Both the lake and the sky are a beautiful shade of blue — the Wakatipu Lake shore is so stunning it feels as if time has stopped.

Text and photos byXiongmao Rudy

The breathtaking scenery of Queenstown, New Zealand, made Xiongmao (our panda mascot) never want to leave. It’s truly one of the most livable cities on Earth.

Choosing the Raymond Tour allowed us to enjoy a variety of activities. The jump photos we took in New Zealand will be cherished memories for life — (big thanks to Yunxuan and Ruibin, this adorable newlywed couple, who added so much joy to our trip)

This morning, weather permitting, we were supposed to go hot air ballooning, but early on, Anthony informed us that the balloons wouldn’t be flying today, which was quite disappointing for everyone.

If we had been able to go ballooning, the operator would have driven us there, and we would all have helped pull out the balloon together before taking off into the sky. But hot air ballooning in New Zealand isn’t like in Taitung, where it’s just tethered to the ground for people to get a quick view.

Instead, the balloon drifts with the wind over a distance, with a bus following along below, and once you land, the bus takes you to a delicious brunch.

We’re staying two nights in Queenstown. If we can’t fly today, we’ll have another chance tomorrow. And if not, well, everyone will just have to shed a few tears and say goodbye to the balloons (just kidding... or are we?).

Why are hot air balloons so often grounded? As mentioned earlier, balloons drift with the wind over some distance, so if the wind direction is wrong or the airflow is unstable, the balloon might drift over water or land in an unsafe spot. For safety reasons, operators won’t take off.

On this point, Xiongmao really admires the New Zealanders — they won’t just start a trip recklessly for profit. That’s why extreme sports are so famous in New Zealand, yet also incredibly safe.

Since we couldn’t go ballooning, everyone obediently had a simple toast breakfast made by Anthony, then headed to the shores of nearby Wakatipu Lake for photos.

On a sunny day, New Zealand is full of beautiful scenery — you can snap great photos anywhere. The lakes and skies here are both stunning shades of blue, but with beautiful layers: the sky is a soothing light blue dotted with a few wispy clouds, thin as silk ribbons.

The newlywed couples on their honeymoon were super creative, taking all kinds of fun photos.

Old folks like Bear and Meow (that’s us), well, we took these rather standard shots.

The great thing about traveling with such a skilled photographer-guide-cum-driver is getting amazing group photos. Otherwise, it’s just Bear taking photos of Meow — there’d be barely any group shots, sigh~

The honeymooning Xuobin duo also left behind plenty of beautiful mementos.

The scenery is just that beautiful — whether shot on a phone, a point-and-shoot, or a pro camera, everything looks amazing.

Soaring Yunxuan~

Anthony snapped our big group photo ~ so much fun ~ After this, we drove along the lakeside for a bit. This road was dubbed by Meow as: “the highway that rode in on possum corpses.”

Along this stretch, we ran into a group of motorcyclists. They stopped to rest here too, just like us. That’s the advantage of traveling in a small group — you can pull over and take pictures anytime. On a big tour bus? Not a chance.

The lake view here was yet another stunning sight~

As mentioned before, this road is called the “highway that rode in on possum corpses.” Why? Anthony explained that when people from Britain and other places first came to New Zealand, they did some pretty awful things — things that even plagued future generations and continue to headache the NZ government to this day, such as with possums, rabbits, and eagles.

New Zealand was actually a pristine land. In its earliest days, the only land mammals were two species of bats and a few native species, like the kiwi bird. In 1840, Europeans, mainly from Britain, began immigrating to New Zealand and introduced rabbits (because the British love hunting).

With no natural predators, rabbit populations exploded. To control them, stoats (yes, the sneaky chicken-visiting type) were brought in to eat the rabbits. But instead of rabbits, the stoats found the native birds tastier. Oh dear. Then came the classic "careful what you wish for" scenario: with no predators, the stoats multiplied rapidly and became a disaster for the native birds.

