Sorry to be so quiet over the last week. But I am (supposed to be) on holiday with friends and family in Queenstown, New Zealand. I am a Kiwi but until this week I have never been to Queenstown. And until this point I assumed it was a pretty nice place with a lot of adventure sport opportunities, like bungy jumping, the Shotover Jet etc. However, I was not ready for the sheer beauty of the area. In the past, I have listened to people say that they think it is the most beautiful place on earth. But normally I have been pretty quick to ignore that as parochialism, since I have been to many countries and found beautiful areas in all of them. Despite that I actually find myself thinking Queenstown truly matches the statement, no matter how subjective a claim it may be. Queenstown is spectacularly beautiful. So much so that I find it hard to describe it and photos completely fail to do it justice. In spite of that I will try anyway and post some photos I took yesterday from above the town.
In the last picture you can see one of the newer adventure sports, that seemed to be a lot more popular than bungy jumping - "parapunting". Parapunting is basically taking off from a hill with a parachute attached to you and your tandem partner (the instructor). My friend Jamie Land had a go and has some spectacular photos to prove it.
Queenstown is indeed exceptional. I had the pleasure of spending some time there across the New Year on a trip through New Zealand this past winter, and the town simply blew me away. The beauty of the waterways, mountains and the small town centre truly is something worth travelling halfway around the world for, and it's made even more enjoyable with the friendliness of most Queenstowners.
I had the chance to see a New Zealand/Sri Lanka one day cricket match there, and met a number of locals at the ground. The level of hospitality and warmth there is simply incredible.
Posted by: Salil | Friday, May 05, 2006 at 06:10 AM