Like I mentioned in my earlier post, Queenstown, New Zealand can be explored on a tight, 48-hour schedule. However, for those who are like me, who wants to spend more quality time at a place for chillaxing, the itinerary can be extended for 1 or 2 more nights (depending on how sloooow you want the pace to be) with these fillers.
Get In Touch With Your Spiritual Self in Queenstown
Other than nature, the town, though relatively young compared to the ancient medieval towns of Europe, is teeming with old-ish charm. One such example is the St Peter’s Anglican Church off the fringe of Queenstown.
The church was closed when N and I were there, but there was no doubt the church was up and running and would have been swarming with people on church days. The garden was well-manicured, populated with either trees that had a huge, low canopy, or trees that were in the process of turning their crowns into fiery red.
As mentioned, the church was closed so we could not enter the internal grounds, but the garden was already nurturing enough for the heart and soul!
Halo Forbidden Bite
For an extended stay, you will require a decent dining place (not just a cafe serving finger food). In comes Halo Forbidden Bite.
Set on the fringe of the town centre, Halo is a cosy place good for small groups and intimate chats. Imagine connecting with your friends after a day of getting in touch with nature and all things heavenly in Queenstown!
I must highlight though, they have a more extensive tea / coffee menu than food.
Halo is beside the St Peter’s Anglican Church, so you can always combine a tea break with a trip to the church in your plans.
Patagonia Chocolates, Queenstown
Patagonia Chocolates is as Instagram-pretentious as it can be. From its facade to the interior and down to its dessert, every part of it was so Insta-worthy.
The place is always crowded, so be prepared to spend some time to wait for an empty seat (just on the first floor, over-looking the lake), or be there early, or be like me, buy an ice cream to-go and enjoy it while walking along the lakeside 🙂
Yes… imagine walking in cold autumn evening, sipping on hot coffee from one hand, and licking ice cream from the other. It was as pretentious as it can get! XD
Do take note though, the birds might take an aim at your ice cream, either by pecking at it, or through… aerial bombing…
Balls and Bangles
Even though B&B is technically close to town centre than Erik’s Fish & Chips (mentioned in the previous post), the street where it sits is quiet. It was why N and I chose to sit at the counter seat instead, facing the peaceful street and admiring the charm of the quaint little town.
Food wise, let’s just say it was really for the fun of it.
B&B is a dessert place, specialising in doughnuts. SUPER SWEET DOUGHNUTS. We were so glad we only bought 1 of it, because only gals can handle that much sweetness!
Halo Forbidden Bite
9300, 1 Earl St, Queenstown 9300, New Zealand
haloforbiddenbite.co.nz
+64 3-441 1411
Patagonia Chocolates
50 Beach St, Queenstown 9300, New Zealand
patagoniachocolates.co.nz
+64 3-442 9066
Balls and Bangles
15 Church St, Queenstown 9300, New Zealand
+64 3-442 7999
One More Thing
With this, my trip report for Queenstown, New Zealand is over. Please support me by recommending my blog to your friends looking for ideas to explore Queenstown without the adrenaline rush! I will be sharing my trip report to Auckland, which was the 2nd leg of my New Zealand trip.
This whole New Zealand trip was strung together with a combination of flights from Singapore Airlines and Air New Zealand. Singapore Airlines flies daily to Auckland and Christchurch (during peak season, there are twice daily flights to Auckland). Either city connects easily to Queenstown. You can also reach New Zealand via Singapore Airlines’ Capital Express to Wellington.
I prefer to connect from Auckland, via air, on various grounds.
First, while it is possible to drive from Christchurch, driving is much more strenuous during winter months and the terrain and traffic may not be enjoyable for inexperienced drivers. I also believe that trips should be as relaxing as possible, and after embarking on the self-drive trip in Hokkaido back in 2014, I think self-drives drains my enthusiasm more than the excitement of being on a trip!
Next, there are more connections from Auckland. If you buy your air tickets via Singapore Airlines (SIA and ANZ are both from Star Alliance, so buying connecting flights from SIA website will be a breeze), the algorithm would suggest a connecting flight within an hour apart. Like I mentioned earlier, I prefer to be on a leisure mode while on holiday, so by choosing to fly to Auckland that connects to Queenstown multiple times a day, I can easily choose a later flight that gives me 2 hours of breather instead.
Lastly, of course, SIA flies to Christchurch using one of their old planes. Is that a good enough reason to fly to Auckland?
Read more about making full use of your time at Queenstown, New Zealand!
[Explore] Queenstown, New Zealand in 48 Hours (No Daredevil Activities Involved) Part 1
[Explore] Queenstown, New Zealand in 48 Hours (No Daredevil Activities Involved) Part 2
[Stay] Wake Up To A Ravishing View: Mercure Queenstown Resort
And explore Auckland in 48 hours!
If you like my cafe hopping posts in Queenstown, I bet you will love to get some inspirations on how to cafe hop in Bangkok the chill way. Click on below then!
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