Queenstown, New Zealand - not just for adrenaline junkies

Queenstown, New Zealand is adrenaline junkie heaven. Parachuting, bungy-jumping, jet-boating, mountain-biking, ballooning, heli-skiing, canyoning, rafting and dozens of other fast-paced thrills are on offer year-round. Fit, athletic, twenty-somethings are drawn here, like fans to a rock concert, from all over the world.

David and I are neither athletic, twenty-something nor especially fit, but Queenstown draws us back year after year. Almost drowned out by its public face as one of the great adventure capitals of the world, this is a place of stunning scenery -  nestled on the edge of Lake Wakatipu and surrounded by the magnificent Remarkables Mountain Range. Best of all we don't have to jump out of aeroplanes, climb mountains or swing from bungy ropes to appreciate it. It is possible to come here and do nothing more energetic than wander down for coffee by the shores of the lake each morning.

The Otago Rail Trail and A Universal Truth.

It is a truth universally acknowledged that a rail trail should be cycled in one direction - or the other - only the truly psychotic cycle both.

The Central Otago Rail Trail runs for 150 kilometres from Clyde to Middlemarch in the South Island of New Zealand.  It takes about four days to cycle. Lots of discussion can be found on the internet about whether it is best to ride the trail west to east or east to west. With the highest point roughly in the middle, neither direction has more downhill sections - the disagreement is all about the quality of the views. Whether you begin from Clyde or Middlemarch however the generally accepted plan of attack is to cycle the trail one way. There are a plethora of package tours available which enable you to do this by providing bikes, accommodation, luggage transfer, back-up and return transport.

Would you ignore this sign?

One of my greatest failings as a world traveller is a serious and persistent law-abiding streak.

This is our fourth trip to Queenstown. On each occasion we have driven out to the remote Kinloch Lodge, past Glenorchy at the far end of Lake Wakatipu. This is serious Lord of the Rings Country - empty, isolated and with beautiful scenery. The tarmac turns to gravel just after Glenorchy.  At Kinloch there is a sign and the sign says -

Penguins, dolphins and a petrified forest.

We are on the south coast of the South Island of New Zealand, about three hours drive from Queenstown. This is about as close to Antarctica as NZ gets. Only sparsely populated Stewart Island is closer. Our holiday cabin, one of an isolated group strung out along the beach at Porpoise Bay, just around the headland from Curio Bay, has 180 degree views of the Southern Ocean. We have no internet, mobile phone coverage or television. What we do have is penguins, dolphins, seals, a petrified forest and, much to David’s irritation, sand flies.

Queenstown and the flying bicycles.

Turning up to an airline check-in counter with a couple of bicycles is one of those experiences which seemed like a good idea when we planned it, but really fell apart in the execution - what a hassle!

Maybe it wouldn't have been so bad if we hadn't had far too much luggage to begin with, but David is incapable of travelling light. We once went half way round the world with a kiddies ride-on-tractor, complete with separate trailer section, purchased on a whim from a roadside stall in Holland for our then 3 year old son. He would ride it up to airline check-in counters much to the amusement of other travellers.