Queenstown is a very unique New Zealand city. It didn’t feel like the rest of NZ, more like Zurich. Most NZ cities seem very laid back and relaxed. Queenstown is more vibrant, busy, energetic, and therefore filled with a lot of younger people. The place is packed with bars and restaurants, and the streets are crowded with tourists.
There are businesses hawking jet boat rides, bungy jumping adventures, canyon swings and ziplines. We even saw one place advertising a human catapult! No, we did not partake in any of that craziness.
The city is quite beautiful, set amongst mountains and a large blue lake.
The waterfront area is bustling with hungry tourists, us included. The seafood here is excellent, just like the rest of NZ.
We ate at the Pier restaurant in the above photo one night, and despite it appearing to be a tourist trap it was really excellent. Nice outdoor seating area with heat lamps all around.
Central Otago is known for Pinot Noir. A friend of ours (Ed Keay) helped us to arrange a tasting at Felton Road winery in Central Otago, about an hour from Queenstown. This sign lets you know you are getting close.
Felton Road is considered one of the best wineries in New Zealand, and they of course specialize in Pinot. The place is stunning!
They were set up for a tasting for 12. The really surprising thing for us during our wine tasting throughout NZ is that everybody tasting seems overly knowledgeable about wine and the industry, a stark difference from a lot of the people I run across in tasting rooms in the US. We even had one guy from Austraila comment to us that he was surprised with our level of wine knowledge since we were from the US, and that maybe he should change his opinion. I had no idea we had that reputation, but I think I’m starting to understand why. These people know their wine!
The wines at Felton Road were all quite good, with 2 of the Pinot’s they poured being very impressive. We ended up buying one bottle. Their very best Pinot is highly allocated, so you have to be a list member to buy it. Nice to try it at least. Here is the bottle we bought, and I highly suggest you snag one if you see it in a wine store. It really reminded us of a California Pinot from Aubert or Wren Hop.
They have done a great job of signage throughout the Otago region. You will not get lost if you are looking for a winery. If you are looking for something else? Sorry, got nothing for ya.
On the way back to town we saw a sign for Roaring Meg viewpoint. Mt. Difficulty winery has a wine called Roaring Meg, so I figured we should stop and check it out. This waterfall is coming from a hyrdoelectric power plant along the road. Seems like an odd choice for a viewpoint to me. Is there a scenic coal mine nearby?
The river itself was pretty cool, and looked like it would be quite fun for a rafting trip. It’s probably offered back in Queenstown, but they have to catapult you into the raft before you can start. Think I’ll pass.
We met a couple, Krishna and Lindsay, from San Francisco during our tasting at Felton Road. Krishna works for AirBNB, so if you have any complaints about a property let me know and I’ll make sure he gets them!
We ran into them once more at dinner later that night. They seem like they really know their wine, so we’ll be trying to get them to a wine party in the Bay Area in the near future.
Next up, Mount Cook National Park.