Student Bloggers
Queenstown Adventure Weekend
Date
September 10, 2013
One of the many things I'm loving about my study abroad experience is the wonderful Arcadia staff in-country and the awesome activities they have planned for us. I know this is an Arcadia blog, but I SWEAR they did not make me say this. That's all me!
While it's a great experience to plan your own excursions with new friends, it is so nice to kick back and have everything already set up for you - transportation, reservations, accommodation, and fun activities! This weekend in Queenstown was no exception.
Friday morning, I met with my fellow Canterbury Arcadians and our fearless leader, Tom Swan (graduate student at UC; our Arcadia Support Person) and we hopped on a bus bound for the adventure capital of the world!
The drive from Christchurch to Queenstown may have been one of my favorites. And I love a good road trip, so that’s saying something! The ride passes by some of the remarkable lakes of the Canterbury region. These lakes are shades of blue that your eyes are pretty sure they’ve never seen before. With views of the awe-inspiring Aoraki/Mount Cook, my face was often happily pressed to the window.
After meeting up with our Otago Arcadian mates, we went on a thrilling jet boat ride on the Shotover river. Followed by possibly-the-best-sandwich-ever at the famous Fergburger in downtown Queenstown.
Saturday morning, we began a rainy, yet beautiful tramp on the Routeburn Track. (A track I enjoyed so much, I brought friends back to it over my mid-semester break!). After a little relaxation, we were treated to delicious pizza at Winne Bagoes downtown.
And finally, Sunday morning, we rode up the Gondola, enjoyed beautiful views of the town and Lake Wakatipu, and had fun riding down the luge! While some headed off to do the wild Nevis bungee jump, others, including myself took the bus to Arrowtown to explore a little before heading over the awesome Kawarau Bridge – the site of the world’s first commercial bungee!
That was the finale to an AWESOME weekend with the Arcadia crew!