Friday 4th to Monday 7th September 2020
It is very hard not to love Queenstown, the sky was brilliantly blue and the mountains were snowcapped. The mornings and evenings were chilly but a wooly hat put that to rights! We were surprised to be walking around in just a tee-shirt in the middle of the day, not complaining though!
Garth, myself and Heidi had a 3 day day trip planned, we had actually planned this trip for March but as you all know things haven't been quite normal this year and so we were just very happy to be getting on a plane at all! I finally let myself breathe and believe we were going once we were sat on the plane and it was moving!! Warning though don't breathe too much and too hard when you are wearing a mask for 3 hours on end, it gets a little warm!
We decided to extend our trip by staying at the Airport Palms hotel at Auckland Airport for the night before our flight, we love making holidays start early and it gets you in the holiday mode. We hadn't stayed here before so were not sure what to expect, it was after all very cheap, we paid $74 for the night! They say you often get what you pay for but we were very pleasantly surprised. It was definitely not luxury, no slippers and dressing gowns for us but it was very clean and tidy and the staff were lovely. The room was a great size with 2 double beds, kettle and the usuals. The bathroom was small and if someone was sat on the loo whilst you were in the shower they would get their feet washed at the same time!! The transfers to and from the airport were included and easy and on time.
Friday night we watched some TV and ate our pre bought sushi (our favourite take away) and muffins and got an early night ready for an early start.
Saturday we started the day off with breakfast in the Air New Zealand lounge, perks of our credit card! It was a little different as the lovely young man walked along the breakfast buffet for you and as you pointed to what you fancied he would add to your plate...good old Covid! Yummy food though and a great way to start your journey.
We flew Air New Zealand direct from Auckland to Queenstown, pretty uneventful trip except they are using the planes they usually fly to Australia (this is what we were told) so they have a seat back TV, which you don't normally get on a domestic flight. Heidi was happy but I just played "Who wants to be a Millionaire" and dreamt of large winnings!
We had pre-booked a shuttle from the airport to our hotel, when we looked at prices it worked out only about $3 more expensive as the public bus is $10 per adult per journey and $8 for a child. It was great as we were dropped at the Copthorne Hotel & Apartments Queenstown Lakeview by 10.00am. As Queenstown is so quiet at the moment we were able to check in to our room straight away and also got a late check out for 2 days later, that was great, sadly the spa pool was closed, once again due to Covid. Our room was amazing and I would really recommend this hotel, it was huge and we had a large balcony looking over to the lake (there is a road in between the hotel and the lake), very clean and tidy and nice bathroom. We had breakfast at the hotel which should have been a buffet but due to Level 2 you could just order what you fancied from the menu, we learnt after the first day to be more specific as Garth just asked for continental and he literally got everything that would have been on the continental buffet - yoghurt, fruit, toast, croissants, danishes, cereal and enough to feed 3 people!! The restaurant has lots of glass and great views over the lake.
We had 2 and half days and Heidi (age 10) had made a plan...it looked very much like a food lovers trip to Queenstown! Definitely glad I had some elasticated pants!
The hotel was about a 10 minute walk into town, an easy walk with lovely views all the way. Saturday morning we meandered down and had a wander around and had our first foodie stop at 'Balls and Bangles' - wow we loved this place!! It is a must try and more than once! We had bagels for lunch followed by doughnuts - the selection is amazing, please allow extra time to absorb the menu and make your choice!! We all chose different items and tried each others! We had 4 doughnuts between the 3 of us, it is cheaper per doughnut to buy 4 than 3!!! We each tried some of each and rated them...Creme Brulee was my top choice..oh my goodness my mouth is watering just thinking about it!
After a long and delightful lunch we headed to the Skyline Gondola. We have an annual pass for the Rotorua Skyline and you can use this in Queenstown as well which was great news. Queenstown is like Rotorua's older brother, the gondolas are older and definitely give a more thrilling ride, they feel less stable and move a lot more in the wind!! We had a wander round at the top and browsed the gift shop and of course bought the obligatory jelly beans!! We had a lovely chat with the lady in the gift shop, she was so pleased we were there as it has been very quiet and she explained she had had no one to talk to!! There is also a luge but we gave this a pass, Heidi is a cautious young lady and would rather keep 2 feet on the ground and in control (she has tried the luge once in Rotorua!).
After some souvenir hunting, mulled wine and a Cointreau infused hot chocolate, along with southern cheese rolls at the waterfront Public Bar and Kitchen, we headed back to the hotel for some relaxation.
Saturday night dinner was Taco Medic....found after trawling Trip Advisor (love other peoples recommendations) and we were not disappointed. Absolutely delicious nachos and tacos eaten by the lake followed by dessert at The Cookie Time Cookie Bar - finished the day off perfectly.
Sunday was another stunning day. Breakfast was less like a feast for 10 people and just right today as we were very careful with our order!! We had a lovely walk by the lake and a bite to eat at Patagonia Chocolates - yummm!!!! This was followed by an amazing cruise on Southern Discoveries. The scenery was perfect, what more can I say!! The views would beat even the world's most picturesque postcard and we were in it, it pasted a smile on your face and happiness in your heart. We had a glass of wine and cheese platter to compliment the experience! The commentary is clear and interesting and everyone was very friendly. Highly recommended.
Then we had Ferg Burger..the long awaited burger. We have been here before and knew we loved it! This was the first time we have not had to stand in line for 30 mins to order the burger. We got a burger each and chips and onion rings - warning you do not need chips and onion rings as well as the burgers, they are huge and filling! Loved it and will go back there!
Monday was a slow morning, we took a longer route into town and walked around the little headland, beautiful views. We had to try Fergs bakery for lunch and we had a massive pretzel, bought one for Tessa and Marcus as well as a treat, they are very cool!
Before we had to leave to head back to the hotel to fly home we checked out the Time Tripper, this used to be an underground area where you could view the fish and eels in the lake. They have now added a screen and it is in fact Queenstown only underwater cinematic experience!! You are transported back through 90 million years and then you travel back to present day and watch how Queenstown evolved. I must admit it was interesting and great effects. At the end you have time to watch the fish being fed and can even see the ducks diving down to try and steal the fish food!
Then it was time to head home. We had a wonderful time and would have loved to have stayed longer but just think it would never be enough time!
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