3 Nights in Queenstown & Aoraki/Mount Cook: Mountains, Lakes, Glacier, and wait for it…Icebergs!

We came to Queenstown for a break during the King’s Birthday holiday weekend. It was also my birthday and we wanted to spend it in a fun place. It was only three nights and four days… but we packed in a lot!

I wasn’t aware of all the travel preparations that Basker had secretly made so when I was presented with my travel gift I was left wondering. Didn’t know what to expect! On the other hand each activity was a surprise and, after the initial shock… turned out to be extraordinary.

Queenstown is stunningly beautiful with world-renowned “insane scenery”. A gorgeous photo waiting at every turn. The activities range from chill out mode to full on crazy, adrenaline-pumping adventure type activities. We wanted a tiny bit of both. I wanted cocktails by the lake with an early evening view of the snow covered mountains and Basker mostly wanted to see icebergs. Wow, icebergs? I did not know that we had icebergs in NZ but guess what… we do!

We were so very lucky to strike beautiful weather which made the scenery even more spectacular. Okay, so the temperatures were very low… zero at night and 5° Celsius during the day but the sun was stunning. It only bucketed down and became so gloomy on the drive back to the Queenstown via Lindis Pass on the last day of our trip. Then we learnt later, on the same day, that the pass was closed at about 1pm because of snow fall… only just after we had got through, whew.

We have visited Queenstown many times and there are many activities here however on this trip we visited the following places:

1. Arrowtown
2. Queenstown
3. Cromwell
4. Aoraki/Mount Cook

Arrowtown

Location: Arrowtown

We arrived at the Queenstown Airport and picked up a hire car. It is only a 1½ hour flight so we had a full day ahead of us and decided to drive to Arrowtown to see the historic town and the last show of soft orange autumn leaves. It’s a quaint, adorable historic town. Lunch at a little café, looking through souvenir shops, a stroll by the river, exploring the historic Chinese settlement, stopping to take road side photos of Autumn leaves basking in the sun… a sheer delight.

Queenstown

Location: Queenstown

Later in the afternoon we headed to our hotel in Queenstown for check-in before dinner out on the town.

The walk from our hotel to the town through the gardens and along the lake was beautiful. Buskers along the way, a light show in the park, people enjoying the last sun of the evening, pubs and bars spilling out onto the pavement… all with the blue lake and the snow covered mountains as a backdrop.

Most restaurants and bars here do a roaring fire, either gas simulation or real log fire so once you step inside you feel warm and cosy, a welcome haven once you have wandered up and down taking in the sights in this close to freezing temperature.

Cocktails at Boardwalk located on Steamer Wharf were expensive but they were good and the view of lake and mountains was spectacular. Everything I had dreamed of.

Eating out in Queenstown is pricy and restaurants are struggling to cater to tourists post-pandemic. We noticed that some of our favourite restaurants have closed. Some are still in the running but have staff shortages and some seem to have increased prices whilst reducing quality.

However Cheap Eats still abound and a visit to Ferg’s will not disappoint.

An ice cream at Patagonia Café is the perfect ending to the night.

Cromwell

Location: Cromwell

Day 2 was a trip Cromwell for a nostalgic visit… I had worked here for an extended period a few years ago and had enjoyed my time here immensely. It’s a friendly, welcoming community and the place has that small-town feel. It is known for stone fruit growing as depicted in the sculpture located outside the main town centre.

On a previous trip we had visited the Stoaker Room for lunch and loved the food. We were lucky enough to talk to the owner and hear about his cooking method using oak wine barrels which hails from USA. It was smoky/bbq yum!

On this day we decided on a winery for lunch and headed to Mount Difficulty for an amazing platter served with beautiful wine. The reds are smooth and sumptuous. The bubbly is crisp and fresh. So… the long, slow lunch with views for miles took most of the day.

Aoraki/Mount Cook

Location: Aoraki/Mount Cook

I did not realise it at the time, it was such a surprise, but this was definitely the highlight of the holiday weekend.

Day 3 involved a drive of about 3 hours to Aoraki/Mount Cook via the Lindis Pass. All the way we were treated to breathtakingly spectacular views.

We stayed at the Hermitage Hotel which was an experience in itself.

We chose the Alpine package which include a buffet dinner (my birthday dinner), bed and breakfast. With spectacular views from every point. Views from the café, from the dining room, from the bar, from the bedroom, from the bedroom balcony, from a small vantage point on a tiny hill in front of the hotel. Amazing!

After a quick check-in to the hotel, we left our luggage at the reception storage and met with a small tour group outside the lobby at 1.30pm for a trip to see Tasman Glacier and the icebergs that calve off the glacier and fall into the Tasman Lake. You know I wasn’t sure where we were going but I was all in!

Our tour was with Glacier Explorers and it was fantastic…exciting, spectacular, totally mesmerising. The guides were excellent and made sure we were all well taken care of.

A bus took us to a starting point where we proceeded to walk down to the lake. Here we geared up with life jackets and jumped into a boat that took our out to see the glacier and the icebergs. After a donut or two (omg!) we sped out on the lake to see two large icebergs that had calved just the previous day and were still shining blue in the sun. We were able to get close enough to touch the 600 year old ice. It was 100% thrilling!!

The glacier was viewed from a further distance because it was too dangerous to get up close. I would love to see a calving and rollover but of course they happen at all different times during the day and night. Often times they are heard cracking during the night as they fall.

Interestingly, the glacier appears grey and dark because it is covered in rock and debris whereas the icebergs are blue if they are new and white if they have been in the sun for a while. Beautiful!

Back at the hotel we were stunned by the view from our room as we dressed for dinner. The buffet had everything that you could possibly want including all local NZ produce, delicious NZ lamb, creamy tender beef, seafood, veg, curries, noodles, salads, desserts, you name it. Teamed up with a glass or two of prosecco it was the perfect birthday dinner.

We were able to take beautiful photos of Aoraki/Mount Cook, New Zealand’s highest mountain. This mountain is closely associated with Sir Edmund Hillary, our most famous New Zealander and one of the world’s greatest explorers. It was here he climbed his first major mountain, achieved a number of impressive first ascents including the difficult south face of Aoraki/Mount Cook, and trained for both his Everest and Antarctic expeditions.

All too soon it was time to head back to Queenstown driving through the Lindis Pass in the pouring rain and, after a cheese roll served with steaming hot coffee at Frankton, it was time to head to the airport and back home to Auckland where our daughter had dinner waiting for us.

Spot you later Queenstown, we love you and we’ll be back! – ♡ Janet