Queenstown: The Party Capital of New Zealand

Hello Wonderful People!

Queenstown, from all the rumours I’d heard, was supposed to be the best place in New Zealand. Not only is it the adrenaline capital of the Southern Hemisphere, it’s also supposed to be the best night out in New Zealand.  As I’d heard so many great things about Queenstown, my expectations were sky high. No pressure then. My first impressions were mixed; it was a lot smaller than I imagined with a population of around 15,000 it was only marginally bigger than my very small home town. How could somewhere this tiny have such an awesome reputation? However, the town is situated on a lake, completely surrounded by mountains, so the location is pretty beautiful. Did this picturesque lakeside town live up to its hard-core party reputation, or was it a massive let down?

There is only one answer to this question: Queenstown is absolutely amazing! I would love to tell you about all the lovely cultural things I did here, but sadly I can’t. We spent the majority of the time going on nights out and hanging around the town in the day, as we were slightly hung-over. There were a couple of favourite bars we went to, but my all time fave has got to be Whinnies. It reminded me of a mountain club in a ski resort and there were a few platforms where you could dance, as the whole place was always rammed. They also serve pizza throughout the night, which is always a winner when you’ve had a beverage or two (or twenty).

Other than the amazing night life, Queenstown is also famous for one very special type of food; the almighty Fergburger. Now, as a veggie I wasn’t exactly dragged in by all the hype of the Fergburger that had been recommended to us by so many people. Veggie burgers are usually less than impressive at burger joints, as no one really cares about us little veggies; after all burgers are meaty, why would we even enter a burger place? Well, I would absolutely recommend a Fergburger to any veggie out there as it was delish and there was even a choice of three (YES THREE) veggie burgers. Check out the website here (I had the Bun Laden). And if you’re a meat eater, then good luck, as the choice is huge and apparently they are all amazing. I went with three other meat eaters who managed to get through almost all the menu during our time in Queenstown’s. Pigs. Fergburger is located half way down one of the main streets (across the street from Base Hostel) and is a tiny place. You will struggle to miss it though, as there is always a queue outside. It’s also open 24 hours a day as the place is so popular. It’s worth the wait though, so don’t let the queue put you off and try to avoid peak times. If you are getting a little peckish during your wait, there is also Ferg Bakery located right next door, so pop in there for a little snack.

 

Sadly, as I was only a few weeks away from returning home from my 4 month trip, my money was reaching alarmingly low levels. This meant I sadly couldn’t afford to do another day skiing here (two of the boys I went with did, and I was super jealous) or do the Nevis Bungee. I have already done a bungee jump before and I don’t quite think I’m brave enough to do another, so I gave that a miss too! We did have a nice stroll around part of the lake though and a drive round the local area to take in the scenery. Most of my time (and money) was spent frequenting the bars of Queenstown (and Ferg Burger), so I can definitely say that this little town lives up to its reputation. Don’t let the size of the place fool you, it really is the party capital of New Zealand.