Don't make me leave, please!.......Queenstown, New Zealand.....

Queenstown was so named because 'it was fit for Queen Victoria' - such an understatement for this little town nestled between a gigantic range of mountains.I have used the word spectacular to describe scenary I have enjoyed along the way to date - believe me I used the word prematurely - the scenary and landscape in and around Queenstown is so utterly exquisite that I'm not ashamed to say that it made me cry.

Due to it being famous as a centre for extreme sports and where bungee jumping all started, I feared that it was going to be a bit of a theme park and have a slight 'kiss me quick' feel about it. How wrong could a person be about the look and feel of this town? It has really great restaurants and coffee houses, the people are so friendly and rightly proud and enthusiastic about their landscape, it has lovely little shops where I could spend a small fortune and all with the added bonus of being able to go and scare yourself witless, sorry, push your own fear boundaries with the many activities on offer. But the real find was a wine shop which is like sitting in a room of a big, old English country house with leather chairs and sofas. They give you a smart card and there are 80 different wine optics around the room grouped into grape type and whites and reds. You can take a 25cl taster and if you like it, there are two further option for a half glass or full glass. On top of this, they provide cheese and salami boards so you can nibble whilst you try what you like. And it's open from midday until 10pm. Absolute bliss and beats the pub crawl that the younger backpackers go on hands down.This is one of the most beautiful and peaceful places in the world to me and the impact it had on me from the moment I stepped off the plane was immense. I don't and didn't want to leave. So much so that I've decided to spend the 4 days I have left in NZ at the end of my Northern Island tour here as I just love this place so much and very much hope that I can come back again and again.

http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/PocketGem/NewZealandQueenstown#

http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/PocketGem/AudraSTravelVideos#5379399726755122658