I wrapped up my trip along the West Coast, coming from Franz Josef Glacier to Queenstown in a drive that ended up taking over six hours as I kept stopping to take photos of the scenic drive (scroll to the bottom if you haven't seen it yet).

I arrived in Queenstown on a warm evening on March 6th and checked into a nearby Novotel for the first two nights before heading out for a bite. While New Zealanders consider the first of March to be the end of summer, this lakeside resort town was far from sleepy. Everything was booked, every restaurant and cafe packed. Queenstown was especially full of life for a town with a district population of only 35,000.

My first full day in Queenstown was overcast and a bit rainy so I spent the day lazily roaming around and eating (only to repeat the next day when the sun returned) and signing up for things I wanted to do later: a jet boat ride as well as helicopter and boat tours of Milford Sound.

I went back the next day with just my GoPro and rode the luge a few times. It's basically a little cart you navigate down a fun little winding course.

Upon returning back to the town centre I had a late lunch at a gourmet pizza spot called Winnies. I had checked out of my hotel that morning and moved to an Airbnb I had rented for the bulk of my stay. It was a huge flat with 6 beds (well, four were bunk beds, intended for traveling families with kids) in a great location.

The owner was super friendly and owned the bar below and ended up giving me a card to get drinks downstairs whenever I wanted. I took him up on the offer after a long day in the sun.

With no plans and a lovely setting sun I went for a leisurely stroll a bit further out towards the edge of Queenstown for a few hours before meeting up for drinks with a friend of a friend that happened to be in town as well.

Queenstown is surrounded by the The Remarkables, a beautiful mountain range that can be seen from just about anywhere in Queenstown. It makes for a remarkable backdrop.

The next day was particularly chilly and overcast. I relaxed indoors a bit (I liked one particular music television station that reminded me of what MTV and VH1 were in their prime) and wandered around the Queenstown Gardens before grabbing dinner at Public.

After returning famished in the evening, I went to a nearby pizza place called Hell. I rather fittingly enjoyed a spicy jalapeno pizza along with a Steinlager beer.

I had done some cursory research about shooting from inside a doors-on helicopter and it sounded like I needed to shoot without a polarizer. The helicopter's windows are plexiglas and the stress lines in the window can create strange striations in photos, especially if the window has any scratches.

Though while trying to pack light I didn't even bring my polarizer.. which I should have had on hand for when we were able to get outside the helicopter for a few shots.

Despite stellar weather, the ride was not perfectly smooth. While we were hopping over various mountain peaks there was always a gust of wind waiting for us. Given that it was a relatively small aircraft, we were pushed around a good bit at times.

At one point we instantly dropped some altitude and rotated a bit before control was regained. Of course the pilot was super calm and would just casually comment on the breeze we were experiencing. On the upside, I now have absolutely no complaints about any airplane turbulence compared to this.

We then landed at Milford Sound, lining up behind a bunch of other helicopters during this busy season. When I first began researching my New Zealand trip, Milford Sound was one of the must-see natural attractions I kept coming across. Despite the remote location, the 15km long Milford Sound fiord can see up to a million visitors per year.

However, I was still a tad miffed I didn't have my polarizer on me. The colors and detail here don't do it justice.

We landed on Mt Tutoko on the return home and got out to walk around and take in some great views and brisk weather. While the plan was to actually land on a glacier in the area, the pilot did not like the current conditions.

After making my way back to Queenstown, I made a stop at Vudu Cafe & Larder for some coffee, eggs and pancakes. I spent the rest of the day relaxing indoors, doing laundry, then strolling around during sunset.

Upon making it to the boat with the other folks in the group, we dropped our stuff off in our rooms before getting familiarized with the agenda for the evening and morning. There were a few options for activities and I went to hike part of the Milford Track with one group.

We returned to the ship after a hiking for about an hour. We enjoyed dinner and then went out on the deck as we cruised through the fiord before anchoring for the night. I stayed up late to chat and play cards with some of the younger folks on the boat.

We received an early wake up call around 6am to let us know that we would begin sailing out to the sea and turn around for a full tour of the fiord. It was frigid, overcast and misty in the morning but I enjoyed seeing Milford Sound draped in low clouds and abundant fog.

I had a return flight to Queenstown scheduled but due to inclement weather it was cancelled and I returned via bus instead. In hindsight I should have driven as the bus ride ended up taking some 6-7 hours due to frequent stops instead of the 4 hours it would have taken me alone.

I slowly made my way back to the hotel after dinner, with some slight detours for a few long exposure shots.