Jetboat Ride!
by DarkRay
Although a little "touristy", I think most visitors to Queenstown should try out one of their famous Jetboat rides, because it offers its passengers a safe way to enjoy the sights offered by the various rivers in Queenstown, while still getting your adrenalin going.
It was especially fun when your guide do a sudden "Hamilton Maneuver" when you least expects it! Our guide was a little "overconfident" and actually got us strandled on a very shallow part of the river! This all the more made our trip very memorable.
Henderson’s Hole
by Kakapo2
This name is no official place name but, let’s say, a people’s choice. If you drive past the airport – through the Kawarau Valley – you will see it. It is a big building excavation site but nobody working there.
The works have been stopped when the developer Dave Henderson got into financial trouble.
He is struggling and has not declared insolvency (yet) but at the moment there is no money to carry on. So Queenstown has this kind of monument of unfinished business until further notice.
It is a pity because this guy, Dave Henderson, has developed some spectacular sites, especially in Christchurch, like the Hotel SO and SoL Square. He really has the ability to turn ugly sites into beautiful spaces.
He is known in the whole country for his successful fight with Inland Revenue, our tax office. Last year even a (taxpayer-funded) movie about this story has been released (We’re Here To Help) in NZ cinemas.
Then he won the fight. But now – ten years later - Inland Revenue moves against four companies that are related to Henderson’s development empire.
The Christchurch City Council has bailed him out in one case by purchasing one of his building sites at Sydenham Square for NZ$ 17 million.
Update 21 Feb 2009
The hole, pardon: the development is now up for sale in a mortagee sale.
The excitement begins....
by grets
Some stretches are really quite smooth, whereas some bits are too exciting for words! You are too busy paddling to have time to worry about your safety, although two people have actually dies on this strecth of river in the last month (November 1995), while rafting with Danes!
Cardrona
by robertgaz
Cardrona is the name of a small locality New Zealand in a scenic setting on the Crown Range road which connects Wanaka and Queenstown.
Established as a gold rush township in the 1860's on the banks of the Cardrona River, it is known for its hotel built during the gold rush.
Nowadays it is home of the Cardrona Adventure Park.
Cardrona is a scenic one hour drive from Queenstown.
Hell’s Gate and other Challenges on Skippers Road
by Kakapo2
The first part of the road to Skippers Canyon, from Skippers Saddle to the old hotel site, is the most difficult part to drive. Plus it has the best views. But there are several places where you can stop to enjoy those views.
Hell’s Gate is a particularly interesting site, as the road there was carved through a rock, so you have the sheer cliff on the mountain side of the road and a massive block of rock on the valley side. You can see it this way: It is the safest stretch of the road, as you cannot tumble down into the valley if you lose control of your car… ;-)
After the Skippers bridge the road gets very rough as it climbs in zig-zags onto the Skippers Terraces and the campground. This is the challenge for non-4WD cars. I would probably not recommend it for cars with low front spoilers… And I would not really recommend it to anybody if the road is not dry.
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Queenstown mall, in the city centre
Green lipped mussels
Home made garlic bread
Mitre Peak
