ONE of us wanted the kind of holiday where you can really unwind and indulge.
The other an adrenalin-charged, adventure-filled trip with countless Go Pro-worthy moments.
If only his mates knew how much he loved a spa experience …
Finally, we’d been able to synchronise our time off and were keen to not just get out of town, but the country.
Research began with Google copping a caning but pretty quickly we’d concluded the place for our escape plan had to be New Zealand.
And because we’d fly direct to NZ with Jetstar from as little as $155 each from the Gold Coast Airport, we could really make the most of our valuable time.
I mean, seriously, what’s with a country that not only is possibly the most pristine, beautiful and naturally amazing on the planet but is also home to some of the maddest things you can do in the pursuit of a thrill?
Not content with a landscape that’ll take your breath away, they come up with bungee jumping, jet boats and zorbing. Yep, that’s our kind of place.
And we could get there from the Gold Coast Airport, avoiding the hassle and time wasting of driving all the way to Brisbane — time he’d rather spend having a hot rock massage and I’d rather spend leaping off something really high.
The research and negotiating led us to Queenstown, where we could indulge my need for thrillseeking and his desire to luxuriate.
Just 10 minutes out of the town, Matakauri Lodge (www.matakaurilodge.com) looked the goods. Oh, how right we were.
Our Jetstar (www.jetstar.com.au) flights and hire car booked, we also slotted in for undercover, secure parking at the airport and began crossing the days off the calendar. Funny how time drags when you’re waiting to go on hols and flies when you are.
Fleeing the country via the GC Airport was a breeze — from parking to check-in to getting to our gate was just so less of a drag than when we’ve flown from other airports.
What followed was a week of pure NZ awesomeness. We packed a lot into that break — what with the bungee jumping, jet boating, white water rafting and heli-hiking book ended each day with super indulgent, majorly relaxing experiences including a sublime couple’s spa experience (oh, ok I admit it, I do love a spa sesh myself), a wine tasting for beginners, and a goodly amount of doing very little but taking in the lodge’s Insta-worthy views, possibly with a rather excellent pinot noir in hand.
BTW we had a great experience with the Queenstown Adventure Group (www.queenstownadventure.com) helping us find our inner thrillseekers.
We also dined at a lot of amazing places and can happily add our thumbs up to just how good NZ produce, wine, craft beer, dining and hospitality can be.
Our favs included Blue Kanu, with its awesome Pacific fusion fare and totally funky vibe; the Atlas Beer Café to sample craft beers from NZ and further afield; Fergburger for it rightly famous burgers; The Bunker, for a fine dining experience that’s as good as we’ve had any where in the world; and Smith Craft Beer House — we came for the beers and stayed for the US-style po’ boy sandwiches!
Somehow — maybe it was a touch of Kiwi magic — we not only had a heap of memory-making adventures, but came back to the Coast feeling really refreshed, in fact more than we thought we would. So that’s what a real holiday feels like!
And while we’d be lying if we said we weren’t sorry to be leaving, flying straight back to our own city and getting home about 30 minutes after leaving the airport certainly eased the blow.
Oh, and the massive framed photo of his face as we bungeed off a bridge together will keep that trip alive for a long, long time to come …
New Zealand Top 5
Eat
Blue Kanu
16 Church St, Queenstown
Atlas Beer Café
Steamer Wharf, 88 Beach Street, Queenstown Town Centre
Fergburger
42 Shotover St, Queenstown
The Bunker
Cow Ln, Queenstown Central
Smith Craft Beer House
53 Shotover St, Queenstown
Stay
Matakauri Lodge
569 Glenorchy Road, Queenstown
The Spire Hotel
3-5 Church Lane, Queenstown
Heritage Queenstown
91 Fernhill Rd, Fernhill, Queenstown
www.heritagehotels.co.nz/hotels/heritage-queenstown
Heartland Hotel Queenstown
27 Stanley St, Queenstown
Eichardt’s Hotel
2 Marine Parade, Queenstown
Play
Queenstown Adventure Group
Cnr Shotover and Camp Streets, Queenstown
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