I’d been speaking airily of us spending “most of February” in New Zealand, thinking we’d hole up at our apartment at The Oaks Club on the shores of Lake Wakatipu in Queenstown, South Island. But no – the apartment was only available for the second week of February, having already been booked out by the agents for the rest of the month.
Some things have changed since we first visited Queenstown in 2006. Not our awesome view over Lake Wakatipu; and my run along the lake path – either turning right to jog the couple of kilometres to town, or left to Frankton – is still as lovely as ever, though the number of cyclists seems to have increased tenfold.
It’s the town itself that’s changed, and is obviously pandering to the Chinese dollar. A Louis Vuitton store, really? – and at the other end of the scale, numerous tatty-looking Chinese-owned, -staffed and –stocked stores.
Too many shops selling overpriced hiking and adventure gear, too; and the crowds of teens and 20-somethings in the streets and coffee bars don’t look as if they can afford to pay upwards of NZ600 for trail shoes and $1,000 for a jacket. (I may be completely wrong here; I’m thinking back to my own penurious youth.)
Though we mostly cooked and ate at home, we did have an impromptu lunch at The Grill, a newish restaurant that’s part of the Eichardt Hotel block and has a superb view of the lake, and the many, many passers-by.
Notwithstanding opposition from Fergburger, Joe’s Garage is still popular for coffees and breakfasts.
What made Fergburger – “now a tourist attraction in itself” – so famous? I’ll never know the answer to that, because I hate standing in line for food. From morning to night, the motley queue stretches down the street: not for tables, but for takeaways. Then it moves outside, props itself against a low wall and scoffs burgers as big as your head. All day, and all of the night.
Word-of-mouth from the pharmacy lady led me to Hush Spa in Mountaineer Building, where $69 got me a French pedicure; nice massage, nice exfoliation and a nice chat (about life in Tauranga as opposed to that in Queenstown) with the beautician from West Sussex.
Still Happy
One thing about Queenstown that hasn’t changed is its general joyfulness. Everyone seems genuinely delighted to be there; they also want to know not only where you’re from, but where you’re going. And for us, that can never be a short conversation.
