What do your Elf eyes see?

Originally written November 21st

So here I am . . . finally . . . in Queenstown with hopes high and possibilities endless, so much so I wanted to let my friends share in my discoveries here.There seems to be plenty going on around here and with my ambitions set on getting musical, getting up the mountains on a bike, working and of course hitting it up on the odd night out I thought I would give you folks an idea of what living in Queenstown is really like.

So where do I begin? Firstly I didn't want to write a tiresome blog that encompassed the whole of my journey around New Zealand . . . with travelling, hostelling and getting as many things done as I can being at the forefront of my agenda for the past 2 months, I don't think I'd have ever found the time to write a commentary on what I was up to on my travels. Plus I feel that commentating on my various experiences can be utterly tiresome for the reader, however I might recap some of the eventful stuff on here when I get the chance. In short it has been the most eventful couple of months of my life with amazing scenery and situations changing on a daily basis . . . it actually has taken me a while to come round to the fact that I am staying here and not leaving in the next two days. My body has been in shut down mode, any anxieties about making it here have washed away, the car I bought in Auckland has made it having now clocked close to 4,000km and been on the whole a reliable machine. My bank account looks good so I have a little time to play with and get myself set up with a good job.

The town is a buzz of tourism, possibility and excitement. During the day hoards of tourists line the streets with old couples taking in the views, mass japanese groups taking photos everywhere and young people eagerly waiting to board a bus to take them on a thrill ride, be it shotover jet, canyoning, sky diving or of course bungy jumping. The traffic is a mix of these buses, rented campers, the usual beat up cars of NZ and mountain bikers fully armoured ready to take on the surrounding hills. Every 20 minutes or so shadows loom over parts of the town as paragliders fly in with their paying partners. The papers pages read one word at the moment HOBBIT, their in town, a famous wizard and a certain elf have been spotted several times in town and even a friend has a photo to show of Sir Peter Jackson riding the Luge. There's always a queue outside of Fergburger as people line up to get their fix of possibly the best burgers this country has to offer, a fix that continues well into the evening as the hotel tourists bed down and the hostel youngsters hit the streets to party. This town jumps to the rhythm of many beats nearly every night, and I've never seen people having such a bloody good time. There's an eagerness to everyone's night out here, the dancing starts early and potential for a glorious night is potent in the air of most of the bars. In a town that has people flowing in and out all the time the nights are never the same, there's always someone new, there's always a story to hear. The repetitions being only the way you introduce yourself, what's your name, where are you from, how long have you been in NZ? Locals are a rarity here, there's great diversity here, however there are many UK folk. It feels like the best place I could possibly stay in New Zealand and I am glad I decided to get here sooner rather than later. I'm sure in a month the gleen may wear off, but right now I am in awe of this place.

I have a job interview on the way and I am house hunting so hopefully I will be settled for the long term soon.

Ciao for now folks :)