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Queenstown

October 7, 2010

Update, Links, and The Next Step

Life Updates 25 Replies
Creative commons: Elycia

Spring has finally arrived in Queenstown.

The days are getting longer, warmer, and it’s becoming very obvious that this would be an excellent place to spend the summer. Gone are the days of winter sports and I’ve been busy working with NZbyBike developing the preeminent marketing website for cycle tourism in New Zealand.

Creative Commons: Nicholas_T
Creative Commons: Nicholas_T

Two weeks ago I jumped head first into the world of mountain biking and rode the Rail Trail Classic – a 150 kilometer (100 mile) mountain bike ride that stretches across Otago on the Otago Central Rail Trail. It was a spur-of-the-moment decision. Training? Nope. I hadn’t been on a bike since wine tasting in Marlborough ten months ago. It was brutally painful – nine solid hours of pedaling with a nasty headwind for the final 30 miles. I hit the wall three or four times and somehow kept going.

It was an unbelievable feeling of accomplishment to finish.

It has been a busy month in terms of mentions and guest posts elsewhere on the web. Over the past month Backpackingmatt was featured in the blog posts listed below:

Lonely Planet retweeted two of my posts and after only a couple weeks they’re now two of my Top 10 viewed posts of all time. It’s always great to see @LonelyPlanet pick up a post as it results in a quick increase of views, Twitter followers, and RSS subscribers.

I also contributed two posts over at the Flightster.com blog:

The Next Step …

Creative commons: Elycia
Creative commons: Elycia

I’m going on 11 months in New Zealand. I’ll remember these 11 months for some of the greatest times in my life – and also for some of the most challenging. The last two months specifically have been extremely difficult and I’ve decided I’m in need of a change of scenery – a chance to clear my head, experience new places, and again be challenged by travel.

One week from Saturday I’m catching a series of flights that will ultimately land me in Thailand.

I have serious mixed emotions about leaving NZ, but I’m excited for the next step in my journey. This trip will mark a series of firsts – namely my first time in Southeast Asia and my first go at solo travel.

I have three quick nights scheduled across the Tasman in Australia. I’ll be in Sydney the night of the 17th and on the Gold Coast for the 18th and 19th. The Surf N Sun Backpackers has offered to host me for two nights and hopefully I’ll get to give surfing another go.

I’ll then be catching a cheap Air Asia flight to Kuala Lumpur where I’ll spend the night of the 20th before flying into Bangkok on the 21st. The plans end there. I’ll take the days and weeks as they come and see where I end up.

If you’ll be around any of these places, get in touch with me and we can meet up.

In the coming weeks look forward to fresh new content on Backpackingmatt. I’m excited to again face the unknown, be pushed out of my comfort zone, and experience the joys that come with traveling to new places.

September 25, 2010

Friday Travel Photo: Layer of Clouds

New Zealand, Travel Photos 6 Replies
Clouds over Lake Wakatipu

After a week long hiatus, today’s Friday Travel Photo brings you to a pull-off on the Queenstown to Glenorchy Road.

On a clear day, it’s an epic 45 minute drive from busy Queenstown to the quaint little village of Glenorchy. The road twists, turns, and skirts along the shores of Lake Wakatipu with excellent views of Afton Peak and the surrounding mountains.

Once you arrive in Glenorchy, there are heaps of hikes in the area and the Routeburn Track starts 20 minutes outside of the village. After your hike, warm up by the fire with a pint of Speights at the Glenorchy Hotel – a great South Island pub.

On most days, this view would show the mountains in the distance rising from the vivid blue waters of Lake Wakatipu.

Clouds over Lake Wakatipu
Clouds over Lake Wakatipu

On the evening I snapped these shots, the clouds had dropped to the lake level resulting in this stunning series of photos.

Clouds over Lake Wakatipu
Clouds over Lake Wakatipu

It was an epic, if not freezing, place to watch the sunset.

