First full day in NZ....wish we'd spent a little less time planning in the morning, and more time walking around the city. Queenstown is so named because it was dubbed "fit for the Queen" at its foundation. (Queen Victoria, I believe...?)
The "Top 10" where we were staying was just outside of town, far enough out that you felt really close to nature, to the mountains and rivers and such, although you still feel close even in town.
Drove into town for lunch. Tried the local everyday specialty - "fish 'n chips". :) "Chips" are what we Americans refer to as "fries". It was really delicious! Between the 4 of us, we tried 3 different kinds of fish: orange roughy, sea perch, and blue cod. The orange roughy was by far the best.
We walked around the town for a little while before and after lunch. Queenstown is a very touristy town, somewhat reminiscent of Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge. Again, the country gets a lot of its income from tourism, so it follows that there are lots of touristy places with touristy prices. It's on the shore of Lake Wakatipu, and I was amazed that even so close to a city the water was clean enough to see the bottom (even next to the boats!).
After walking around a while, we took a gondola up the side of a mountain. At the top there are some fun things to do, like this little "luge" track that you can ride a little scooter on. There's also a restaurant and a place to go bungee jumping, but we just took the luge. :)
Also at the top of this area was the trailhead for the Ben Lommond Track ('track' is NZ for 'trail'), which took the rest of our day.
This was where the landscape really started looking like Lord of the Rings. First we walked through some pine forests, then we were above the tree line and there was pretty much no shade. Yeah, I got sunburned.... (I know, I know better!) The hike was long and strenuous. At first it wasn't too bad, just a lot of walking a narrow path through scrub/brush. It reminded me of the scene in "Fellowship of the Ring" where they stop before going into the mountains - you know, where they see the birds that are really Saruman's spies.
Anyway, about halfway up you come to a small saddle (flat area - reminded me of the C.S. Lewis Book 'Til We Have Faces) before the really tough part begins. 
Lots of switchbacks, rocks, and narrow, steep pathways. 
The view from the top was worth it, and of course the sense of accomplishment is great. 
Actually, I found a little place near the top behind a big rock that would be perfect for a sleeping bag. ;) Some day....some day I'm going back there, spending the night on the mountain, and watching the sunrise from the top. :)We had to hurry back down the mountain before the Gondola closed (we made it just in time!). The way the sun hit the surrounding mountains as it was going down was really beautiful, though. The sun doesn't go down until 8:00/9:00 p.m. Big change from 5:00/6:00 here! Couldn't see the stars as well that night, because it was a little cloudier.
One of my favorite things about the trail: we saw a total of maybe 9 other people during the whole climb. At one point Stephanie was ahead of me, and her parents were behind me, far enough in either direction that I couldn't see them, and I realized - I was completely alone. There was No One in eyesight. It was awesome!!! In fact, if you needed to go to the bathroom it wouldn't be a big deal, because no one was around to see you! It was a nice change from being in a place where you can't go anywhere without seeing other people.
One other fun thing - on the back of the doors to the stalls in the women's restroom, there are signs that say:
...after living in China for 2 years, you can fully appreciate this sign! (this picture courtesy of Mr. P)
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