Queenstown: The Jetboat

We finally made it to Queenstown, the adrenaline capital of the Southern Hemisphere! Up until now, our trip has been enjoyable but a bit on the dull side, with the exception of our side trip with Milo. However, the fun was just about to begin! Our hostel - Deco Backpackers – was super fantastic (though a tiny room) with great bathrooms and a killer view of Queenstown, Lake Wakatipu, and the Remarkables from a hill just a little ways out of town. Also, free internet.

The view from our hostel!

 As soon as we got off the bus, an awesome crazy-cool Aussie (with dreads!) by the name of Craig kindly asked where we were planning to stay, and followed us up the hill to our hostel! He ended up being one of our favorite roommates on our trip so far, and we definitely intend to see him again. Our first order of business in Queenstown, though: Fergburger…the most amazing burger place in all of New Zealand. Seriously, though, it is. Craig, Kate (a Canadian we met at our last hostel) and the two of us went for some delicious, huge burgers! Jealous yet?

FERGBURGER!!! With Kate and Craig!

The next day we booked a jetboat excursion in the Skippers Canyon. It was the best bang for our buck as the company drove us out a long dirt road (about 45 minutes one way) along the old gold miner’s track left over from the late 1800s gold rush in New Zealand. We had a little history lesson on the way as well, and man were those people crazy…dying of starvation, flash floods and dynamite all in the very unlikelihood of striking it rich through gold-panning. No thank you, we say.

On our way to Skippers Canyon!

Our jetboat experience!

Today, however, the Shotover River in Skippers is used for jetboating! We had a great time whizzing through the canyon, getting super close to the rock walls and pulling 360 degree spins (and getting drenched). Craig came with us too! The ride back was as scenic as the ride in. Since we haven’t had a car of our own to stop where we want, we jump at any chance we have to leave town for a bit and see other parts of the country. This one was totally worth it – if you’re ever in Queenstown, Skippers Canyon is the way to go! 

Left: The Shotover River in Skippers Canyon.


Right: Carly with Craig the Aussie on the jetboat!

Craig making friends with the king duck...thus perpetuating our crazy interactions with Kiwi birdlife!