To deal with the stoats, the ever-lesson-resistant Kiwis then introduced eagles to hunt the stoats. Unfortunately, the eagles also found the native birds more delicious (apparently very delicious), and ended up preying on the kiwis and other natives instead of the stoats, nearly wiping them out. The government’s approach was basically like trying to put out a fire with gasoline — to which the kiwi birds say: “thanks a lot.”

This story tells us: humans should never play God.

Possums were another ecological disaster. New Zealand once introduced them for profit — their fur could be used for pelts, and their meat for canned food, which actually earned the country quite a bit of export income.

But when the world started opposing fur and the industry failed due to mismanagement, the possum factories shut down, and the operators didn’t handle the aftermath properly, releasing all the possums. Then, the same old problem arose: no predators. So the possums bred like crazy, reaching a population of 70–80 million.

The worst part is that possums love to eat trees and New Zealand’s native plants. Especially fond of tender shoots, they gnaw at the roots of plants and trees, killing them, and also steal eggs or chicks from native birds (the kiwi really gets a raw deal, always bullied by all sorts of invasive species).

To this day, the possum problem remains unresolved. As a result, the New Zealand government has resorted to poisoning (reportedly with cyanide) in an attempt to kill off the possums.

That’s still not enough. New Zealand authorities actively encourage the public to eradicate possums, even educating local children on 100 ways to kill them. New Zealanders will tell you—if you see a possum on the road, you should speed up and run it over.

New Zealanders are actually very eco-conscious. The kiwi bird is a national symbol, so if you see one crossing the road, you must stop to let it pass. If you see sheep, you slow down—but if you see a possum, you’re supposed to speed up and hit it. This kind of double standard is truly quite unique.

So along the sides of the roads (pretty much every road, actually), there are possum carcasses everywhere. But since possums are nocturnal, they’re harder to spot during the day. If you drive at night, you’re more likely to run into them.

That’s the end of the possum story. Anthony took us to a hidden lakeside spot—there were hardly any tourists, just serene and comfortable, as beautiful as a painting. It was a great place for photos, and you could even skip stones on the water.

I’m not very good at it—every time I threw a stone, it just made a “plop” sound and sank. So I just stuck to taking photos.

The clouds rolled like fake backdrops. Even with sunlight, the autumn breeze in New Zealand carried a noticeable chill.

After driving a little further, we arrived at another beautiful town, Glenorchy.

The wind here was noticeably strong, making the trees lean at an angle, as if bowing.

For some reason, the lakeside had a reddish hue (maybe due to iron minerals or something), creating a striking contrast with the blue lake.

Though also a lakeside view, it’s like a beautiful woman—each angle has its own unique charm.

We left our silhouettes among the mountains and waters. Even if we might never come back, these beautiful scenes are etched deeply in our hearts.

Time seems to stand still by New Zealand’s stunning lakes.

At the end of the long pier, we took some super lively jump shots—three of us, even though it was our first time, had perfect chemistry and nailed it on the first try.

We took a lot of photos, but nothing compares to the feeling of seeing it with your own eyes.

The grassy fields here are also great for photos.

Anthony (inner monologue): Newlyweds definitely have a different way of taking photos compared to us.

Photos with fallen leaves, but these ones aren’t perfect yet. We’ve got even better ones coming up.

The lovely town of GLENORCHY—quiet and laid-back.

The clouds in the sky are so cute—little patches here and there.

Next, Anthony is going to take us to heaven—(uh? That sounds a bit weird).

Yes, no joke—there’s actually a place called Heaven.

And here, we took a series of photos of the newlyweds lying on the road. BearMoo reminds everyone: if you want to try this, be extremely careful because cars in New Zealand drive really, really fast.

This was kind of addictive. XDD

Us older and more timid cats will just stand and take photos.

Here, we did a group sheep-chasing activity.

There are cows and sheep everywhere in New Zealand, but actually getting a good photo of them isn’t easy.

Hello there, black cows.

When you’re in the car, the sheep seem close, but once you get out, they scatter immediately, all turning their backsides to you.

Look, so many sheep!

Slowly approach them.

