Tomatoes, sausages, nice crispy bacon

So Queenstown has sucked me in. I have landed myself a job at Dick Smith that will see me start next week and I'm currently sat in my new abode in Fernhill that will do nicely for the time being. The view is uncompromisingly beautiful as the house faces out onto the lake with the distinctive peak of the Remarkables dominating the horizon (pictured below).

Fortune has shone on me recently as money woes have turned to money wins as financial things back home, including a fat tax refund, start to finally role in. I am on the prowl for a good second hand mountain bike to take to the trails and with a few leads on the go I'm sure to have one sorted in the next couple of weeks. I have found a regular open mic evening in town that I've now played twice, and with a penchant for popular tunes and the regulars being pretty damn good, I'm looking to up my game and learn lots of new songs. There are potential leads on getting more involved with the music scene around here as I stumble upon people who are really passionate about performing. I have just been in to town and had my first Winnies pizza and I can't help but notice how Queenstown, and New Zealand in general prides itself on its cuisine.

Near the top of what is a looong list of things to do in Queenstown is to get a Furgburger down your gullet. I have to say, hype does sometimes spoil a good thing, not in this case. The feeling Sam L Jackson has when he eats a Big Kahuna Burger in Pulp Fiction, it's all that and more, a tasty, veeeery tasty, satisfying burger. I also had a cold bottle of New Zealands famous L&P to wash it all down. However, no sooner had I tried said burger it was immediately suggested that I try a Winnies pizza. Queenstown has a serious appetite, and it comes as no surprise. The big word here is adventure, and all that adventure works up a healthy appetite. People don't want to just eat when they finish their day, they want a bloody good feed. The prices may stun you, a basic Fergburger, thats a patty with salad and relish, is $10, which given the exchange rate is just under £5. The thing is that burger alone will fill your gut no problem, and with fries coming in a $4.50 that's a bloody good feed for under £8, not too shabby I'd say. Now that I have sampled this most glorious place my plan for the next 9 months is to get through the entire menu here before I leave. Have a look at the inspired menu here which will tantalise your imagination.

Winnies was definitely a sure fire winner, if you want a pizza that re-writes the rule book on how you do a pizza then this place has got it covered. The prices however reflect the unique quality of this place, a basic small pizza can cost up to $16.95, however going in between 3 and 5pm you can get any pizza on the menu for $12 (the option I went for). They do a variety of other dishes, not just pizza and again these can range wildly. The pizza I went for was the Montonara which came loaded with a fillet of chicken, sundried tomatoes, brie and spring onion, drizzled with sweet chilli sauce topped with pistachio sour cream . . . mmmmm. It was a great treat to go out and get one of these and rolling in at £6 for a decent little feed I think its safe to say that I have found two bloody good spots to eat when I'm feeling lazy.

But I definitely need to find a bike and get riding as too many trips to the Ferg might result in an expanding gut, one which I am determined to trim down over the next nine months in an effort to go home a leaner, fitter lad. Tomorrow I might be heading to see some bike park action as a new park is unveiled for the summer and an event is taking place. Then hopefully after the weekend I'll be a working man earning properly rather than relying the fortunes of karma back home to pay my way.

Until next time folks.