Queenstown Airport

Trip Day 19

February 25, 2010

Queenstown Airport

Queenstown, NZ

 

I'm leaving on a jet plane. Don't know when I'll be back again. We groaned in the van when the John Denver track came on. Several people asked to be shot on the spot. Poor John. Pretty good singer, bad pilot.

Have got an hour until boarding the Auckland flight. Will have a few hours of down time there before the SYD connection, but won't have any problem killing the time.

The cab driver who brought me here this morning, Hamish, was a young, fit looking guy. Guided on the Milford Track for three years before his knees gave out. 33 kilometers every 9 days took their toll, so he quit. Said it was the best job he'd ever had. Now is driving a taxi and has a role in a local production of 'Oliver.' It'll finish in a couple of weeks and he and a buddy are going to Stewart Island off the south coast for a 12 day hike. It all makes me smile. Find something you want to do and do it. Stretch the envelope.

Browns' Boutique Hotel was a great choice for me. Warm and comfortable to be there from the moment I set foot in the place. Donald cooks a mean breakfast, too. Gillian says she knows Backroads recommends them but she's never met anyone from the company. I think that's a little odd. She made a note while we were talking to give them a call to thank them. There are fancier places in Queenstown, but it would be hard to imagine one more convenient or welcoming.