Wanna Whole Lotta Cheese

Queenstown, the adventure captial of New Zealand.  Situated at the base of and surrounded by more mountains than one can shake a stick at (always wanted to use that expression), this busy little town was full of energy.  Every other shop invited you to skydive, bungy, canyon swing, go jet boating, paraglide, go canyoning, etc.  Having already done skydiving and bungy in Taupo, I decided to conquer the next most extraordinary thing I could find: The Big Al burger from the famous Fergburger.  "What's on a Big Al?" you might ask.  "Al delivers a double serving of prime New Zealand beef (1/2 lb), lashings of bacon, a whole lotta cheese, 2 eggs, beetroot, lettuce, tomato, red onion, relish & a big wad of aioli."  They should have just said, "All you could ever want and more."


After meeting a young gentleman from Germany (Marcus), he graciously invited me to drive with him to journey outside of Queenstown in hopes of finding a few locations where they filmed scenes from Lord Of The Rings.  Like previous ventures, we turned up with nothing, but we did happen upon the Wakatipu Basin and the majestic reflections of the surrounding mountains, depicted here.

Back in town, I explored Queenstown Gardens, where one could find a skate park & bowling club, two completely opposite pastimes that come standard in every New Zealand town.  However, a bit more on the obscure side, I happened upon a disc golf course (Vassar frisbee, what what) which was pretty darn cool.  At night, I took to gazing at the stars from a top one of the many hills around town and could successfully make out the Southern Cross, along with three shooting stars.  On my last night, I indulged a bit differently.  After a frantic and stressful day of decision-making, I bought myself a bottle of red wine to relax and unwind with.  Sitting down in the common room of the hostel, I conversed with my peers about all things important, such as Simon Cowell's opinions of performances on American Idol and how they relate to the general perception of the performance.  I ventured out to see the Queenstown nightlife, which was quite lively.  I chose the Dux de Lux bar, considering I was told I had to try their original brewed alcoholic ginger beer called Ginger Tom.  I enjoyed said beverage while watching some cover band play.  It was good times and was a soothing night cap to my adventurous days in Queenstown.