Adventure Calls in Queenstown

“On the balcony of our lovely suite at the Heritage Queenstown, with its front-row views across Lake Wakatipu, I watch and wait as the morning light slowly washes the vast razorback range beyond in watercolours of purple, green, blue and white,” Cathy Osmond reports for The Australian.

“They [said] Tom Cruise is at the top of the lake, shooting Mission: Impossible 6 near the frontier town Glenorchy. Probably hanging off a helicopter by one hand, a girl in the other, flying over the glacial waters fringed by ancient, snow-capped peaks.

“These mountains – the aptly named Remarkables – are where I will be performing my own modest stunts within a couple of hours. It had seemed like the next mission impossible, getting back on skis after so many years. But we couldn’t be at a better place: the ‘Remarks’, as we learn to call the snowy playground, has 220ha of slopes for intermediate and advanced skiers and snowboarders, but also an excellent learners’ area.

“For urban types, visiting a town dubbed ‘the adventure capital of the world’ can be both enticing and daunting. So it’s a pleasant surprise to find that you don’t need to be an adrenalin junkie to feel welcome in Queenstown: the locals ensure nobody feels like a goose trying new things. Fun fact: visitors aged over 75 can bungy jump for free.”

Original article by Cathy Osmond, The Australian, July 22, 2017.