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Queenstown is a town swathed in green, fast-flowing rivers, deep, clear lakes and variety of fauna. It is also the archetype of the big-budget resort town, sopping with organized tour groups making it one of the most popular New Zealand destination for international visitors. Queenstown is the adventure tourism capital of New Zealand and is always buzzing with some activity. It offers Skiing, Jet Boating, White Water Rafting and, of course, Bungee Jumping and more. For a more gentle pace there many scenic walks, golf courses, fishing etc.
In order to enable a smooth encounter with this place here are some important tips and facts you must know.
Language
English and Maori are the two official languages. English is more widely spoken. A silky, poetic language, Maori is surprisingly easy to pronounce if spoken phonetically and each word split into separate syllables.
Currency
New Zealand Dollar (NZD; symbol: NZ$) = 100 cents. Notes are in denominations of NZ$100, 50, 20, 10 and 5. Coins are in denominations of NZ$2 and 1, and 50, 20, 10 and 5 cents.
Climate
Queenstown has four stupendous distinct seasons. Like anywhere though, weather can vary but the following is a general summary of the conditions which you are likely to experience during your visit:
Summer (December – February): generally fine and sunny - 25-30° Celsius
Autumn (March - April): Changeable weather - 15-20° Celsius
Winter (May - August): Cold with snow - 0-10° Celsius
Spring (September - November): Changeable weather - 10-20° Celsius
Required clothing
Lightweight cottons and linens are worn most of the year. Medium weights are worn during winter. The best approach is to carry several layers of light clothing that can be added or taken off as required. Rainwear is advisable throughout the year. All other outdoor clothing and footwear can easily be hired from any nearest shops.
Queenstown Travel Tips
Getting here by air: Queenstown Airport is located 8km west of Queenstown. Air New Zealand and Qantas are the main airlines serving the airport. The airport is well equipped providing the advents with the needful. The basic services include: tourist information desk, duty-free shopping, a café and bar, Internet and telephone access, currency exchange, a conference/meeting room and car rentals.
Getting here by rail: There are no rail services to or from Queenstown.
Transport to the city: Queenstown is a very small town and can be easily be accessed on foot. The only public transport available in Queenstown is the bus service run by Shopper Bus. there are three bus lines, all of which start outside the O’Connell’s Shopping Center on Camp Street. Route A goes to Fernhill, Route B to Goldfields and Route C to the airport. Tickets should be bought on the bus, and returns are available. The Super Shuttle provides a door to door shuttle service, and meets every flight that arrives at the airport.
Tourist Buses are also available to travel to other adjoining towns. They run between Queenstown and Christchurch, Dunedin, Fox Glacier, Franz Josef, Invercargill, Milford Sound, Mount Cook, Te Anau, and Wanaka.
Private vehicles can also be hired for sightseeing purpose. You can get the list of these in the yellow pages on arrival.
Cycling is another exhilarating option. It gives one an excellent opportunity to discover the area at a leisurely pace and rental outlets are dotted around the city if your hotel doesn’t already offer this service.
Queenstown Shopping
There are an superlative range of small shops in Queenstown, many of which are located on Beach Street and The Mall. If you are looking for high quality leather and merino wool garments, and superb arts and crafts, these are the best spots for them.
Queenstown is a great place to buy all kinds of jewelry, particularly pieces in jade, paua and bone, carved in traditional Maori designs. At The Bead Shop, 66 Stanley Street shoppers can design and create their own unique jewelry, with the help of staff if necessary, using the many beautiful beads stocked here.
Queenstown’s main shopping center is O’Connell’s, corner of Camp and Beach Streets, which has a wide range of shops and a large food court in the basement. A few up market shops are also located in the Steamer Wharf complex, off Beach Street.
Queenstown Arts and Crafts Market, every Saturday at Earnslaw Park is a local artisans’ market selling sculptures, pottery, paintings, carvings and much more..
Food and Dinning
In any season you can count on marvelous cuisine experience here. There are number of eating joints and restaurants available in Queenstown. Many picnic areas with barbecue facilities are also provided at roadside sites. A wide range of domestic and imported wines, spirits and beers of international accolades are available from hotel bars, liquor stores and various wine shops.
Locally produced vegetables, such as kumara (a natural sweet potato), are good. There is also a wide range of fish available, including snapper, grouper and john dory. Seasonal delicacies such as whitebait, oysters, crayfish, scallops and game birds are simply lip smacking.
Activities
New Zealand has an active and varied entertainment industry. Theaters offer good entertainment ranging from drama, comedy and musicals to pop concerts and shows.
Just outside the town center in Frankton, the Queenstown Events Center, Joe O’Connell Drive holds concerts and sporting events. Queenstown Events also run the other major venue in town, the Queenstown Memorial on Memorial Street, which stages frequent musical and theatrical performances in its large auditorium.
Embassy Cinemas, is a small theater in the town center which shows all the latest blockbusters. Alternatively, Dorothy Browns, on Buckingham Street in Arrowtown is a classy boutique cinema showing quality mainstream and art house films.
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