February 2010

A mountain of free fun

Take our one-week tour of Queenstown for a great holiday of freebies and bargains

A mountain of free fun

WORDS AND PHOTOGRAPHY JOANNE LANE

Queenstown’s snow-capped peaks are famed for being home to bungy jumping, zorbing and other shrieking adventures. But if you want a holiday where you don’t have to pay for every high-octane moment, then consider this guide to discovering the mountains’ best-kept secrets. Jet boating and bungy might be off the menu, but there’s still enough mountain biking, gold panning and fly-fishing on crystal clear lakes to raise your thrill barometer on one of the world’s great natural stages.

Day1
Walking Lake Wakatipu

Queenstown lies on an inlet of Lake Wakatipu, a spectacular 80km S-shaped expanse that starts at the tiny town of Glenorchy, stretches south-east towards Queenstown and then south to Kingston.

The lake is part of the geology that has formed much of Queenstown’s adventure tourism character. The high mountains on its shores provide access to activities such as skiing, biking and hiking while the rivers draining it are used for jet boating and bungy jumping.

An ideal way to explore the lake is to walk or bike the tracks along its shores. A particularly popular route is the Frankton Arm Walkway, from Park Street through the pretty Queenstown gardens to Frankton (8km, 60–90 mins).

Southland farmer David Dumbleton has holidayed in Queenstown for 30 years on the Frankton Arm of Lake Wakatipu and never tires of these tracks. “One can spend a whole lifetime walking around the edges of Lake Wakatipu and never exhaust the magic of the place,” he says. “And it’s all for free!”

If you prefer to bike (NZ$30/50; AU$24/40 a half-/full-day), consider extending as far as you dare along the gorgeous lakeside stretch to Kingston (48km). This is the terminus of the historic Kingston Flyer steam train and you can look around it or even board for a ride (children free; adults NZ$44/AU$35, 90 mins). The train is currently under receivership but it’s hoped operations will restart soon.

Day 2
Free Skyline views

The Skyline Gondola complex dominates Bob’s Peak (790m) overlooking Queenstown, and is a must for some of the best views you’ll ever see. I choose to see them for free, so I skip the NZ$23/AU$18 cable-car ride from Brecon Street and follow the Ti Ki Trail to the top.

After a 45-minute walk through tall Douglas fir trees, I feel I’ve more than earned the views. There’s a restaurant, Maori shows and some adrenaline-charged activities up here — the Luge cart-ride, the Ziptrek Flying Fox and AJ Hackett’s Ledge Bungy and Sky Swing. Again, I feel no need to pay, as I get an empathetic adrenaline rush just watching people throw themselves off the ledge 400m above Queenstown.

The other place to enjoy free bungy madness is at the original Kawarau Bridge site, 60km away near Cromwell. English tourist Lucinda Carling, at 65, is not too old to bungy — the oldest jumper was 94 years — but is happy just watching from the viewing deck.

“Bungy jumping at Kawarau Bridge is a thrilling ‘must see, don’t have to do’ experience. Just watching provides enough of an adrenaline rush for me, and it’s a free day’s entertainment. A variety of viewing positions, especially from behind the take-off, allows for close audience participation,” says Carling, as another die-hard plunges the 43m into the gorge.

Day 3
Hiking in The Remarkables

In winter, these mountain slopes buzz with paying skiers but in summer, mountain bikers and walkers take over. Watching the play of light across their fractured peaks is fascinating but getting into them is even better, particularly on the 2.5km hike to pretty Lake Alta (1,800m).

The track starts at The Remarkables’ ski field base facility (1,586m), although the 28km road from Queenstown is part of the fun, with the last bumpy 14km on an unsealed section. It’s possible to extend the trek past Lake Alta to the Double Cone summit (2,300m). Look out for flowering alpine plants during the summer months.

Day 4
Arrowtown

Travel just 20km from Queenstown to step back into the 1860s gold-mining era. Quaint Arrowtown is a world away from the extreme adventure hype, with period buildings such as post offices and stables dotting the main street along with shops and cafés. It’s a great place to buy souvenirs, enjoy local wine or see a film in the boutique cinema.

You can learn about local history at the Lakes District Museum (NZ$5/AU$4) or get recommendations for local activities. Museum director David Clarke says there are plenty of low-cost things to do, but a shopping highlight, particularly for families, is the Remarkables Sweet Shop. It’s “an Aladdin’s cave of jars full of the old traditional sweets like blackballs, humbugs and aniseed balls,” he tempts.

