Feb 22-24

So after last entry when we stated that we were "getting of the tourist trail a bit" what did we do next? Why we headed straight into the belly of the beast: Queenstown - the center of touristicky tourism in all of New Zealand.

Why? Because we're crazy like that.

Anyway, Queenstown is a popular spot for good reason. It is located in the southern center part of the South Island which puts it central to everything from the deep lakes and Fiords of the country's largest National Park (Fiordland NP) to the beaches of the south coast to the wild rocky west coast. Add to that the spectacular scenery and the fact that Queenstown has been christened the "Adventure Capital of New Zealand" and it has a lot going for it.

The last part is thanks to the exploits of New Zealand's beloved son, AJ Hackett, who made a name for himself when he introduced the world to bungee jumping in the 1980's by jumping off the Eiffel Tower. Since then he has moved home and become a brand name with jump sites all over the world (Including 5 within a short distance of Queenstown).

We figured while we were here we might as well take part in the scene. We booked a spot with a skydive company for the next morning. We then had the most restless night of sleep in recent memory. Unfortunately the rain clouds had formed in force when we woke the next morning so we could not take the leap.

Deterred? Absolutely not. We had the perfect remedy for a rainy day. We drove the short distance north to Queenstown's little sister town, Wanaka, home of Stuart Landsborough's Puzzling World! The best tourist trap for the best price in all of New Zealand if you ask me. For NZ $10 we got admission to the giant maze (at 1km long it took us about 45 minutes to finish) as well as the crazy house of Illusions inside. We were like little kids for the few hours that it took us to explore the place. They had a room that made Lisa look giant while I was small (A technique apparently used in Lord of the Rings) as well as other opportunities for bizarre photos.

We were as giggly as school girls (err, and boy) when we left!