KEY POINTS:
Twenty-five years ago, we chugged into Queenstown in an ageing Skoda, slept in a saggy army-style hire tent, cooked simple campers' meals and washed them down with the occasional beer. Inexpensive pastimes such as walking and fishing filled our days and our biggest thrill was a ride in the Queenstown gondola.
We didn't know it, but AJ Hackett was already experimenting with bungy jumping and pioneer winemakers were excited about the potential of the local vintage. Queenstown was on the cusp of becoming the nation's adventure capital and the centre of an acclaimed viticulture industry.
We hadn't visited since then and, on our recent visit, our choice of transport, accommodation and activities is dramatically different - but as our flight skims over glittering lakes and through a narrow gap between furrowed mountains, the magnificent Central Otago scenery looks just as I remember.
Queenstown has grown, but the airport transfer still gets us to the centrally located Queenstown Park Hotel in less than 15 minutes. This chic boutique hotel has just opened, but inspired design means that it already blends sympathetically into its spectacular surroundings.
Inside, intriguing design features abound. The first thing we notice is two huge mirrors that seem to be propped up against the wall in the foyer and adjacent lounge. Initially, we think the decorators haven't finished hanging them properly but closer inspection shows that they've been strategically angled to reflect the stunning views of the mountains provided by floor-to-ceiling windows.
Rooms have views of either the gondola or across a grassy park to the Remarkables. We have a gondola view and, after admiring the room's elegant décor, and pulling doors and curtains open to reveal the kitchenette and bathroom, I retire to the courtyard to watch the gondola cars slide slowly up through the forest. Meanwhile, my husband is more interested in playing with various remote controls and the high-tech electronic system that operates lights and window shades.
The hotel has a sunny breakfast room but, with dozens of good restaurants within a three-minute walk, there's no need for a full-service restaurant on the premises. Hosts Donna Falloon and John Etheridge know the area well and, during nightly pre-dinner drinks and canapés in the intimate lounge, they offer excellent advice on restaurants and activities.
Wine and adventure are synonymous with Queenstown and the Kawarau Jet Wine Sampler provides both. It's one of Queenstown Wine Trail's regular tours, but they'll also customise tours to suit your needs.
Wineries on our agenda are Amisfield Winery, which nestles into a sheltered hillside beneath the Pisa Range near Lake Hayes, and Gibbston Valley Winery, where vines sweep up to a craggy rock face that stands out starkly against the blue southern skies.
Gibbston Valley was the first commercial wine producer in Central Otago and it also makes specialty cheese, so we start with cheese tasting before touring the winery. The sharp taste of aged cheddar is still with us as we're led into an atmospheric barrel-lined wine cave that's been blasted 80 metres deep into the mountainside. In the dim light, we sample a selection of excellent wine, then emerge into a sunny courtyard to partake of more wine and an enormous lunchtime platter.
Next up is a jetboat ride with Kawarau Jet and, since we want thrills without embarrassing spills, we've made sure not to overindulge in food and wine. It's a wise decision because when we clamber aboard, the cheeky driver tests our constitution with a 360 spin before launching into a mad dash up the Kawarau and Shotover rivers.
We're dropped off at the Queenstown Wharf and later we return to Wai, a fabulous restaurant and oyster bar on the neighbouring Steamer Wharf.
Food features strongly the next day but, to make sure calories don't get the better of us, we combine eating with exercise. After a late breakfast, we hire bikes to explore some of the gentle trails around the lake. The hotel has provided a picnic hamper for lunch, making us the envy of walkers and other cyclists.
The schedule is taking its toll so that evening we unwind in the new Onsen Hot Pools, which perch on a hillside far above the Shotover River. Each pool has a retractable window and roof, and the silky water is balm to tired bodies that have only dabbled in Queenstown's wine, food and adventure pursuits.
GETTING THERE
Air New Zealand has daily flights from Auckland. Online fares start at $119 one way. See www.airnz.co.nz
WHERE TO STAY
Queenstown Park Hotel, 21 Robins Road. Phone (03) 441 8441. See queenstownparkhotel.co.nz. Rooms range from $450 (Gondola view) to $695 (two-bedroom suite). Tariff includes hosted pre-dinner drinks and canapés. Breakfast $20 per person. Check for specials online.
WHAT TO DO
Queenstown Wine Trail, (03) 442 3799, www.queenstownwinetrail.co.nz. Provides wine and garden tours for individuals and groups. Tours can be customised. The Wine-Jet Combo costs $205 per person.
Onsen Hot Pools, 0508 869463; www.onsen.co.nz. Open daily 11am-10pm. One hour for two adults costs $35 each, includes pick-up in Queenstown.
Wai Waterfront Restaurant, Steamer Wharf, (03) 442 5969, wai.net.nz. Open for lunch and dinner.
MORE INFORMATION
Visit www.queenstown-nz.co.nz
* Heather Ramsay was a guest of Queenstown Park Hotel and Destination Queenstown.
Fancy a weekend for two?
Fancy the chance to join the Queenstown jet-set?
Win a designer weekend for two in Queenstown, courtesy of Herald Travel, Air New Zealand and the Queenstown Park boutique hotel.
Enjoy return flights on Air New Zealand. Stay in a luxurious Remarkables Suite at the Queenstown Park Hotel, the city's sophisticated new design establishment, enjoying gourmet breakfasts and complimentary evening canapes. Be swept into town with private airport transfers from Limousine Services Queenstown (www.LSQ.co.nz). Relax with a private hot pool and pamper pack overlooking stunning scenery at Onsen Hot Pools, Arthur's Point.
All elements are subject to availability, school and public holidays are excluded, and the prize must be redeemed before October 30, 2008.
To be in to win just put your name, address and day-time phone number on the back of an envelope, give the name of Queenstown's newest design hotel and post to Jetset Queenstown Weekend, Travel Section, NZ Herald, PO Box 3290, Auckland.
Entries must reach the Herald by noon on April 8 and the winner will be named in Travel on April 15.
