Nice to See You Again, Queenstown

Just got back from finishing my first exam, so I figured why not celebrate with another blog post!

After our tour at Milford Sound, and our quick pass through the Fiordlands, we made our way over to Queenstown so that one member of our group could complete a bungy before his return home (such a brave soul). When we first arrived we spent our time just wandering around and looking into the shops, since it was still pretty early. We made our way over to the 1876 bar for some drinks and little dinner (I had manuka smoked BBQ baby back ribs - TO DIE FOR). Although it was still pretty early, we headed back to the car to get ready for bed (not much to do in the dark when you're freedom camping). We parked on the side of the road by Lake Wakatipu for a snooze. Around 4:30 in the morning there was a knock on our window, and a man (either a stranger or cop, we're still not sure!) told us its a $200 fine for freedom camping in Queenstown. OOPS! So we quickly hopped out of the car and switched spots so we could drive out of there! Being awake so early we decided to find a heated place to hang out for a bit. Luckily there was a local BP station open with free wifi (thank the internet gods) and some really great meat pies (my fave). After relaxing for a bit, we decided on a plan. We were going to watch the sunrise in the botanical gardens.

Watching the sunrise over Lake Wakatipu 

The Remarkables across the lake

Molly and Orla were excited to see the sun rise! 

Beautiful colors as we were leaving

   After watching the sun rise, it was off to drop off Tyler (Molly's friend from the states) to go meet his people for his bungy, and we headed off to the souvenir shops to gear up for a hike. After acquiring some hats and gloves, we drove out to Jack's Point for our hike. What we thought was going to be snowy and wintry weather ended up turning around to prove a very nice day! Though the hike was still tiring, but the view was worth it at the top. The three of us enjoyed a nice little picnic at the top and took in the scene of the Remarkables and Lake Wakatipu. It was a quick trek back down the hill to meet up with Tyler and to head to Wanaka before it got too dark outside. 

Walking up to Jack's Point

The view from the top

I made it! 

Me, Molly, and Orla enjoying our view above Queenstown

 It felt nice to get out of the car and to do some hiking! The nature is definitely my favorite thing about New Zealand. Can't beat the views!