The scout in the middle spotted us～

Then all we could photograph were their sheep butts～

Occasionally, there’s a lost little lamb that looks utterly panicked～

After chasing the sheep, everyone was tired. We got back on the bus to head back to Queenstown because it was time to eat～

Just then, we saw a gift falling from the sky—not really, it was a skydiving activity, which looked super fun～

According to the schedule, tomorrow everyone will go skydiving—so exciting～

Back in Queenstown, before dinner, there was still some time, so we strolled around town. Climb these stairs, and you’ll reach the cable car station.

First, we enjoyed a super-sized burger and fish and chips by the lake. Food review:http://rmlove30.pixnet.net/blog/post/57247569

The lakeside scenery is lovely—you could sit here all afternoon without getting bored～

Then we wandered around and took lots of photos～

This area is the main shopping street.

Queenstown is bustling with tourists from all over, and it’s easy to run into fellow Taiwanese too～

Queenstown has Starbucks and other shops. If you want to buy souvenirs like mugs, you can shop here, but New Zealand only has national mugs, not city-specific ones, so it doesn’t really matter where you buy them.

UGG boots, loved by many, are also available here, but after checking the prices, they’re not much cheaper than in Taiwan (due to cost of living and exchange rates).

Tired from shopping? Head to Patagonia Ice Cream, a must-try in Queenstown. Enjoy ice cream and coffee here, and there’s free Wi-Fi too. Food review:http://rmlove30.pixnet.net/blog/post/57247806

(Photo taken with phone, sorry for the poor quality) The sparrows in front of the ice cream shop are super plump—they’ve been feasting on ice cream, fries, and pizza. They might have fatty liver issues.

Lying or sitting on the grass, chatting and playing guitar. The life of New Zealanders (or maybe tourists from elsewhere?) is so relaxing～

Anthony said that most people who come to Queenstown for vacation are actually foreign or out-of-town tourists. Locals usually choose Wanaka (Wanaka) for their holidays—the beautiful town we’re heading to next, which I personally love.

Sitting by the lake in Queenstown, enjoying the cool breeze—it’s very comfortable.

Even though we’d been eating non-stop, when Anthony mentioned a good Italian restaurant, I risked a food coma and went anyway. The taste was really great！Food review:http://rmlove30.pixnet.net/blog/post/57247893

After stuffing ourselves, under Anthony’s coercion (just kidding), or rather, his guidance, we visited a specialty store—there were even postcards taken by Anthony himself～Then came the big shopping spree！(His landscape photos are so beautiful!)

After buying postcards, we hit the supermarket for more shopping Up！There were chocolates with fruit fillings—great as gifts, and locally made in New Zealand～

New Zealand’s award-winning white wine, Cloudy Bay. Later, we’ll visit the winery, where it’s cheaper than at the supermarket～

Full from food and fun, it’s time to head back to the hotel, freshen up, and sleep～

Tonight, we’re staying in Queenstown’s ultra-luxurious lakeside villa again～Accommodation review:http://rmlove30.pixnet.net/blog/post/57233955

Back at the hotel, we gathered to enjoy food and chat. Anthony treated us to New Zealand guavas—quite different from those in Taiwan, both in appearance and how you eat them.

First, cut the guava in half, then scoop out the middle part with a metal spoon and eat that. The rest is discarded. The taste is sweet and fragrant—delicious！But they’re small, so you can only have a couple of bites～

The postcards bought on Queenstown’s shopping street need to be signed by photographer Anthony himself Up～～(Pose pose pose)

There were also young female fans screaming wildly at the scene (Yunxuan is definitely both a fan and a big spender—he seemed to have bought twenty or thirty tickets in one go!), which were mailed out on April 12th and arrived in Taiwan around May 24th. We thought they had gotten lost at one point. Everyone, please be a bit more patient!

Author of this article: Xiongmao Rudy — a food-loving couple who occasionally go wild spending big on food and fun, but generally stick to the principle of "limited money, endless appetite." They run a blog of the same name."Xiongmao Eats the World into Bankruptcy"Updates are being posted simultaneously.