Snowboarding and Wine tours in Queenstown, New Zealand

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Remarkables

First off, I'm just putting it out there... I'm not an outdoorsy type of person. I'm very content spending holidays lying on a beach sipping cocktails, shopping, going to restaurants or even better- ordering room service and spending large amounts of time in those plush hotel bathrobes.

I do enjoy trying new things though, and going snowboarding was something we wanted to cross off the list, so my husband (then boyfriend) and I went to New Zealand for the picturesque countryside and apparently awesome snow fields to try or hands (or feet) at snowboarding. Neither of us had ever been to the snow or even seen snow as we are both from a nice warm coastal town in Australia so it was a first for a lot of things!

We rented all our equipment, had a rental car and drove up to Coronet Peak which is a ski field 20 mins drive from central Queenstown on the South Island of New Zealand. Once we arrived we'd booked ourselves in to a 3 hr snowboarding lesson so we could learn the ropes. I'd definitely recommend this to anyone that hasn't snowboarded before because learning how to steer and stop is a pretty important thing when you're flying down the side of a mountain with no brakes.

Did I mention I'm not outdoorsy? Well in all honesty, I'm not really a fan of the cold either, so it didn't take long for me to realise I wasn't going to be spending a lot of time carving up the powder. As a matter of fact, there was minimal standing or sliding let alone carving.

Much to my dismay I spent the better part of 3 hours sliding down the bunny hill (the hill for beginners, filled with 7 year olds going faster then me mind you) on my butt. It seems that any time I started gathering speed I lost my confidence and had little to no control so I decided landing on my butt every time I got going to be a safer option then falling face-first and breaking something- even if I was going slower then the 95 year old granny next to me.

I had a good laugh at myself sliding on my backside down what can only be described as a minimal decline, thinking the whole while that flying sideways with my limited coordination and fitness level was probably not the best idea to begin with, the whole thing felt wrong and awkward. There were some good aspects though, my husband seemed to get the knack of it quite easily and he enjoyed himself, and despite my lacking skills I had a good laugh at my own expense. It was also an incredible work out, the next day we were both so sore we could barely get in and out of the car without grunts and exclamations, way to go core strength!

It was definitely worth a go though, I know that it's not my forte but would definitely be willing to give skiing a go- maybe going forwards instead of sideways might feel less unnatural? And if all else fails there's always a toboggan ride?

Theres other things I enjoyed much more about staying in Queenstown, like the wine tours of the Central Otago area. We hopped on a tour bus and drove through the most beautiful, quaint and picturesque towns. Stopping at gorgeous wineries in the Bannockburn area which is famous for the production of stellar Pinot Noirs. We were in a small group of only about 8 people, and my husband thought it'd be a hoot to tell the other wine-goers that I was a chef so every wine we tasted they would ask me what kind of food would be good to pair it with. Needless to say they weren't happy when I just started telling them that some wines are good on their own.

Not to mention the breath-taking scenery... Staying in Queenstown is literally like stepping into a postcard or even a movie set, the backdrop of the stunning Remarkables is just unbelievable, and the crystal clear lake Wakatipu which Queenstown is built on is just gorgeous.

I'm smiling but inside I'm freezing!

MUSTS:

• Stay around Queenstown centre if you're there for a ski holiday, but make sure you rent a car and venture to other small towns like Glenorchy and the quaint little village of Arrowtown that are close by. 
• If you have a day or two to spare, check out Dunedin and Lake Wanaka
• If you are in Queenstown, go to FERGBURGER. I'm serious. Do it.

GIVE IT A MISS:

• Restaurants on the Waterfront at Queenstown. The food was overpriced and mediocre, I'm guessing you generally pay for the view-but that's not really a factor when you go for dinner at night time and you're up the back of the restaurant. Different coloured neon lighting doesn't create nice ambiance in a restaurant either... 
• Driving at night, roads are icy so they cover them in gravel which is just as dangerous (at winter time that is!)
• Spending loads of cash to stay right in Queenstown, you're better off staying slightly out of the town and renting a car!