Since being in New Zealand we've done an awful lot of walking so we were pleased to find that our hostel in Queenstown offered free bikes to all of its guests. We used these to explore the town which is most definitely a town, not the city I was expecting - it seems New Zealand cities are exceptionally hard to come by! Nevertheless, Queenstown is an amazingly pretty place with lots of quaint little bars and cafés which all looked so inviting. As well as the standardly incredible views along the lake front, our top discoveries were the Remarkable Sweet Shop, Patagonia Chocolate Cafe and the infamous Fergberger, all of which we returned to the following day.
In an attempt to work off the eight thousand or so calories then consumed we decided to trek up the Tiki Trail. It's a steep track and pretty much follows the line of the cable car but we thought the walk would do us good. At the top we rewarded ourselves with what little remarkable fudge we'd managed to save whilst looking out at the beautiful scenery. For an even better view dozens of people opted to paraglide, soaring overhead as we clambered down.
From Queenstown we drove a few hours West to Milford Lodge where we took the cruise around Milford Sound the next morning. It was listed as one of the 'Must Do's' in the South Island but in all honesty I found it a little disappointing. The boat took us through the narrow stretch of water between the sheer rock faces that make up this famous heritage site. Perhaps it was because it was a misty morning, or because we've just been spoilt by the equally as impressive (and completely free) views we drive through every day, but I struggled to find much enthusiasm for it. The best part for me was stopping to see the baby seals and the free BLT sandwich on board.
Neither Queenstown nor Milford were quite what I'd imagined though the first exceeded expectations whereas the latter fell short.
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