Clouds over Lake Wakatipu
Clouds over Lake Wakatipu

Do you have a photo you’d like featured here? Drop an email to matt <at> backpackingmatt <dot> com, and I’ll gladly feature it with a link back to your blog.

September 1, 2010

September Update & Links

Life Updates 25 Replies

Posts similar to this one are a rarity on Backpackingmatt. I don’t typically feel inclined to bring updates about my personal life to this blog, however I do feel an update of some sort is in order – and we’ll focus on the positives. I know it’s cliche, but it’s shocking how time flies – it really is hard to believe the last time I posted an update was the 28th of May.

At that point I was still in Queenstown, the Adventure Capital of the World, looking to get somewhat settled by finding employment and accommodation. The phantom job at one of Queesntown’s ski fields never came around. While this frustrated me for some time, I ultimately stumbled into a pretty sweet job. For the past two months or so,

I’ve been running a website called NZbyBike.com.

NZbyBike is the industry aggregating website for a government promoted series of Great Rides which are in development throughout New Zealand. NZbyBike contains a wealth of information about these Great Rides and other mountain bike rides, maps, and a directory of operators throughout New Zealand involved in cycle tourism. I’ve been writing content for the website, doing research, and reaching out to businesses and encouraging them to list on NZbyBike.

NZbyBike

It’s an exciting project to be a part of and I work with a bloody cool team. I’m employed by @Xebidy, a web-design company. Believe it or not, I managed to land the job with the help of some Twitter networking. How cool is that?

Did I also mention I work with a Lonely Planet author? Needless to say, it’s a pretty sweet place to work.

I’m also the newest blogger over at Flightster.com.

A couple weeks back, Flightster ran a contest where they were looking to hire a new paid blogger for their website. To enter the competition, you had to write a post on your own blog mentioning your interest in joining the Flightster team. I wrote the well-received 7 Reasons You Should Write a Travel Blog post and was selected as a finalist. Thanks to everyone who responded to my tweets and voted for me, as I was one of two bloggers selected.

Flightster

They just published my first post, 5 Ways to Meet Fellow Travelers on the Road. Check it out and add Flightster to your Google Reader, follow them on Twitter, and sign up for their newsletter. They have some pretty exciting things planned in the coming weeks.

As for me, I’m not entirely what I have planned in the coming weeks or months. Some things have happened recently that have more or less flipped my life upside down. Dealing with life’s blows are never easy when you’re miles away from friends, family, and familiarity and this past month has been a challenge. My deepest thanks to those of you who have sent your thoughts my way.

Today is the first day of Spring in New Zealand and it’s slowly getting warmer. Queenstown is a beautiful place, yet I’m getting itchy feet and would like to get out of town – if only for a long weekend. Short term, I’m going paragliding which should be sweet as – look forward to a post on the experience. Longer term, I’m looking for a cheap flight across the ditch to Australia or maybe the other way to a Pacific island. Who knows?

What about you? Do you have any trips planned in the coming weeks? Share them in the comments section below.

Photo Credit: Prabhu B
August 7, 2010

A Budget Travel Option in Queenstown – Frisbee Golf

New Zealand 8 Replies
Moon Rising over The Remarkables

It’s easy to come to Queenstown – the Adventure Capital of the World – and break your budget. Never mind the budget breaking activities like bungy jumping or skydiving, but Queenstown in general is a pretty bloody expensive place to travel to. Food, drink, accommodation – everything you need as a backpacker is significantly more expensive in Queenstown than it is elsewhere in New Zealand.

There are budget friendly options for the backpacker or budget traveler – take, for example, a day spent Frisbee Golfing in the beautiful Queenstown Gardens.

Queenstown Gardens (Left)
Queenstown Gardens (Left)

The Queenstown Gardens are only a five minute walk from central Shotover Street, yet they provide a welcomed escape from the resort town’s busy streets. City parks often do this, and this is especially true in Queenstown.

The gardens are accented by towering English oaks, rose gardens, a pond, and fountains – all with the backdrop of the beautiful clear waters of Lake Wakatipu and the majestic Remarkables Mountain Range. Add to this mix 18 frisbee golf holes and you’re guaranteed an excellent – and budget friendly – day out.