I get in touch with the town’s multicultural past at the Chinese mining settlement by the Arrow River and then head out on one of the area’s hikes. The Sawpit Gully trail (2-3 hrs) passes through forest daubed with profusions of wild strawberries, daisies and dandelions and then crosses tussock-covered slopes to an old stone miner’s hut before dropping back down to the Arrow River. Other fun, low-cost activities here include gold panning, fishing, reading under a waving willow or floating downstream with the local kids in inner tubes procured from a garage.

Day 5
Day tramps

Glenorchy at the head of Lake Wakatipu is a scenic 48km drive from Queenstown. It’s surrounded by glacier-fed rivers that are great for fishing and ancient forests for hiking, such as in the Fiordland and Aspiring National Parks that provide access to some of New Zealand’s most famous multi-day tracks. These include the Routeburn (32km, 3 days), Greenstone (37km, 2-3 days), Caples (23km, 2-3 days) and Rees/Dart (57km, 4-5 days) hiking trails.

To undertake a full hike you must pay a booking fee with the Department of Conservation for overnight accommodation on the way, however day hikes on all these tracks are free. While you won’t get up into the heights and passes for views of glacial lakes and snowy peaks, the wire rope bridges along the Caples River are fun to bounce across and there’s plenty of easy walking for kids on the lowland areas.

Day 6
Mountain biking to Macetown

I head back to Arrowtown’s Chinese settlement today on a mountain bike (NZ$50;AU$40/day) to tackle the 13.1km off-road track to Macetown, an abandoned gold mining settlement 21 river crossings upstream. One of these was used to film the Lord of the Rings scene when Arwen stops the Nazgûl fording the river, so I feel like I’m riding into the movie itself. Unfortunately I don’t see Arwen, but there are other riders, 4WDers and the occasional runner tackling the bumpy route.

Day 7
Fly-fishing at Glenorchy

On my last day I go fly-fishing (licences NZ$21/AU$17 for 24 hours) near Glenorchy for rainbow and brown trout. It’s magic to watch the fly flash across the water and as dusk falls, it becomes achingly beautiful. It seems a fitting end to a week in which I’ve hardly spent a cent and left only footsteps, ripples, bike tracks and exclamations.

Jetstar flies out of Australia to Queenstown via Christchurch and Auckland; JetSaver Light fares from AU$179. Domestic New Zealand flights from NZ$49. Book online at Jetstar.com.

SPLURGE

Spoil yourself with our top picks.

JUMP: With AJ Hackett to leap off a bridge at the Kawarau Bridge (43m), Nevis Bungy (134m), Nevis Arc (300m swing), Ledge Bungy (47m) or Ledge Sky Swing (400m over Queenstown). Tel: +64 (3) 442 4008.

EAT: Splurge on local food and wine at Gantley’s Restaurant. 172 Arthur’s Point Rd, Arthurs Point, tel: +64 (3) 442 8999.

FLY: A scenic flight will reveal views of the peaks, fiords, glaciers, forest and tussock lands. Contact Air Wakatipu, tel: +64 (3) 442 3148, or Sunrise Balloons, tel: +64 (3) 442 0781.

DRINK: Enjoy a frosty drink at the Minus Five Bar. Steamer Wharf, Queenstown, tel: +64 (3) 442 6050.

SLEEP: Blow your budget with a night at the Remarkables Lodge. 595 Kingston Rd, tel: +64 (3) 442 2720.

SHOP: Decorate yourself with funky designs from The Bead Shop. 2b Shotover St, tel: +64 (3) 441 8466.

FIND IT

Queenstown i-SITE Visitor Centre Clocktower Building, cnr Shotover and Camp Sts, Queenstown, tel: +64 (3) 442 4100

Outside Sports Bike Hire 36 Shotover St, Queenstown, tel: +64 (3) 441 0074

Skyline Gondola Brecon St, Queenstown, tel: +64 (3) 441 0101

Arrowtown Visitor Information Centre and Lakes District Museum 49 Buckingham St, Arrowtown, tel: +64 (3) 442 1824

Department of Conservation Queenstown Regional Visitor Centre 38 Shotover St, Queenstown, tel: +64 (3) 442 7935

Glenorchy Information Centre Mull St, Glenorchy, tel: +64 (3) 409 2049






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