Slept in 'til 9:30 - the latest so far. The bunkbeds in the dorm are really wobbly and whenever Norrie shifts in his sleep I can feel it up top. Not the most restful of nights. Susan and I went shopping in the morning (I bought a top and a hoodie) and then she went off on a winery and cheesery tour. I booked hang-gliding for 3:00 and lay in my bunk reading and napping until I had to leave.
Got picked up at 3:00 by the Skytrek guys - I think I might have been the only hang-glider for they day with them. We ended up driving one of the pilots home, so I got a tour of suburban Queenstown. Evidently even thought the city only has a permanent population of 15 thousand, 30 thousand tourists come in each day. I truly believe that there are more tourists in New Zealand than actual residents. Because of the wind conditions the hang glide would not be from Coronet Peak but from the Remarkables mountain range instead. We drove up the ski access road which is full of hairpins, unpaved, and with no guardrails. Probably one of the scarier parts of the adventure :)
When we got to the takeoff point, some 2000 feet up, one of the guides popped me in my harness and took a few pictures while the pilot was putting together the hang glider. The glider was extremely light, about 70 pounds. After it was assembled we practiced the takeoff procedure - basically two steps and a run until the glider takes off. The takeoff is down a pretty steep hill, so it is pretty scary to contemplate the gilder not getting airborne and just falling headfirst down the mountain.
We got hooked up, got clearance form the airport to take off, and the started the two steps leading up to the run. The glider caught the wind so fast it was like "Step, step, flight!" We launched upwards so fast I didn't have time to run. It was windy enought that we got some good altitude . I think hang-gliding is the closest you can get to being a bird.
It was so beautiful and peaceful and you could feel how the slightest shift of weight altered the course of the glider. I think we glided for about 15 - 20 minutes before we came in for a landing in a field of sheep (yes, sheep!). I like it better, I think, than the skydiving because I had more time to enjoy it, although the skydive was definitely more adrenaline filled. Argh, can't decide! $45 for a disc of pictures and video (Queenstown is not cheap) and then we drove back into town.
Right as I got back into the hostel, Norrie, Susan, and Ronnie were going out for a walk so I tagged along and we strolled about checking menus to see where we were going to eat later on and ended up at a gelato place called Licks for evening snack. Then back to the hostel to meet up with everyone to go ride the Skyline Gondola up the hill overlooking the city.
While waiting for everyone I called my sister , who told me how cold Edmonton was. Hee hee!
We headed up the gondola, which was scenic, and it turned out that the luge, which we all wanted to do, had closed at 7. We had missed it by about 1/2 hour which was annoying. We took in the view and took some pictures and shopped in the gift store (found another sheep on a leash) and then headed down.
Susan and Ronnie and I headed to a Chicago gangster themed restaurant called Luciano's. I had venison, which was magnificent.
Then back to the hostel, where we had a whole group of people sitting in the hallway drinking and not moving an inch to get out of the way of people who needed to walk down the hall. I was so tempted just to step on all their legs on my way to my room. Evidently during the night a couple of Danish guys were screaming at each other on the balcony right next to our window. I didn't hear a thing, but I did get woken up every time Norrie rolled over.
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