Shotover Jet - Excitement at it's Best

Edith Cavell Bridge

 The Shotover Jet is one of Queenstown's the most exciting attractions. It is located 10 minutes outside of Queenstown  on the Shotover River at Morning Star Beach where in 1862 gold was first discovered by Thomas Arthur and Harry Redfern. If you are staying in Queenstown at a hotel you can be picked up by the Shotover Bus. While on the bus ride the driver plays an information video of a safety briefing before you get to the boat launch.

Once you arrive on site the first thing that strikes you is that water is a beautiful aqua colour and the surrounding scenery of the canyon is stunning! The historic Edith Cavell bridge, which is a one lane bridge  frames the entrance into the canyon beyond.

Once you make your way down to the boat you are given a rain coat and life vest and are advised to wear a toque (especially in the fall and winter), ensure your glasses are well fitting and you must leave your camera and personal belongings in a secure locker.  As you board the boat the driver reminds you to hold on to the heated hand rail, keep your hands and arms in at all times and definitely no standing is allowed. Get ready the fun is about to begin!

The river is noticeably shallow, and can be as shallow as 10 cm in some spots, this makes you wonder why the boat does not bottom out especially with 14 people in one boat. The boat call "Big Red" is designed specifically for the Shotover River conditions. With no exterior parts the water is actually sucked in towards the inside propellers called impellers and then forced out the rear nozzles with great force allowing it to reach speeds of 85 KMPH. The jet boat can brake and reverse using deflectors and thrust buckets similar to a jet aircraft, this allows it turn on a dime for incredible 360 degree spins!        

As we start to pick up speed and move through the canyon it is hard to know what to feel? Should I be freaking out about how close he comes to the rocks at incredible speeds or just be in awe of the incredible view from inside the canyon? The canyon is very narrow in some parts and it doesn't even look like the boat can pass and it barely does. And, I have to wonder why sheep who has wandered down to the shore for a drink and seems totally oblivious to the fact that there is a big red thing coming down the river at 80 KMPH and there is a bunch of women screaming in it as it does a complete 360 degree spin a mere inch or two from the rocks. I guess even sheep can zone out seeing the same thing over and over again on a daily basis.

As there is no way to really describe the acceleration felt while riding in " Big Red" the video below might somewhat do the trick. In my opinion is this probably one of the most adrenaline pumping things you can do short of bungee jumping or riding down the side of a mountain on a bike. It requires no strenuous effort unless you count exercising your lungs strenuous. Great for all ages and it is family friendly. Kids must meet the height requirement of 1.2 metres or more. You will disembark a little damp maybe, your face a little wind blown but there will be a smile on your face.  I recommend The Shotover Jet a must do while in Queenstown!

Denise Gushue - Travel Advisor
Kiwi Specialist
e. denise.gushue@gmail.com

View from Shotover Beach.

Safari of the Scenes, a tour well worth doing!

Safari of the Scenes, a tour well worth doing!

Day 2 - Queenstown and surrounding area.

On our second day in Queenstown we did the Safari of the Scenes tour with Nomad Safaris. This is a 4 hour tours that starts with a pick up at your hotel at 8:30AM. Lord of the Rings fans will be happy to know they visit several locations where the film was filmed, thus the name Safari of the Scenes. However this tour was in existence before the film actually came out. It covers the Wakatipu Basin and part of Skipper’s Canyon.

The tour is done in a Land Rover Defender as the terrain warrants nothing less than a reliable 4WD. We start out with a steep climb up the Misty Mountain range from where we were blessed with incredible views of Deer Park Heights.

We also visited Arrowtown which is rich with history from the Gold Rush dating back to the 1800’s. The main street still looks like it could be a gold rush town from the 1800’s. The Arrow River today is still panned for gold and on occasion some get lucky. Our tour actually included a lesson in panning and we all had a go, no one got lucky, but the homemade fruitcake served with our coffee by our driver was worth writing home about.

This was definitely a very fun part of the trip as the Land Rovers ford the river several times as we travel down the river. Make sure you take your pictures with the window closed on this part!

Chard Farm Winery

We visited the Kawarau Gorge on a rather narrow road with a rather curious sign (see picture to the right), that is apparently built for two way traffic; thank goodness this is not part of my daily commute!   From here we could see the original site of the first commercial bungee which was started by A. J. Hackett. There is even a winery situated off this rather tiny road. Apparently the owner had great insight as it is a successful business now producing 6 variety of wines. But, when he first started most believed them                             foolish to even try.

