I've never really been a fan of cities, but Queenstown has to be my favorite one I've ever visited (if it can even be called a city). The panoramic view of the jagged mountains that surround it is, frankly, ridiculous; even the worst house in town has a better view than any multi-million dollar estate elsewhere in the world could ever hope for. And the lake that wraps its way around the town center is an incredible gift, providing a beautiful waterfront and a wharf that is full of bars and always teeming with people, both locals and tourists.
My parents and I checked in to the Hilton hotel that lies across the lake from the town center as soon as we arrived, and were out the door to explore the town shortly thereafter. We figured the first day would be best spent staking the place out and getting an idea of what our favorite bars and restaurants were, as I'd be applying for work as a bartender soon. I don't know if this is a year-round thing, but the amount of people who have been here in Queenstown since I've arrived is unprecedented. And from what I've been told, this is a serious down time in the Queenstown tourist season, which picks back up just before winter as skiers and snowboarders come flocking to the highly desirable ski slopes. It might be worth noting, however, that it is also the week of the Chinese new year, and there are at least ten times as many Asians here currently as there are people of any other ethnicity.
My German friend Lion (that's his real name) joined me and my parents in our touring of the city, and we both could hardly contain our excitement at the prospect of living here for the foreseeable future. Lion's plans are very similar to mine, so we've been thinking about going in on a nearby flat together. We started exploring the classifieds and browsing the posted ads in the windows of real estate offices throughout town as we explored around, and we've found a few places that look really promising. In the meantime, though, it's back to another hostel, and we made reservations at a solid looking place where I'll be joining Lion as soon as my parents head out.
After a day of feeling out the town and getting myself oriented, I spent that night printing out dozens of resumés (which Kiwis call CV's) to hand out to likely places the next day. My goal was to get a job as a bartender at one of Queenstown many bars, restaurants, and pubs, but I was also open-minded to the idea of working in sales at a sporting goods shop or a clothing store, so I augmented my resumé accordingly and made copies of two appropriate CV's. I spent all day walking around dropping them off at places I liked that would accept them, and my heart sunk time after time as I saw the gigantic pile of other resumés that mine was being added to at each stop. I knew Queenstown was an extremely popular place, but I hadn't thought that there would be such a gigantic oversupply of aspiring workers, and I started to worry that I wouldn't find a way to pay the bills that would keep me here. To my delighted surprise, though, I had two job offers by the end of that same day, and my worries of having to return home early quickly melted away.
The first place that offered me a position is a Mexican grill and tequila bar called Coyote grill, and they contacted me in search of a new bartender. This had been one of my favorite places that I'd applied to, as I have a profound love for tequila, and I haven't had a good margarita (or, in fact, any margarita) since I've been here in New Zealand. I went to an interview at Coyote that same night, and having liked what I learned there, I agreed to work my first shift this coming Tuesday night. Coyote opens every day at 6 p.m., and my manager made sure to inform me that I'd be free to take another day job if I felt compelled to do so, as my hours working the bar would likely only amount to around thirty per week.
The second place I got a call from is called Arnold's, which is a retro bar and café themed after the American 60's. Maybe they were looking for Americans, or maybe my timing was just really good there, but it's a sparkling place in great shape that I like almost as much as Coyote. I'll be having an interview with them tomorrow, and will perhaps take up a position there if they're agreeable to my working during the day.
Now, back to the beauty that is New Zealand...today was one of the best days I've had so far in this country, which I spent going on a helicopter tour over Queenstown, a few surrounding glaciers, and nearby Milford Sound. I had never been in a helicopter before today, and it was a profound experience...taking off was a lot of fun, as the mighty engine powers up and the props whirr overhead, lifting you straight up into the air before you shoot out in a beeline towards the landscapes beyond. The real life experience was better than any simulation that movies or video games can offer you, and that's before you're hovering above some of the most beautiful scenery this world has to offer.
