We started the day touring an abandoned gold mining town whose heyday was around 1871.  They had quite a view of the valley, but the gold ran out and so they left.  Now abandoned, houses scatter the landscape. It used to be a bustling community, now wind blown and forlorn.  A cautionary tale to be sure.  Due to how New Zealand formed — pushed up from the sea — gold was plentiful and easy to mine.    

Afterwards we headed to Queenstown, which is built on the steep banks of Lake Wakatipu.  The median age cannot be very old, it almost feels like a college town.  Any type of sport you can dream of is available.  Heli-ski, heli-hike, heli-bike, heli-anything really, jet boat, and bungee jumping (to name a very few) can all be done for a price.  Commercial bungee jumping started in New Zealand, though it was invented in Australia.  Called “The Adrenaline Capital of New Zealand,” many Kiwis poo-poo the town for catering so heavily to tourists’ cheap thrills.           

Our high adventure consisted of shopping.  Tons of small boutique shops line the streets.  It amazes me that no matter the locale, tourists can always be enticed into buying kitschy crap.  One large store had only Asian clerks to cater to the large Asian tourist population.  As a tourist I found myself fighting the urge to participate. We ended our brief time by going up a gondola, which takes you up a mountain overlooking the city.

Afterwards I drove us all home, on the wrong side of the road.  It wasn’t so bad. Because the steering wheel is on the right, it’s easier to adapt to a new system of driving.  I did end up turning on the windshield wipers when I meant to turn on my blinker.  Got a few strange looks.  Furthermore proper use of turn signals baffles me in traffic circles.  Speed limits here are strictly enforced.  If the limit is 100 km/hr, you get a ticket going 105 km/hr.  Four lane roads seem non-existent, as do traffic lights.  While I’m sure they exist here, I haven’t come across one yet.  This area of the country is wonderfully underpopulated.  We would drive for 15 to 20 minutes without seeing another car.  People keep explaining to us this is busy season.  Clearly none of them have seen the 1 train during rush hour.