lake wakatipu
by TomorrowsAngel
Lake Wakatipu is S shaped, 90 km long and 3-4 km wide.
Road access allows sailing in all conditions and for all abilities.
Good for windsurfing, kitesurfing, waterskiing, kayaking, boating etc. Frankton Beach
Access: Right in the main town, there is a campground, toilets, BBQ, rigging and parking areas.
Wind: NW = onshore. On fine days wind builds from afternoon Westerleys 5-10 knots to evening Southerleys 10-25 knots.
Water: Flat - small chop. Shallow in most of the bay.
Watch: Other lake users - a popular spot.
Wye Creek
Access: 10 minutes drive from Frankton down the south arm of the lake. is the windiest place on the lake. Camping facilities, parking and grass areas.
Wind: On fine days, a strong Southerly blows from 3.30pm onwards.
Water: Wind swell builds up to 1.5 metres.
Watch: Your gear is safe - there are 5km of cliffs before the next landing beach if windsurfing/kitesurfing.
The One Mile
Access: Exactly one mile from the centre PO in Queenstown in the direction of Glenorchy. There are toilets, a car park and a pebbly beach.
Wind: NW, W, SW can reach up to 25 knots and more. 90 knots recorded
Water: Wind swell builds up to 4 ft.
Watch: Ferry and yacht traffic in the channel.
Kingston Beach
Southern end, good sailing in northerly cond. A few km towards Queenstown access via roadside reserves/beach/boat ramp gives good sailing in southerly thermals which build up to 20 knots in hot afternoons.
5 Jardines Woolshed
"J-Bay" locals catch evening thermals here. Access across Dick and Gillian Jardine's station. Permission required before driving down to beach. See Windsurf Mania in Queenstown. Good in southerlies, sometimes too strong (how strong is that?), chop can reach 2m with dumpy shore break.
Swedish Rounding
by ATXtraveler
Alot of businesses in Queenstown have moved to Swedish Rounding for the prices of most things. Essentially, what this means is that rather than stock 1-cent and 5-cent pieces which are small, and hard to keep track of, they will either round up or down based on the amount of an items final total. If your total ends in 0-5, you will be rounded down to .x0 and if it ends in 6-10, you will be round up to the next ten cent increment.
Frankly, I don't think anyone even notices this difference, since you can't buy anything for .10 anyway! Just be aware that it may not actually compute properly if you are pinching pennies!
The Tunnel
by grets
For the last section through the tunnel, we overshoot the entrance, and have to rock climb back to a suitable spot. We almost end up going over a very evil rapid called The Mother-in-law. We make it the second time. Just as well, as I don't fancy scrambling over the rocks again, dressed as the Michelin Man with slippery welly boots!
The tunnel is something else! Our man at the front who is supposed to guide us through, forgot to take his sunglasses off and can't see where he is going, so we keep bouncing off the walls. It is narrow, low and very, very dark, and right at the end we are thrown out into an amazing rapid where I am sure the entire raft is submersed as we bucke under. Pure excitement!
A funny Introduction to Cowcliffs Hill
by Kakapo2
Right after AJ Hackett’s Bungy Jump (coming from Queenstown) you turn to the right off SH 6, following the signpost to Chard Farm Vineyard.
You get onto a gravel road which starts with this funny sign of the parachuting vehicle. You soon understand why.
After 200 or 300 metres there is a vertical drop to the right, and a view down to the (from spring to autumn) turquoise blue Kawarau River. This is the River Anduin from the Pillars of the Kings of the Lord of the Rings trilogy.
Wanaka
by robertgaz
Wanaka is a small town situated at the southern end of Lake Wanaka and was originally settled during the gold rush excitement of the 19th century.
It is the gateway to Mount Aspiring National Parkand is a resort town for both summer and winter activities.
It is about an hour's drive from Queenstown.
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The old goldmines
Garlic bread
The Cow
Horse riding near Glenorchy
