A softer side ... cyclists ride along Lake Wakatipu.Credit: Getty Images
Julietta Jameson wouldn't dream of bungy jumping in Queenstown. A manuka honey facial is more her style.
THERE are those who love adventure destinations and those who don't. As a person who does not enjoy throwing herself off high things, and who finds ski boots as appealing as a pair of cement shoes, I fall into the latter category.
And so Queenstown, New Zealand - the self-proclaimed adventure capital of the world, gateway to New Zealand's apparently awesome ski fields and the place where bungy jumping was invented - had never lured me.
Left Bank Cafe at the Sofitel Queenstown Hotel & Spa.
But an invitation to check out the Sofitel Queenstown Hotel & Spa after a $2 million renovation promised to show a side of the town as romantic and placid as its better-known action-packed one. It was summer, no ski boots were required, bungy jumping was not on the itinerary and a five-star hotel with a new spa was involved, so I thought: why not?
Wonderfully, Queenstown's appeal to the aesthete rather than athlete was announced pretty much as soon as the plane began its descent into the Otago region, the south-west corner of the South Island.
This was some landing. Flanked by alpine vistas either side, it was as breathtaking for its seeming precariousness as for its sheer, soaring beauty. The Remarkables ranges were still snow-capped but skirted by lush green, their stony rises cathedral-like in grandeur and presence. It was like flying into the Hall of the Mountain King.
Fixtures of the Central Otago scenery.Credit: Getty Images
I was impressed, and even more so when our guide and driver, Mike from the car service Black ZQN, began to put our luggage into the back of our vehicle, a shiny black Bentley Continental Flying Spur.
The Bentley purred off into a stunningly sunny afternoon. The light was of a crystalline clarity I, for one, had never seen before. I've been in places that looked like heaven, and I thought they needed to be in the northern hemisphere to float my boat: Lake Geneva, the Canadian Rockies, the French Alps. But Queenstown quickly began to remind me of all of those but maybe prettier and - bonus - only a three-hour non-stop flight from home.
As we rounded Lake Wakatipu, the glacial body of water beside which Queenstown clusters, we saw locals swimming in the shallows as the sun streamed through willows, people out walking happy dogs and cyclists on bike paths along the water's edge. It was all very genteel, not a skerrick of Lycra in sight.
And then we arrived at our hotel. Queenstown's original five-star, the Sofitel Queenstown Hotel & Spa's upgrade involved reclaiming retail space at the building's entrance to expand a foyer that now opens directly to the street. With French antiques, a sunny yellow motif and the Left Bank Cafe creating a European vibe, I felt right at home - if home were a five-star hotel.
I checked into my large, comfy room and stepped out onto the Juliet balcony overlooking pretty downtown Queenstown and the pebbly beachside of the lake. It was a peaceful, laid-back, romantic scene, not at all the backpacker mayhem I had been expecting.
It was only during the night that my suspicions of backpacker activity were realised. I like to sleep with a window open if there's one that budges, and the sounds of a nearby bar and, later, impromptu party in a park let me know there was a parallel, more boisterous reality to Queenstown.
Oh, well. This is why I travel with earplugs.
The next morning we set off early in the Bentley for the wine district of Central Otago, the most southerly in the world, apparently, with good elevation and other factors just right for some of the planet's most amazing pinot noir.
We drove through a changing landscape - lush green fields full of fluffy sheep, rushing rivers, serene lakeside scenes and, of course, majestic mountain backdrops - until we reached Bannockburn, on the southern banks of the Kawarau River, in a hot, sandy former goldmining area.
We dropped in to Mount Difficulty Estate and sipped its fragrant single-vineyard drops while admiring the other-worldly vistas of mined outcrops.
Lunch was at Carrick, one of the leading Central Otago pinot vineyards, and during our meal we tried their riesling, chardonnay, olive oil and house-made bread. Then it was across to Northburn Station, just to admire the views and ambience of another iconic cellar door and restaurant.
Back in town we took a sundowner at one of the many bars by the edge of the lake before a casual dinner and early bed (with earplugs) - there was to be adventure the following day. After all, you can't go to Queenstown and completely bypass active stuff. It's like visiting Sydney and not seeing the harbour.
Fortunately, there are options for the pleasure, rather than terror, seeker and as we met a coach to begin the Dart River safari, a mix of scenic coach tour, wilderness hike and jet-boat ride, I was delighted to see septuagenarians-plus aboard. How scary or taxing could it be? It was not either but it was huge fun.
After the coach ride along the edge of the lake through jaw-dropping scenery, including the Rees Valley, we alighted in Mount Aspiring National Park amid ancient beech forest. There was a guided walk, then a 90-minute jet-boat ride along the Dart River, through beautiful wilderness. It was thrilling and fast; we only got wet when the driver did the obligatory 360 just for giggles.
The afternoon finished the way every action-packed day should - with a visit to Le Spa at the Sofitel and its New Zealand-themed treatments. I had a gorgeous manuka honey facial.
Others might find refreshment in more active pursuits but my easy-paced three days in Queenstown put the spring back in my step. Flying back into Sydney, I thought: if that was the action capital of the world, then consider me an action woman.
The writer was a guest of the Sofitel Queenstown Hotel & Spa.
Trip notes
Getting there
Air New Zealand flies direct to Queenstown from Sydney. airnewzealand.com.au.
Getting around
Black ZQN is a private chauffeur service that employs local guides and a small fleet of luxury European cars. A full-day wine tour in a Bentley is $NZ575 ($440) a person, including lunch and tastings. +64 3 450 0592, blackzqn.com.
Staying there
Sofitel Queenstown Hotel & Spa, 8 Duke Street, Queenstown. +64 3 450 0045, sofitelqueenstown.com.
See+do
Mount Difficulty Wines, 73 Felton Road, Bannockburn, Central Otago, +64 3 445 3445, mtdifficulty.co.nz.
Carrick Wines, Cairnmuir Road, Bannockburn, Central Otago. +64 3 445 3480, carrick.co.nz.
Northburn Station cellar door and restaurant, 45 Northburn Road, Cromwell, Central Otago. +64 3 445 1743, northburn.co.nz.
Dart River Jet Safaris, Queenstown Info Centre, corner Camp and Shotover streets. +64 3 442 9992, dartriver.co.nz. Experiences from $NZ219.
More information
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