The mountain range surrounding Queenstown is known as the Remarkables. They are so big and intimidating when seen from the ground that it's a bit difficult to fully comprehend their splendor, but when seen from above, there is no doubting their namesake. The sight that Queenstown and the lake and mountains right beside it offer is truly remarkable.
This is where I live now.
After ascending to an altitude of about six thousand feet, our chopper pilot turned us in the direction of Milford Sound and we began our flight soaring over the mountains along our path. The scenery was so incredibly breathtaking on all sides that I couldn't decide which way to point my camera, and I was frantic to get a shot of everything as we sped by.
We came within sight of Milford Sound after about 25 minutes of flying, which came as a real surprise to me considering the driving time into the sound, which is around four hours. Landing in the helicopter was just as exciting as taking off had been, and with the sound extending out around us on all sides, we couldn't have chosen a more impressive place to fly into.
We boarded a ferry at Milford Sound's small pier, embarking on a two hour cruise that would maneuver us around the dazzling mountains and magnificent waterfalls that were as plentiful here as the Asians in Queenstown during the Chinese new year.
After another photo-taking frenzy, our ship captain pulled the ferry up alongside a giant flat slab of a rock upon which several seals lay snoring. Considering the perfect weather we'd been blessed with and the glorious scenery sprawling for miles around them, I found myself feeling strangely envious of the lazy fellows sleeping in the heart of paradise.
Our tour continued after our brief visit with the less than energetic seals, as did the beautiful panoramic views and the picture-taking mania. I thought to myself with each picture I took that beautiful though they are, it's a real tragedy how a single photo represents only a small frame of the bountiful splendor that surrounded me. There's no camera in the world with enough megapixels to do justice to the wonders offered by Milford Sound.
Not too long after our first encounter with seals, we found a few more lazing about in a similar fashion, upon a rock near a massive waterfall. After drifting us by this second bunch of tired seals, our captain drove the bow of the boat right up under the big waterfall. There, you could literally stick out your hand to fill a cup of fresh water to drink, or just throw back your head and open your mouth wide, so long as you didn't mind getting wet. Somehow, I didn't find the time to indulge myself in a drink, as I was much too busy taking even more pictures (shocking).
We were on our way back into the dock after this final waterfall, and I snapped a few last photos for good measure as we came into the harbor. I may have worn my camera battery very thin, but I'll certainly never forget this day I spent exploring the marvel that is Milford Sound.
After the captain docked us at the pier, we all headed for the tiny airport in the center of the sound to pile back into the helicopter and head home to Queenstown. On the way back, though, our gracious pilot James took the time to take us on a quick detour, flying us directly over a marvelous glacier. The amount of snow we found there was beyond reasonable explanation, and it was amazing how close James could get us. As we approached the glacier, constantly ascending, it really looked like the bottom of the chopper was inevitably going to scrape against the ice.
Before our descent back down to the Queenstown airport, we decided to make one final stop upon the crest of a grassy mountain overlooking the lake below that the city is built along. The color of the water was shockingly blue, and the large shadows from the clouds overhead provided a varying shade of a darker hue. This created another priceless scene, and everywhere you looked was a view worthy of a postcard, to say the very least.
Alright, I'm done overloading the pictures now.
I went out to a great dinner at an incredible restaurant called the Botswana Butchery with my parents, as tonight is their last night in New Zealand. Botswana Butchery was recommended to us several times, once even by our helicopter pilot James, and my parents thought it would be an appropriate place for their last dinner here. They were certainly right; everything each of us ordered was insanely delicious, and I made a mental note to drop another CV by there some day soon, in case they could use some help at one of their two bars in the restaurant.
I'll be driving my parents in to the Queenstown airport tomorrow afternoon, where they'll be flying out for Sydney, and then Lion and I will start seriously looking at flats. I doubt there will be anything so remarkable to write about in the near future as our helicopter excursion was today, but I'll keep the blog updated regardless. And Queenstown being such an exciting place, you really never know what might happen next here.
Your starstruck friend,
Jack
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