When I talk to people and tell them about my plans I am often told that ‘I am lucky’. And I find it quite odd because I don’t see it that way at all. I am not on this trip because I won a contest. I worked very hard to save my money so I could create this opportunity for myself. It took me years to muster up the courage to make this choice. Luck hasn’t had a part to play.
Anyway, last night got a little bit crazier than I was expecting. Queenstown is filled with young people from all over the world and it creates this energy that is palpable. It reminds me of the towns you find at the bottom of the ski mountains in Colorado, for example, Vail or Breckenridge. In reality, Queenstown is an alpine ski village.
I got a bit of a late start but I got some food and some coffee in me and I felt more motivated. Today has been a beautiful day and it seems like the rain is going to come along for the next couple of days. So I decided it would be waste if I didn’t get outside.
I got going just around lunchtime and headed towards Queenstown Hill. First off, it’s the biggest hill I’ve ever seen. There were some sections that were fairly tough because it’s just a trek straight up the hill. But the base is only a 15-minute walk away from the town which is very convenient.
I met some Americans on the way up and we spoke for some time at the summit. I probably spent close to two hours sitting at the top. The views were so majestic, it was hard to be in a hurry to leave.
There is another trek called Ben Lomond which actually gains more elevation and has more of a 360-degree view of the surrounding area. I would like to do it tomorrow because that is the only day that is guaranteed to have good weather. But we will see what I get into this evening.