Frisbee Target
Frisbee Target

Frisbee golfing (or, disc golfing) is a simple game to figure out. Similar to proper golf, frisbee golf takes place on a purpose designed course. Instead of using a golf ball, you use (you guessed it) a frisbee. Add to that a tee box, 18 holes, set pars on each hole, and metal baskets for a target and you’ve got frisbee golf.

It’s an excellent game that can be taken as seriously as you want to. While many dedicated frisbee golfers will have an actual bag with multiple frisbees for each shot situation, you can get by using one multi-purpose fisbee. The frisbee will be significantly harder and somewhat smaller than the typical frisbee you’d throw at the beach – this allows you to theoretically throw the frisbee further.

Throwing the Frisbee
Throwing the Frisbee

Frisbee golfing is a great opportunity for you to get out of your hostel and enjoy this beautiful part of New Zealand – without spending a fortune. I’ve spent a couple months here and found the Queenstown Gardens to be a perfect place to get an appreciation for how epic this town is. You gain a whole new perspective on the sheer size of Lake Wakatipu, the Remarkables somehow look even more remarkable, and the gardens themselves are quite peaceful.

Moon Rising over The Remarkables
Moon Rising over The Remarkables

If you’ll only be in Queenstown a short time, and don’t imagine you’ll get out and frisbee golf more than a couple times, your best bet will be to simply rent your discs from one of the local shops in Queenstown. I recommend you check out the Shoe Clinic on Beech Street. The staff are extremely friendly, willing to answer your frisbee golf questions, and rent out good quality frisbees for only $7/day.

Days out like this are a must if you’re traveling long term. You have to learn to appreciate the small things in travel: a walk around town, a coffee in a local cafe, or an afternoon in the city park. These activities allow you to gain a unique perspective of the place you’ve traveled to – a perspective that won’t break your budget.

Thanks to Puna and the crew at the Shoe Clinic (2 Beach Street) for the complimentary disc rentals for the day.

July 14, 2010

The Ledge Bungy in Queenstown, New Zealand

New Zealand, Travel Videos 29 Replies
The Ledge Bungy, Queenstown

Update August 11, 2014: The price of The Ledge Bungy has increased to $180. If you book your jump through my NZ travel guide and booking website, I can take $10 off the price of the jump. Quote Backpacking Matt when booking!

A trip to New Zealand isn’t complete without a bungy jump – a topic that has been written about often on Backpackingmatt. I’ve reviewed my experiences at the Lake Taupo Bungy and on the Nevis Highwire Bungy. I put together a quick travel video which outlines the workup to my recent jump here in Queenstown. While we were short on light, and the filming was a bit rushed – in part thanks to my nerves – it should give you a great view and a different perspective on the experience.  Below, you have Backpackingmatt’s second travel video: The Ledge Bungy in Queenstown.

Quick Tips and Facts

  • How high? The Ledge Bungy is 47 meters high.
  • How much? A single jump will cost you $175. If you’re extra keen, consider purchasing a package which will get you jumps at other AJ Hackett sites with a slight discount.
  • The Ledge Bungy is unique as you have the added option of jumping at night – putting a whole new twist on bungy.
  • While the typical bungy attaches you at the ankles, on The Ledge you’re attached via a waist harness and therefore have a number of different ‘jumping styles’ to choose from.
  • AJ Hackett surprisingly doesn’t pick up the cost of the gondola ride to the site of their jump. Save yourself the cost by hiking to the top. There is a trail that leaves by the Skyline Gondola … it might be a good way to walk off those nerves …
  • Read about my jump here.

Full Disclosure: AJ Hackett provided me with a complimentary jump in return for this review on Backpackingmatt.

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Backpacking Matt

Kia Ora - I'm Matt. Adventurer, Instagrammer and New Zealand travel planning expert living in Queenstown, NZ. Founder of Planit NZ - New Zealand's largest travel planning & booking website.

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