July 27 A day in Queenstown. No busses. No planes. No travel except by foot. What a lovely thing that is. Queenstown was our favorite city by far. It’s like “Winter Park on steroids” as Kiley puts it. “The Remarkables” mountains are truly remarkable, and we could see them from outside our hostel along the lake or in the middle of the city. They’re very unique in their snow-covered ruggedness. This lake was similar to Lake Te Anau because they were both formed from glaciers, they're over 1000ft deep, and they contain crystal clear water. It was hypnotizing to take in the views and listen to the water gently rolling into shore. We walked to some nearby hiking trails and decided to go up the One Mile Creek hike and come down on the Tiki Trail. It was hard to follow the trail for most of the way up, but we were reminded we were on the trail fairly often. It got pretty steep, and at times it was more similar to rock climbing than hiking. It was so fun! It seemed really dark because of all the foliage and where the sun was coming up. We got to a lookout where you could see the lake and mountains pretty well and then kept climbing. We got to a clearing and started down the Tiki Trail. On the way down was where we found the best view of Queenstown. We could see all of Queenstown, the lake, and the Remarkables in the background. We had to take a moment to enjoy the beautiful scenery in front of us. The way down was rocky and slippery, but you’ve got to love a little challenge. We ended at the bottom of the Skyline where we were supposed to go star gazing that night and walked from there through town to the Queenstown Gardens. We walked on a path along the lake that was amazing and went along the shoreline of one of the peninsulas. It was a peaceful, lovely little walk. The gardens also had a pond, tennis court, and a bowling club; there were several bowling clubs through all of New Zealand. After our walk around the park, we decided to check out the ice cream and gelato shops. We treated ourselves to some gelato at Mrs. Ferg’s which is the neighbor to the famous Fergburger. We both chose Peanut Butter Banana and Cookies and Cream. We walked back to the lakeside to eat our gelato on a ledge in front of the beach. It was one of those picture perfect moments enjoying so many great things at once your senses can hardly take it. The sights of the mountains. The sound of the water and people passing. The feeling of sunshine, a slight breeze, and the gelato slowly freezing your hand. Last but not least, the taste of sweet gelato in the most scrumptious of flavors. After we slowly finished our gelato, we ventured back into town to get some souvenirs. There were heaps of little shops, so we tried to find the best deals. We each got some cheap hats and our traditional key chain for every place we go. It was fun exploring and going up and down the streets. We found a Skyline center in a shopping center, so we stopped and asked about the possibility of our star gazing being cancelled. It had been cloudy and raining on and off all day. The girl we talked to said we would get a refund if they cancelled it. We ended up talking to her for a little while because she was from the US and had lived in Sydney for a year and a half before moving to Queenstown 3 months earlier. She told us a few places we should go in and around Sydney, so that was nice. It’s always fun to run into someone who is living the kind of life you hope to live after college. One of my dreams is the live and work abroad for a few years out of college to see more of the world and experience even more new things. We left the mall and looked for some dinner. We ate at a place called London’s. Kiley got pesto penne, and I got lasagna. My meal came in a square dish it was cooked in with sizzling cheese holding all the heat in. It was warm, delicious, and hearty. We enjoyed our meal and the rugby that was playing inside. We walked back to our hostel from there in the rain and got ready to head to the Skyline. The walk was wet and cold. When we got there, they gave us a refund because it was cancelled. We walked back to change and cuddle up in warm clothes. I read a little in my bed before going to bed early. We were sad to miss our star gazing, but the day was pretty awesome otherwise.
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