Queenstown — RachiePie

The drive from Cromwell to Queenstown only took an hour and we started the morning with a hike on the Moke Lake Loop Track. This short two-hour hike goes right around Moke Lake through grassland and is surrounded by mountains. It was a chilly morning and there was even a few snow flakes falling.

We then headed into Queenstown, which has been dubbed "the adventure capital of the world". Queenstown sits on beautiful Lake Wakatipu. The lake is shaped like a cartoon lightning bolt and is New Zealand's third-largest lake. The lakebed rests below sea level and reaches a depth of over 1,250 feet. Scientists have rated Lake Wakatipu as 99.9% pure and clean. The temperature hovers around 50-degrees year round, so not a lake you want to swim in!

We decided to spend the afternoon hiking the Queenstown Hill Time Walk, an incredibly steep walk to the summit of Te Tapu-nui. I struggled a little hiking to the top between the never-ending hill, the cold and the wind! It may not have been the best day to do this hike as the clouds hid many of the mountains surrounding the area, but the few minutes where the sun popped out and made the water so blue, definitely made this hike worth it!

We woke Wednesday morning to sunny skies and figured we better take advantage of good weather while we have it! We decided to drive to Glenorchy, a small town on the northern shores of Lake Wakatipu. I know I say this all the time, but the drive from Queenstown to Glenorchy was one of the most beautiful drives we've ever done! I think we stopped every five minutes to take pictures and admire the view.

Once we arrived in Glenorchy, we hiked the Glenorchy Walkway which passes through the wetlands with views of the surrounding mountain ranges. I cannot get over how beautiful this area is - it doesn't seem real!

Alex and I then spent a bit of time walking through the adorable town of Glenorchy. We came across the cutest and tiniest library I've ever seen (its only open for 1 hour on Fridays!). Next door to the library is the small church. The church is nondenominational and there is a bulletin board which details what day of the month the respective congregation meets (Catholics one Sunday, Presbyterian another, and Anglican the following).

We finished the day by driving out to Mount Aspiring National Park and hiked the Lake Sylvan Track. The hike leads you through a forest of tall red beech trees before opening up to beautiful Lake Sylvan. We spent a bit of time sitting on the bank of the lake enjoying the sunshine and amazing clear waters.

Trying to balance on the suspension bridge!

We woke on Thursday to cold, rainy weather and I was super thankful we packed so much in the day before while we had sunny skies. We decided to take it easy and grabbed brunch in town, went grocery shopping, and completed our laundry. By the time the afternoon rolled around, the rain had stopped and the sun started to pop out. We had booked an appointment at the Onsen Hot Pools a few months back and it made for such a relaxing evening. The hot pools are set high on a hill which overlooks the mountains and river below. It made for an amazing view as we soaked in the warm waters.

Queenstown and the surrounding area is so much more beautiful then I could ever imagine and we really enjoyed our time here. We leave tomorrow for Te Anau and Fiordland National Park. This is one of the most popular areas in New Zealand and I can't wait to see it for myself.

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