I only had two days of work this week since I left for Queenstown on Wednesday. Regardless, early in the week, I had a meeting with a member of the accounting team at the trust to continue my work with the income commission investigation. The more I learn about the full process of the accounts that are charged this fee, the more it is beginning to seem unfair and uncorrelated with the work that is being done with the accounts.
When I arrived in Queenstown, only one other member of our group of 4 was there. We spent the day checking into the hostel, exploring the city, and getting food and souvenirs. We tried out Queenstown’s famous Fergburger which did indeed live up to the hype it’s been given. The following day, we were all up early, getting ready to ride four-wheelers through the mountains of Queenstown. The guide kept us out on the trails for longer than we paid for, and the views that we got to see were insane. After this, we found some people we had met the night before from Australia, and they took us to a glacial lake called Bob’s Cove. The crystal-clear water was hard to resist jumping in. To finish off the day, we did a quick hike up Queenstown Hill, giving us a view of the lake and the city lights at sunset, and grabbed another Fergburger afterwards.
On Friday, we took a gondola up the mountain where we began the day with a zip line course that took us on 4 different ziplines between treehouses. The zip lines and the cafe at the top both had great views of the lake. After this, we headed back into the city where I enjoyed my third Fergburger while we waited to be picked up for a wine tour. On the wine tour, we were taken to 3 wineries, and even walked through a cave that one of the locations used to store their barrels. After this, we continued the night at a bar made completely of ice as well as at a boat that was remodeled to be a floating bar in the harbor.
Saturday was a long day. We were up at the crack of dawn to get picked up for our ride to Milford Sound in the Fiordlands. On the four-hour ride there, we stopped at many locations to take in the views of the mountains, waterfalls, lakes, and for a lunch at a cafe. When finally arriving at Milford Sound, we got on a cruise that went all the way out to the Tasman Sea and back. The cliffs and waterfalls at this place were absolutely amazing. The only wildlife I encountered was 2 baby seals, but people see dolphins and even whales occasionally in the sound. After the cruise, we headed straight back to Queenstown, where yet another Fergburger was waiting for me.
Sunday was mainly spent walking around the city, checking out of the hostel, grabbing a final Fergburger to go, returning the rental car, and waiting at the airport for our flight. Thankfully, flight was only about an hour and a half so I still had time in the day to prepare for the work week ahead and get a good night sleep.