I’ve just returned from a 12-day trip to New Zealand. I spent 4 days each in Auckland, Rotorua, and Queenstown. To be perfectly honest, the only place I knew about in New Zealand is Matamata, because that’s where Hobbiton is. Queenstown was very much under my radar, because it’s labeled as a hub for high adrenalin adventure travel. That’s not my thing. I didn’t have much expectations for Queenstown, and I was blown away by its natural beauty as soon as I caught a glimpse from the plane window.<\/p>\n
For friends who are flying into Queenstown in the coming weeks, and for everyone else headed to New Zealand, here are my tips and suggestions for traveling in Queenstown.
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At the last minute, I decided to pay for a window seat before I checked-in for my flight online, and it paid off. As the plane starts its descent, you will be greeted with a view of the mountain tops, and maybe it’s just because I come from a place where there is no snow that the sight of snow makes me excited. I sat on the right side (F seat), but I imagine the views will be equally gorgeous on the opposite side of the plane.<\/p>\n
It’s already spring in this part of the world, and that means mild temperature with rain. Couple that with the hole in the ozone layer that’s directly over New Zealand and Antarctic winds from the south, and you’ll find yourself taking off and putting on layers throughout the day. <\/p>\n
Seriously, my niece and I sat outside for lunch, and at the end of our meal, one side of our bodies are already on its way to a sunburn. Later that day, we found ourselves putting on wind and rainproof outerwear to combat the elements.<\/p>\n
There was only one currency exchange at the airport, and their rates are not very good. My niece exchanged AU$100, and got NZ$88. In town, she exchanged another AU$100 and got NZ$92. She withdrew money using her Westpac card on a Westpac ATM and got $100 and was only charged a AU$1 transaction fee.<\/p>\n
The Queenstown public bus system is very easy to use, and gets you where you need to go. It connects the airport to the town, and have stops near most hotels. We opted to get the 7-day pass for NZ$52, which covered our return trips to the airport (NZ$12 each way), and the trip to Arrowtown (NZ$15 each way). It also freed us from having to compute for each trip or making sure we have enough cash on us for the fare. We were also able to make an extra trip to New World at the Remarkables Park, which would also cost around NZ$12 per way.<\/p>\n
There’s only one bus stop in the center of town. Where the bus from the airport drops you off is the same stop for the bus to Arrowtown or the bus that passes through the hotels in the Lake Esplanade.<\/p>\n
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