Queenstown, New Zealand (January 29, 2026)
As Violet and I were witnessing our plane landing in Queenstown, New Zealand, we agreed it was one of the most unique landings we’ve experienced to date (and I’m a 1.5 million mile flyer just on United). It felt like we were flying alongside a gigantic mountain range and we could see the people, cars, and buildings rising above us as we descended. It was a surreal beginning to a surreal location. It has a slight “Bend, Oregon” meets “Boulder, Colorado” feel to it.
Violet and Elena in front of what looks like ocean but is actually a lake
It is truly wonderful to have Elena back with us. As much as I love all my adventures one-on-one with Violet, having Elena with us just adds a new dimension. I love having her with us as we go into all these adventures … and we have some adventures planned for the next few days. I can’t wait to share them with you.
This is where we’re staying in Queenstown … walking distance to it all
One thing I will NOT be doing is joining this epic crew of High School bikers from what has to be the coolest private high school experience I’ve ever heard of: World Class Academy. This is for the kids who are into extreme sports: Downhill mountain biking, skiing, kite surfing, etc. Each quarter, you are in a different part of the world with private tutors while flexing your sports muscle. It looks like this:
This is just ONE of many bike scenes witih hundreds in all
Now back in Bend, Oregon, I rented my first downhill mountain bike and had an epic time with Will, Violet and my brother-in-law Jack. The thing is both Will and Violet were thrown from their bikes and injured. I had at least three “near misses” myself where I had a mini heart attack as I saw just how close I came to wiping out … HARD.
Elena looked at me with a face that can only be described as a “pouty squint” and softly informed me that, “Why are you asking about taking mountain bikes up the gondola? You will not be renting a mountain bike so that I have to take you to the hospital. You should be happy that I’m supporting your Bungy Jump tomorrow and other sports where you have adult supervision.”
“Yipe, yipe, yipe!” That’s what small dogs yell when they know they are in trouble and both Elena and I have since adopted it. She’s right. I would likely injure myself here. These kids (15 to 18) are coming back with broken bones each day — arms, legs, feet, etc. No way I would be lucky enough to tempt fate again and get away with it. At 53 my extreme sports like downhill mountain biking are behind me … at least when I’m traveling with my family ;-)
So, instead, we toured the town. Lot’s of incredible sights to see.
So a few things. The seagulls are very friendly and love French fries (according to our fellow travelers). Putting a French Fry on the top of your head makes them sit and eat it off of you … at least they did for our new friends. Not so much with Violet. I think they knew she secretly wanted to catch one … so they kept their distance.
We will absolutely be going up the gondola. Not for downhill mountain biking, but for the views and checking out the top of the mountain that’s near where we’re staying. The sign post shows how many thousands of miles (or perhaps kilometers) from New Zealand many popular destinations are. Love it.
New Zealanders are often referred to as Kiwis – for the birds, not the fruit. There are pictures of Kiwis everywhere here. The red cookie monster is for the local cookie shop that sells the best cookies. Really. They have what all smores should taste like … chocolate chip cookies with a marshmallow in between dipped in chocolate. Yum!
And the quilt Violet is asleep on is made of the softest alpaca material we’ve ever felt. It might be from baby alpaca, but not harmed, just shaved. So soft. We loved how incredible it felt. If we were JUST visiting here, we’d bring some home, but shipping back seems to be a bit much and caring around a quilt is over the top even for us.
Yes, Violet and I climbed some trees, played in the playground with Elena, and then kept taking pictures of how beautiful it is here. The mountains engulfing Queenstown are spectacular – especially this time of year. I’m sure they look great with snow on them too, but the bright lush green really is amazing to take in.
Yes, we found some great eats along the way. Fat Badgers pizza come highly recommended as does the Asian Fusion “Right and Wong” restaurants. There are so many ice cream and dessert shops that it’s easy to “eat your way” through New Zealand … at least here in Queenstown.
So chill day today as we gear up for the next few days with action-packed adventure in store!
