Day 3 in the campervan and our drive takes us from the Alps to the Central Otago region. We’re headed to Queenstown, a total outdoor playground. We have one full day and two nights, so we plug in at a Holiday Park (Creeksyde) and jump in for tandem paragliding in the morning and gondola/luge in afternoon.
Queenstown is like Lake Tahoe meets a Colorado ski town – or maybe Boulder. There’s something for everyone – rafting, paragliding and parasailing, jetboats, skydiving, hiking and this new thing called Hydro Attack – it’s like an enclosed jet ski that can submerge up to 5 feet then shoot straight up in the air. If you can’t do G-forces, it won’t work for you because they aren’t kidding about the rocket piece we’re told.
If you’re not into the outdoor adventure Queenstown also offers a great downtown shopping district and excellent restaurant options on the wharf, and a fantastic garden walk to a point that gets you out onto the lake for a 180-degree view of the town and the Remarkables mountain range.
Paraglide morning
The windy uphill road takes us to Cardrona ski area where we’ll jump off the cliff from Coronet Peak – or as my paraglide captain Hansel says “you run and we just take off.” It is just like that – all geared up we take a few jogs, the kite picks up air and we’re quickly off the cliff – just floating. It’s easy and peaceful being the passenger as his Go-Pro captures the scenery and my constant grin, the lush green and brown landscape below. He takes us along a cliff line and catches a thermal. I can hear other paragliders echo my woo-hoos as they follow similar line. Then there’s the corkscrew like moves that get us closer to our landing path lower on the mountain. I see now why my captain and many of his compatriots have come from all over the world to live here – to fly every day in this gorgeous valley, and from the highest commercial take off in Queenstown .
Gondola & Luge afternoon
Switching gears, if you go up the Gondola right from town, definitely try the luge course if you like to go fast. When I first heard the word, I thought we’d be literally doing the luge, but in summer with wheels. You actually sit up in a hard plastic cart and can turbo it up, especially on the red course after you’ve done your first orientation run on the easier blue course.
We instantly turned to kids who grew up loving to drive the cars on the rail course at Disneyland, then learned to alpine ski and instantly bombed the hill. Adrenaline kicks in, we gain courage and catch air the next run, up on two wheels around the sharp curves on the next. After 3 runs it’s growing hot on the course.
All the better to check out the Stratosphere restaurant and view. Paragliders jump from the mountain tip above us and pass by our window overlooking Queenstown. Lake Wakatipu, New Zealand’s third largest lake, glistens below. Boats look small. Two more luge runs and we’re done with our active day and head to dinner on the wharf (many good restaurants to choose from by the way.)