Looking out of the hotel window above the Queenstown skyline sits a peak that is blanketed in the deep green of fir trees. All seems calm from a distance but get a little closer and you can see the prospect of adrenalin pumping activities from its top to the bottom. After the calm of Queenstown’s lakeside and gardens it was time to have a sneak peek at why this place is known as the adventure capital of the world.
At the bottom the Skyline Gondola awaits you to take adventure lovers to the top. If mountain biking is your thing for the day then most definitely the gondolas can carry the bikes too. It is like a calm before the storm (good storm). All goes quiet within as you rise up to the top and get first glimpses of some incredible views below. The town looking so much smaller, the lake and mountains looking beautifully vast! At the top there are viewing platforms and an outward facing restaurant to help you appreciate the panoramas.
This day I was mountain biking but believe me there are so many fun and great ways to get down and about from up on Bob’s Peak. Paraglide down into paradise, imagine soaring down in flight to the bottom. Want more adrenalin flowing? Then why not head to the Bungy Ledge and swing! Hope you have a head for heights 🙂 Want a thrill for all ages? Then there is also a luge to take down! More? Well how about the zipline tour that take you through the treetops? Flying at speed through the canopy, lake view below, totally exhilarating. Including the longest tree to tree zipline in the world! Combine that and more with miles of walking tracks then this little peak just broke the bank on activity.
As I said.. today I was mountainbiking down. Down and round through the fir trees there are 12 top trails to choose from totaling over 30 km. The longest trail being over 6 km itself. I saw the sign below for one of the trails, with a name like that and being a black run I thought best left to the experts 😉
If you love your mountain biking and I saw many there that did then it can’t get a lot more fun than this.. Purpose built, well kept and providing view upon view. Those that follow me on Twitter will know that from my Live Travel tweets on the day that I got a bit over excited heading down… A little too brave actually and had a wipeout with a fractured elbow. Don’t let that put you off.. I took adventure a bit ‘too’ full on 😀 There is a trail for all abilities. And all speeds and gradients, never a worry.
I had the taste for Queenstown’s adventure, and this was only a tiny fraction of what the place offers in that department. In winter of course the skiing comes into play. I could see why so many people travel from all around the world to experience so much that can be done in one gorgeous place.. Arm fixed I shall get back over and back up Bob’s Peak for ‘ALL’ it offers.
Wow! Your pictures are amazing.
Wow nice quality of these photographs. I love how the blue of the water pops.