Sand in my Shoes: Hiking, shopping and enjoying Queenstown

The best part about travelling with Billy is that we rarely make solid plans for our trips, and instead just have a rough idea of what we'd like to do at some point, maybe. And almost every day we end up saying "this was the best day ever!" So it basically works out. :)

We had decided not to try and tackle the Milford Sound on this trip, as it really is an entire day by coach to get there and back. We thought about flying, but we've been on enough planes for a while and the weather was scheduled to turn bad for a few days so we didn't want to waste time trying to fit it in. We are very glad we decided this, as instead we are able to fit in more hikes, bikes and other fun things. To start things off, on Tuesday, we walked back into town along the QT Track, this time adding an extra half an hour by walking through the Queenstown Gardens. Almost everywhere in Queenstown seems to have such stunning views - mountains, trees, water, it's impossible to stop exclaiming over how beautiful everything is!

The sunrise on Tuesday morning - view from our bedroom balcony. How lucky are we??!!

Lunch was at the waterfront, as we seem to keep missing breakfast. We were going to try and hit Fergburger, which we have heard is amazing, but even at 12.01pm, it was packed. No burger can possibly be that good, we decided, so we headed to the wharf to have an outdoor meal with a view. Apart from the bees that decided our food looked tasty too, the weather was nice and warm and while the food wasn't amazing, the refreshments were right up Billy's alley.

Billy's favorite part of lunch. Especially because I made him try venison tartare with me.

The lunchtime view

Probably the closest we will get to a kiwi bird

We wandered around town for a while, and treated ourselves to some new bike shorts and New Zealand jerseys. This gift was both practical, as we can now go biking, and a treat, as we now have souvenirs of our trips. I'll post some photos when we actually have the gear on so you can see! All that shopping wore us out, so it was off to Eichardt's hotel (the oldest one in town), for a spot of tea and scones.

Afternoon tea and a blueberry scone with jam and cream

Double espresso for Billy

Eichardt's Bar

After enjoying our refreshments and our comfortable seats in the bar, we decided we were getting a little too relaxed, and it was time for some more exercise to prepare ourselves for dinner. Queenstown has so many good restaurants, it is a good thing there are also lots of options for exercise!

Queenstown's original courthouse

Two trees planted the year after the courthouse was built in 1876.

Billy turned around when he saw the word "marriage"!

We wanted to stay close to town, so we had to choose between the Queenstown Hill Walk and the Gondola Walk. We chose the former, mainly because I had seen signs to the start of that track. The worst part was getting to the start - some of the hills here could give San Francisco a run for its money! My heart was pounding and we hadn't even reached the trail yet!