In the last six months or so, I’ve become a massive fan of Instagram. It’s an awesome way to share photos, and the ‘barrier for entry’ is so much lower than sitting down and writing a full blog post. I can take one of my favorite photos from the day or the latest adventure I’ve been on, and write-up a mini-blog to feature alongside the photo.

It’s awesome, so if you’re not on Instagram yet – join the party. It’s the fastest growing social media network out there, so you (and your business!) should be there.

There are so many incredible photographers / Instagrammers that I’ve been able to connect with as a result. And what’s better than liking and commenting on each others Instagram photos? Meeting up in real life of course!

Last month alongside the World Social Media Day, some great mates from Queenstown (Queenstown Life, Bare Kiwi, Moment Addict, Trent Yeo) organized a “Queenstown Meet-Up.” After the SM Day Breakfast, we went up The Remarkables to take some photos, across the lake on the K-Jet and finished with drinks in Queenstown at the new World Bar.

It was fantastic. There are so many like-minded Instagrammers, photographers, creatives and social-media aficionados in Queenstown and surrounds, I don’t know why we don’t do it more often.

SO, we’re going to do it again! Rather than catching up for beers in a dark pub after work, I figured we’d kick off the first Instameet Queenstown with some sort of an activity. The good crew at Real Journeys have kindly offered us a cruise across Lake Wakatipu on the historic TSS Earnslaw. In a town where you can easily drop $200 or $300 or more on an activity, this is an incredible trip that really is a Queenstown must-do.

The TSS Earnslaw is a proper steamship. Like, two guys shovel coal into the boiler to make the engine go steam ship. It’s the only remaining coal-fired steamship in the Southern Hemisphere and it’s been cruising across Lake Wakatipu since 1912. It’ll be the perfect venue to snap some great Instagrams of Queenstown, and THEN we’ll go to a dark pub to network (drink beer and socialize).

If you’re in Queenstown, you should join us! If you’re not in Queenstown, you should come and join us – grab a Queenstown car rental if you need to!

The Details

When: Thursday, July 23, 2015 – 3:30pm
Where: Earnslaw Park, Queenstown, New Zealand
What: 90 minute cruise across Lake Wakatipu, followed by drinks at the yet TBD location
On Facebook: Instameet Queenstown
On Instagram: #InstameetQueenstown

Spaces are Limited, so please RSVP by 5pm on Tuesday 21 July to matt@backpackingmatt.com.

Hopefully we’ll see you there!