In August this year, with a second ankle surgery looming, we decided that my birthday would be a good excuse to head out for a few days of adventures. With the New Zealand borders still closed, we hoped to take advantage of the lower numbers of tourists and head to Queenstown. I planned a few different activities that we would be able to select from depending on the weather, crowds and how my ankle was feeling.
We were lucky with our timing, a big snowstorm came through the region just before the weekend and by the time we made it to Queenstown we had clear blue skies and fresh snow. We drove up to Coronet Peak, the views from the ski field access road were great, although after the snowy valleys of Colorado, it is always strange to drive through such a green landscape just minutes from the ski slopes.
The early morning mist and cloud over Lake Wakatipu slowly burnt off and we had stunning views in every direction. As we had taken an extra day off of work, it felt as though we had the slopes to ourselves and we were able to ski as much as our legs (or ankle) would allow.
This was our first time skiing one of the larger resorts near Queenstown, and we enjoyed exploring the different runs and making the most of the fresh snow. By mid afternoon, we were happily exhausted, and decided to head back down the hill to Queenstown find some food.
With no foreign tourists, Queenstown was pleasantly busy, with nothing like the usual chaotic crowds that we try to avoid. We were able to get a great deal at one of the classic waterfront hotels and so had a pleasant stroll into town along the lakeshore.
We had a late afternoon snack before wandering back along the waterfront to plan out our dinner options. Despite the lower tourist numbers the lake was buzzing with everything from the coal-fired steam ship, to paragliders and hydro sharks.
We continued our walk around Lake Wakatipu, watching as the sunset caught the tops of the Remarkable Mountain Range behind Queenstown. Although we have usually avoided Queenstown, knowing that the crowds can be a little crazy, with fewer people and a beautiful winter’s day, we could see why it is so popular.