Our Last Week in New Zealand: Queenstown

We arrived in Queenstown on December 21. It's the adventure capital of New Zealand, and maybe the world. While we didn't bungy jump, we had some lovely days in this small, busy town.

Monday: Walking around Queenstown, and finding the Caribe Latin Kitchen, which serves great burritos and nachos. Alan got a hair cut and a shave.

Tuesday: Hiking to the Ben Lomond Peak, about 7 hours walking for Alan and me. Fantastic views throughout, though we were absolutely beat afterwards. Then dinner at FergBurger, a famous local establishment, with a relatively short line. We usually see the line down the street.

Wednesday, Christmas Eve: Two church services. One at 5 PM that was a pageant. St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church must have families from many countries, as the pageant featured folks from around the world. In the picture below, folks are dressed in traditional clothing from various countries and each group sang O Come All Ye Faithful in their native tongue. Later, we attended an 11:15 PM service for carol singing.

Thursday, Christmas Day: A walk by the lake, then a barbecue prepared for all the folks staying at the hostel by Kevin, a guest at the hostel.

Friday, Boxing Day: It was a quiet morning at the hostel, and we enjoyed a leisurely morning, including a trip to Starbucks for iced holiday drinks. In the afternoon we walked to the top of Queenstown Hill. It was a fairly tough uphill climb, but it was a beautiful day, and we had some great views from the top.

Saturday: Our Lord of the Rings tour. Thanks to all those who gave to our Christmas Incentive. This was our Christmas present to ourselves. See the previous blog post.

Sunday: This was our last full day in New Zealand, and we had a great day. We did some reading in the morning, made a couple of FaceTime calls, and then rented bikes for an afternoon ride along the coast of Lake Wakatipu. We figure we rode about 40 km (24 miles) and some of it included some tough hills. We stopped for ice cream on the way back to town, and enjoyed a pleasant afternoon by the lake. For our last dinner in New Zealand, we dined at a nice Italian place and reflected on our time here. Check back in a few days for a blog about what we will miss about New Zealand.

And, for those who were wondering, here's the last beer we had in New Zealand, an Emerson's London Porter: