If you are not an avid friend of extreme sports, what can you do in Queenstown? Fret not, Queenstown offers more than just adrenaline rush. This post features how we spent our day in Queenstown - half day tour to Arrowtown, followed by a visit in Glenorchy and ended perfectly with Gondola buffet dinner.
Arrowtown
Located alongside the gold-bearing Arrow River, Arrowtown is one of the most beautiful settlement in NZ, especially during autumn when the town is brightened up by golden leaves. It takes about 20 minutes to drive from Queenstown to Arrowtown. A perfect place to start our day with some morning walks. If you are looking for family-friendly walks, I would recommend Arrow River Trail and Arrowtown Millennium Walk, not too physically challenging even for elderly or children. Other attractions include Lake District Musuem (We didn't pay for this as my family wasn't very interested) and historic Chinese Settlement set up by gold miners from China back then.
Lake District Museum
Chinese Settlement
Arrowtown Walks
To show how much I was afraid of heights.
Arrowtown Main Street (Buckingham Street)
Renowned for their remarkable fudge and nougat that come in a wide variety of flavours, including the signature creme brulee and dark chocolate caramel see salt. There are 3 branches, apart from the one in Arrowtown, you can also locate it in Queenstown main street as well as Queenstown Airport. You will be amazed by the collection of sweets and chocolates on display in the store! Check out the videos below! We tried the fudges (brownies, creme brulee and peanut butter), the taste was good but too sweet for our liking.
Arrowtown Bakery
The best Venison pie that I had ever had (oh well, I only tasted 3 venison pies in my life, nevermind, the main point is it was really really really delicious!). The meat filling was juicy and tender, complemented by buttery crispy crust. Might need to try your luck multiple times as the venison pies are the best seller of the shop and always sold out within short period of time. We were lucky enough to snatch the last 3 pies on the shelf.
Provisions Cafe
The award-winning sticky buns are the major attraction. We had our lunch in the pretty garden, very relaxed environment. A cup of coffee and a piece of homemade cake could make a perfect afternoon.
The sticky bun.
Glenorchy
Glenorchy wasn't part of our itinerary, but we decided to travel there after scanning through the online photos. OMG, it is known as paradise for a reason, it is indeed a paradise. Some people may have heard of this place owing to the blockbuster movie series "The Lords of the Ring". The drive to Glenorchy was full of pleasant surprises as every viewpoints were picturesque.Wilson Bay
Bennetts Bluff Lookout
After a fulfilling 45-min drive, we reached the little peaceful town, Glenorchy. Our first stop was Glenorchy Wharf, the place which had been featured extensively in Instagram. I totally fell in love with this town as it wasn't as touristy and as crowded as Queenstown yet the view was awesome! And within walking distances from the wharf, you will meet the smallest library in the world - Glenorchy Library. It was merely a size of a bedroom, built on uneven land, and thus the photos turned out to be slightly slanted. Next to it was another tourist attraction, the petite Glenorchy Church.
Glenorchy Wharf
Glenorchy Library and Glenorchy Church
Glenorchy Viewpoint
Glenorchy Lagoon Broadwalk
We almost gave up halfway but we were glad that we didn't because we encountered one of the most photogenic place in Glenorchy (even though I have to admit that every corners of Glenorchy is beautiful enough). Sitting on the bench and admiring the spectacular view was the best thing you could enjoy in life.
Queenstown
Back in Queenstown just in time for our Gondola Buffet Dinner (reservation is required). Hmm, the view from top was awesome but the buffet was just ordinary with limited food choices. Hence, I would recommend Gondola itself and giving the buffet dinner a miss. I would rather spend on Fergburger, which was rated as one of the best burgers in the world.Gondola Queenstown
Highly recommend Sweet Bambi and Little Lamby if you are looking for alternatives other than beef. So yummy that I feel like I can eat this everyday. Didint manage to take photos because we were famished on that night. HAHA.
Okay, finally I could end this lengthy post. Next up would be Wanaka!
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