Flying into Queenstown between snow covered mountain tops and over its turquoise lake water was unreal. I will never forget just how stunning that landing was. I was very lucky too because I was coming in on a nice day after a fresh snowfall the night before. After getting off the plane, I was thrilled to be met at the gate by my dad's great friend, Wayne, who I hadn't seen for a couple years now. The last time I had seen him was when I caught up with my dad after they had finished doing the motorcycle tour of Route 66 in 2018, which ended in Los Angeles.
We threw my luggage into the car and headed up to another family friend, Berri's, gorgeous Arrowtown property. I had never actually met Berri before, but I had heard quite a few stories as he is actually the one responsible for my parents' introduction. My mom met Berri at LAX on her way to Sydney while he was on his way home to New Zealand. Although they were headed separate ways, Berri said that he had a good mate in Sydney and passed along my father's information. And wouldn't you know it, my mom actually called him up and that was that!
So after getting up to the house, I was finally able to meet Berri! I also got to see Wayne's wife, Jillian, and their kids, Scarlett and Campbell, who I hadn't seen since their trip to the states in 2012. I remember having the best time when they visited because we did all of the touristy things like going to the World of CocaCola and the Georgia Aquarium which was so fun. It was great catching up with them on their last night in Queenstown before they headed back to Wellington. We got to muck around in the snow for a bit and have a fabulous dinner at Botswana Butchery. We had a lovely time and I said goodbye for now to the Tacons, who I will later catch up with in Wellington.
It was great getting to know Berri and finally being able to put a face to the story of how my parents met. He was also such a generous and gracious host and tour guide for my time down south. Some of the highlights included learning to ski, bungee jumping, cruising Milford Sound, and lots of great food. Some of the best food spots included getting into the delicious La Rumbla after a drink at The Blue Door bar in Arrowtown. Another one of my favorites was stopping for a burger at the iconic Fergburger in Queenstown after a good day of skiing. One night Berri also treated me to some delicious home cooked Scampi, also known as Norway Lobster, which I had never had before.
Another highlight was going to Hook Wanaka - Lake to Plate restaurant. Berri and I enjoyed a few drinks and fresh pizza as we fished for salmon on a lovely Sunday Afternoon. We opted to take our catch home for dinner instead of having them prepare it there (sashimi, smoked, grilled, etc). It was such a busy place and a really cool concept! I also caught a fish which was a first for me, even if it was in a very easy fishing setting. My week there I also did my first wine tasting at Gibbston Valley Winery, one of the more touristy must see wineries. I also can't forget stopping in at the classic Cardrona Hotel for their delicious mulled wine. We sat outside by the fire and met and had a nice chat with some Irish guys who had just finished a long day of intense skiing.
I am so glad that Berri invited me to extend my three day trip into a week so that I could do so much! There is still a lot that I would like to do in Queenstown, such as really experiencing the town in full swing and doing the Nevis bungee jump, but I'd say I definitely ticked a lot of boxes for my first trip to the South Island. Hopefully I can get back there during the summer season which is coming up! I will go into more detail on skiing, bungee jumping and my day trip to Milford Sound in my next few posts, so keep reading!
xx syd
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