The last part of the tour was to Skipper’s Canyon and in my opinion it offered the most incredible views of the day. The day was sunny and bright and because it was New Zealand’s fall the tussock (native wild grass) was stunning to see with the shades of gold, brown and orange.  Not to mention the while seated on the passenger side, which was also the outside edge of the road the view was literally heart stopping! Skipper’s road is considered one the top 25 most scenic drives in the world and probably one of the scariest, but so worth it! Our tour concluded at our hotel so we could get ready for our next adventure.

Nomad Safaris also offers other tours in the area including Glenorchy, private tours and they also have All Terrain Vehicle options. I’d be happy to give you the details on your next trip to Queenstown.

Denise Gushue - Certified Travel Advisor

Kiwi Specialsit

e. denise.gushue@gmail.com

Queenstown, NZ, location, location, location!

Queenstown, NZ, location, location, location!

I just recently spent three nights in Queenstown, New Zealand and loved the lakeside town. Even though it was my second visit to Queenstown I didn’t do any of the same things I did before as Queenstown and the surrounding area has so much to offer.

Day 1

The first day was an easy day as I had just arrived via Los Angeles and Auckland.  The flight to Queenstown allowed us to see the Southern Alps which viewed from above looks like a spine running down the middle of the South Island of New Zealand.

As we neared Queenstown I kept thinking is there actually enough flat land to land this plane? The sun was shining and there were mountains in every direction you looked!  And, even when we landed at the airport and got off the plane on the tarmac everyone was busy clicking off pictures. The view of the mountains and the low lying clouds were stunning!

We were lucky to be staying at the Rydges Lakeland Hotel which is directly across from the lake so the views were incredible with lake and the backdrop the Remarkable Mountains. Even though the Rydges is not right in the centre of town is very close to walk to everything in less than 15 minutes. Most of the rooms at the Rydges face the lake and either have terraces or balconies from which to enjoy the view. Even the bar and restaurant have stunning views.  Seeing the sun rise over The Remarkable Mountains while having breakfast at the hotel restaurant each morning was fantastic!

I opted to walk around the beautifully located town of about 10,000 permanent residents, soon after we arrived at the hotel.  Queenstown is located on the shore of Lake Wakatipu. It is a glacier formed lake but according to Maori legend the lake was formed by the burnt sleeping body of the giant Matau after he had abducted a chief’s daughter.  A “S” hole was left behind which soon filled with the melted snow and ice forming the lake as it is known today.

 Queenstown has many restaurants and shops and wonderful places for coffee. That day we also lucked out as there was a craft market taking place which featured local artisans.  I ended up buying some hand poured tea light candles and a merino wool hat for my daughter.

It was a great way to ease into the beginning of the trip and to orientate myself with the life of Queenstown.  

Stay tuned for more on Queenstown and area.

Denise Gushue - Certified Travel Advisor

Kiwi Specialist

e.denise.gushue@gmail.com 

Things to do in LA on a 24 hour stopover

LA Stopover!

As I sell a lot of South Pacific to my clients often they connect via Los Angeles. And, since it is such a long journey from eastern Canada I often suggest an overnight in LA before connecting the next evening. With good planning you can stop over for free in LA, as long as your stop over is less than 24 hours. This is where my expertise comes into play. Yes it means paying for a hotel for the night but most hotels near LAX are relatively inexpensive and offer free shuttles to and from the airport.

Manhattan Beach Pier

So what do you do that extra day you ask? Well I recently stayed in Los Angeles before flying out to New Zealand the next day and I found a very inexpensive option, the Ocean Express Trolley. Since most hotels have a check out time at noon, you will have to store your bags with the bellman for the day.  The trolley ticket can be purchased from your hotel concierge for 5.00USD for a return trip with hop on hop off privileges and stops at near many of the hotels on Century Boulevard.  You can go to a local beach, like Manhattan Beach and/or shop till your heart’s desire. Not only can you shop in the village of Manhattan Beach but there are also some shopping centres on the trolley’s route where you can opt to stop at if you are a diehard shopper.

Manhattan Beach

Great service at Cotton Cargo, Manhattan Beach! 

 I stopped at Manhattan Beach and checked out the gorgeous beach and pier. It will give you a real taste of the Californian lifestyle, and, it was just so great to walk on the beach and soak up some of the sun! There is a board-walk as well from which you can see some incredible homes!

 The shops in Manhattan Beach are laid back and the service is friendly.

The Ocean Express Trolley is not the only option though that you can do while in LA. There are also tours to see Hollywood, some of the Star’s homes, and day passes to Disney Land in Anaheim.

Having that stopover in LA could actually be an added bonus to you holiday plans with the help of a travel agent in the “know”!

Check out this video on the Ocean Express Trolley

Denise Gushue - Certified Travel Advisor

e. dgushue@maritimetravel.ca