Queenstown, New Zealand is absolutely breathtaking. On Tuesday, August, 4 we flew from Sydney to
Queenstown. We arrived on a cool, rainy
day, but Hertz had our rental car parked right outside the door of the
airport. We had to get a bit acclimated
to the car as the steering wheel is on the right and you drive on the
left. On our way to the lodge, Edi and I
were awestruck. No matter the direction,
the view was incredible, almost unreal.
We arrived at The Remarkables Lodge and Boutique Hotel and
got a warm welcome from the hosts and staff. The Alpine Premier Suite was so
nice; it was quite comfortable with a nice claw foot tub. It had a coffee/tea service and wonderful
views. The lodge itself is very homey
with two different sitting areas, one with a cozy fireplace that is lit each
night and one with a pool table and media area. We enjoyed the hot tub and the sauna - the perfect way to relax after an adventurous day out in the snow! The night of the big New Zealand/Australian rugby match, Alan and Amanda
set up the big screen and projector for us and other guests to enjoy. Amanda brought in chips and popcorn – it was
a fun evening. The backyard area not
only has an incredible view of the Remarkable Mountain range, but it has goats
and chickens that we got to feed!
Queenstown is such a cute town. It has great shops and lots of restaurants
from which to choose. We spent some time
shopping and just enjoying the town. We
had hot chocolate at Koko Black – the best hot chocolate I have ever had!
New Zealand is quite the adventure land. We drove to the Snow Farm one day. It was cold and snow was in the forecast. As we got closer and closer to the top, the
road conditions got worse. We had to
stop to put snow chains on the car; the only problem…one of them was
broken. We made it to the top with only
the one, and luckily Edi was able to get someone to help him fix it before
driving back down. Once there we were
ready for our dog sledding adventure.
I’m not going to lie…I was a bit nervous, but once we were
introduced to our dog team and were taught how to lead the pack, it was an
absolute blast!
Next was cross country skiing. I have always wanted to give it a go thinking
it would be easier than down hill skiing.
It was quite difficult as you really have to maintain your balance. We had a really good instructor and after our
lesson got to ski the trails. I would
love to do it again.
By the time we had finished the trail for the third time the
snow was really coming down, so we had to get that other chain on the tire and
head down the mountain. Edi was a great
driver! We made it down the mountain
safely, and stopped to take the snow chains off. Our dog sled instructor and our cross country
ski instructor both stopped and asked if we were OK - it was really nice that they took the time to
inquire. We stopped at the Cardrona
Hotel for a break. They had a roaring
fire going, so we had a beverage (I opted for wine since I was not driving) and cheese
scones. They were like giant cheese
biscuits from Red Lobster – yum! Just
what we needed. After our refreshment,
we were on our way.
Back at the lodge, we had dinner at the lodge with some of
the other guests. Amanda and Alan had
prepared a delicious Indian meal – it was scrumptious! After dinner, we did a little reading by the
fire. What an incredible day!
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