one night, and so far that's all down to the friendly hosts we've been blessed with.
Anyhow, the campsite wasn't the main reason we were in Queenstown. Chris wanted to do something adrenaline-junky-ish. I suggested the luge. After Kayaking, I thought this was a reasonable compromise as I wasn't ready for anything too adventurous. For those who don't know, the Queenstown Luge is basically a black plastic tray on wheels, with handlebars to steer and brake. If you've ever been to Robin Hill on the I.O.W you may've experienced something similar. We got the gondola up the steep mountainside, and then the chair-lift takes you to the start of the track further up the mountain. From there you don a helmet, get into your luge and head down a track on the mountain as fast as slow as you have the guts for.
When getting the gondola we saw someone doing a bungee jump at the top (well, initially I just heard someone screaming, then I saw some string and what I assume was a person who'd just jumped off attached to it). By the time we got to the top they'd finished their jump. Whilst not keen on a bungee, Chris was keen to find out where he could swing (similar to a bungee, but you can be upright and the ultimate aim is to swing, rather than wreck your corneas hanging upside down aimlessly). As we got the chair lift I saw some people about to jump off the mountain the other direction, with a parachute on their back. That seems more my kind of thing if anything, but right now I'll stick with the luge.
After the Luge experience, we went into town and found a couple of places offering the Swing. We settled on the Shotover Canyon swing. This was mainly because it was cheaper for me to spectate and I was allowed to change my mind when I got there, if I wanted and do a jump myself (as if!).
The Shotover Canyon is a fast flowing river that many people take boat rides down, either jet boats (reasonably safe) or white-water rafts (I am NEVER getting on one of those again). Above the river are some rocks and cliffs, and a bit of private land that the shotover canyon swing company has used to create, well, a giant swing basically. It's touted as the world's largest cliff drop swing, as you free-fall for 60m (whilst attached to bungee cords), then go into a swing across the river and enjoy the view. There are loads of different styles you can jump off, according to your thrill-factor. They all have varying degrees of scaryness, as depicted by sets of pants (the more soiled the pants, the more scary the style). We booked it for the next day so that Chris had some time to get his head around the idea of what he'd just signed up for...
posted by wobblepop at 4:51 am
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home