A Town Made for Queens

I couldn’t have chosen a better possible place than the beautiful Queenstown, New Zealand to spend my 21st birthday. The travel was long but the scenery was beautiful along the way. Of course the trip began with driving through the very flat, sheep-filled, Canterbury plains and then twisted and curved into the Southern Alps. My friends and I took a quick pit stop at Lake Tekapo to have some lunch and sit by the water. The sun shone so bright and clearly that the water illuminated a beautiful bright turquoise blue while the mountains bordered each side of the lake. I was disappointed to have gotten there before the purple flowers had bloomed, but nonetheless, gave a brilliant spot to eat my chocolate meal bar for lunch. With only an hour left until arrival, the mountains became larger and I felt insignificant to the vast mountains leading up to town. My heart dropped the moment we reached The Remarkables that lay right next to the city. We finally arrived at our cozy hostel and introduced ourselves to fellow travelers from the Netherlands and Italy. Our bellies were hungry and we left to get our first meal. If you love Mexican food, New Zealand is definitely not the place to visit and find it. However, we were lucky enough to find a delicious Mexican restaurant that gave us the chips and salsa we had been craving. Since it was my birthday, they gave us sombreros to wear during our meal. The rest of the night was filled with laughter and enjoying the beautiful city. The next day we decided to go on a boat ride through the lake that was a bright blue hue. The tour guide was kind and gave us tea and biscuits (chocolate cookies) while we rode. Apparently the lake had 92% clarity, so the boat driver dunk a bucket into the water and we all took a big gulp of it! My friends and I felt like royalty as we boated around in the mystical scenery. When we finished there was a small farmers market in the center of town that we walked around and talked to some local vendors. Of course, when in Queenstown you HAVE to try Fergberger!! Probably the best burger I’ve ever eaten for lunch. The rest of the evening was spent at the top of the Gondola where we looked out over the city as the sun set. Nothing felt so magical as sitting up at the top of the mountain in a place we had so much fun. I’ll never forget the weekend we spent there and hopefully one day I’ll make it back!