There is a fell voice in the air

I went for a shop today at Warehouse and bought several things thanks to new funds from home. Saw this on the shelf and any resistance to not buy was utterly futile. I love the sticker in the corner that just says PLAY LOUD. I blasted it in the car on the way back, it was the dogs nuts. My first CD purchase in NZ at a whopping $22 or £11 at the current exchange rate. Worth it though it's nice to actually have a CD to look at rather than all my music on my little laptop. If you don't listen to the Black Keys already, get your ears on them fast, definitely the saviours of blues rock. Start from the beginning with The Big Come Up and go from there, you won't be dissapointed.

Check out the website here to give some songs a listen and order a copy.

I cannot jump the distance, you'll have to toss me! . . . Don't tell the elf.

So Queenstown has a serious penchant for all things on two wheels, but like all great things, the things to do on a bike around here are more versatile than they first appear. With the surroundings dominated by huge hills and mountains, it would seem the best thing to do is take to them riding a

full suspension rig and get your thrills from clattering down the mountain side.

After going out with a few bikers the other evening it's obvious that any Q-towner worth their salt has a collection of bikes for all occasions, with some also owning a trails bike or a bmx. I had clocked the brilliant skate park in the park complete with huge purpose built kidney bowl (empty pool). But when I heard about a jump park out on Gorge Rd I wondered what it might be like, I've never been to one, I don't have the confidence to try such ballsy manoeuvres on a bike.

However the summer has just arrived and the park, after some post winter prep, had it's summer opening day on Saturday. So I went along to check it out, and found out just how some of the locals both young and old spend their summer weekends.

As soon as I arrived I couldn't help but imagine how my biking friends back home would react, and how they would just hang here all day and never want to leave. Steep jumps, one after another rise out of the ground like huge waves rolling into shore, the skies clear, the sun blazing. The folks at the mountain biking club have set up a PA system playing a good dose of decent music next to a large barbecue. Folks roll in either on their bikes or in cars as the park sits at the end of car park. I say at the "end" the jump park takes up just as much room as the large car park. People congregate in their groups with non bikers just sitting back and chilling away the day. The park itself has a great variance of jumps from the high steep angled jumps with large gaps on the left side down to rolling short jumps on the right. It's catered to those who know what they're doing but it has levels of progression that keep in mind those who may never have even taken air on a bike before . . . a breeding ground for air junkies. 

There's some great talent on show but no shred of elitism here, kids are trying first hand to jump the short gaps on the right side of the park whilst in the middle others get comfortable with tweaking in the air or taking bigger leaps of faith, and those hitting the left try to nail their trick of the day and push their abilities. There are of course occasional heart in mouth moments, and a couple of dudes take a tumble in their efforts to land some difficult jumps.The evidence is all around me of how dangerous this particular sport can be, several people have arm or leg casts, one kid has a full on metal scaffold round his head keeping everything from his shoulders up perfectly aligned. BMX's, trail bikes even a few full suspension bikes take to the park of all shapes and sizes. Those not riding hang either around the park, or around their cars, some in awesome low riding pick up trucks that seem to almost be a status symbol around here. The beer flows among the onlookers as the sun slowly descends through the afternoon as guy n gals step up to show their stuff. I don't stick around for long, I'm merely an onlooker, but it was a great way to spend some time. There are a bunch of great photos uploaded by the Queenstown Mountain Bike Club to view here. The hawk eyed among you may even spot me watching in one. 

The weekends here exclusively revolve around getting outdoors and using as many of the daylight hours available to have a good time whether its on a bike, a skateboard, kayaking or windsurfing on the lake or simply going for a walk. Then the night rolls in, and as I mentioned in my earlier post, the town comes alive with music and revellers. I met up with my friend Aimee's sister who lives here with her boyfriend, both keen riders, so we had plenty to talk about. I am now considering waiting a while to buy a bike, I know I want a good ride, and I know that once I fiiiinally start work I might be able to save for a month to get the bike I really want, rather than just a basic hard tail that I can afford right now. Needless to say I will be sticking to the mountain trails rather than the jump park, however I wouldn't mind trying the beginner jumps to see how I go. Right now I am still waiting patiently to start my new job, I try my best to enjoy my days at home but there's only so much you can do when you're watching the pennies. However its not difficult to admire where I am . . . I just have to look out of the window or drive down the road to an event like this . . . 

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.

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 :)