After a very scenic drive from Wanaka through the Crown Range we got our first bird's eye view of Queenstown as we wound our way down the mountain and into town. After checking into the aptly named Bungi Backpacker's and bagging ourselves bunkbeds in our dorm (small and quite smelly with 4 people jammed in), we headed into town to witness for ourselves the town that has self styled itself as New Zealand's outdoor adventure capital and the place to party. We actually found it to be pretty much deserted and very quiet. The reason for this was that it was the transition between seasons when a lot of people and tourists had left town and it would be another 6 weeks before winter set in, along with the snow allowing the ski fields to open and bringing in coach loads of fresh blood. So we spent some time exploring, eating and drinking at some of the numerous cafes, bars and restaurants and getting to know people at the hostel, including Henry, a student from Oxford, who would become a good friend over the following months. Queenstown is another of NZ's laid back towns where the motto seems to be "no worries mate'. Nobody rushes anywhere, people will strike up a conversation with you wherever you go and there is a feel good vibe around the streets making it feel more like a village than a town. Down at Lake Wakatipu we discovered the dreamiest hot chocolate in a shop called Patagonia where the drink is served out of big cauldrons, and sat out on the harbour to view the mountains of the Remarkables and Eyre ranges. We took a trip up the Skyline Gondola - a must for visitors to Queenstown apparently. It was a beautiful day so we got an excellent 360 degree view of the town and surrounding suburbs and mountains. We also got our first experience of Queenstowns legendary thrills and spills activities in the form of guys running off the side of a mountain to paraglide over the town, and some insane girl bungy jumping off The Ledge. There is no way that I will ever tie some elastic to my ankles and jump off a bridge although I will probably stretch to paragliding! We took a trip on the Luge track which was great fun and a lot faster than the ones in Singapore. Steve did his usual boy racer thing and sped off, I stupidly tried to do the same and had to use my feet as brakes as I flew around a corner and nearly ended up in a tree! The following day we headed to Queenstown Gardens with Henry for a game of Frisbee Golf. For those of you not in the know, this involves throwing a specially made frisbee at specific target in the park e.g. trees, hoops and net and scoring your attempts as you would in golf. Obviously you have to avoid passers by and try not to destroy the lovely plants or kill any ducks...good fun though! We made the decision to stay in Queenstown over "the best pizza in town" at Winnies. Thus started the hunt for a job and some accommodation. It did seem like mission impossible and at one open interview session for a couple of bar jobs over 60 people turned up. So, the work was going to be tricky to come across especially as the season had not yet started. The flat hunting was relatively easy however and we soon found ourselves a compact (2 rooms) flat in Fernhill which would be home for the winter. The real plus point is opening the curtains in the morning and seeing the snow capped mountains and blue lake on your doorstep...we could get used to this!