2025-02-14 Totally Worth It

First of all the Cemetery Sign doesn’t have a lot to do with the day. I saw it at the end of the day which really amused me.

So what was “totally worth it”? Basically everything we did today. The various things were either more expensive than we really hoped to spend, had a ridiculously long wait or some other combination. And all of them were totally worth it.

The day started with a full day adventure which started with a jet boat trip up the Dart River.

Normally this would not be our kind of thing. We don’t like engines out in nature, and especially on water. And, honestly, if we could have gotten there some other way I think we would have preferred it. I have to, reluctantly, admit that it was fun being on the jet boat (they were invented in New Zealand by the way) excluding when the pilot spun us around. We were then left off near the Funyaks which we paddled down stream.

It was a gorgeous day to paddle and we had a good time. While both of us had a good time, we both felt that the paddle portion of the program was too short. The paddle was fun, the scenery was beautiful and the tour was totally worth it.

Ferg Burger is a Queenstown institution. We were told (and I have no idea if it is true or not) that Queenstown PAYS Ferg Burger to never open a branch restaurant. I can believe it. There is always a line to get in.

A few things about the place. First of all the Burgers really are exceptional. Both Robin and I enjoyed them. Secondly, the chips (fries to us Americans) were also excellent. But what impressed me the most was the service. Like I said, there was a huge line to get in. We got to the counter and ordered our food. Robin informed the guy behind the counter of where foods she needs to avoid. He recommended a burger, was confident (after checking some documentation at the register) that it was OK and our order went in. A few minutes later he called Robin over and said that he was thinking about it and he forgot the meat in her burger would have been marinated and the marinade might not work for her. He was right and he changed the order. We were both really impressed that he put in the extra thought given how pressed he was by the line. I highly recommend this place if you are in Queenstown (or if they ever franchise). The wait for the burger was totally worth it.

One of the other things that everyone says you should do when coming to Queenstown is take the gondola which is the steepest gondola in the southern hemisphere. I thought the tickets were a bit pricy and we really wanted to check out the view. We weren’t disappointed.

Then, after this full day, we headed for home. One last point about the cemetery (which is near the gondola which doesn’t give one a great feeling of safety. The central tombstone in the picture below is Jesus on the cross. But both Robin and I believe that, when you view it from a distance, it looks like it is giving you the middle finger.