It’s been great using Queenstown as a base for the last month. That’s on top of a month here in October.
What do I love about Queenstown?
- The affordable public transport: A fixed fee that isn’t outrageous and a decent schedule? Sign me up.
- Running trails in the immediate area: I love that I can just leave the door and be out on a variety of different trails within 10 minutes.
- Beautiful: I assume #Queenstown is a very popular hashtag on Instagram. For good reason.
- The hostel environment and location: Haka Lodge Queenstown is comfortable, there’s a good family environment, and I could happily stay here for months. Maybe I will?
- Group meetups: I’ve got a running meetup each Monday and Wednesday. Two times a week I don’t need to think about what to do socially. Magic!
- Population size: The Queenstown population is about 15,000 apparently. I didn’t think a place this small was for me, but maybe I was wrong. It’s great bumping into people I know on the street.
- Cost of living: People often say the cost of living in Queenstown is high compared to the rest of NZ. That might be true, but as per usual, it’s possible to exist well with the usual budget travel/living tricks. If that’s you’re argument against Queenstown being worth a visit, you’ll have to try again.
What I don’t care about?
- The nightlife: You could go out here every night if you wanted. I’m glad that I haven’t fallen into the trap that I’m not really a fan of.
- The cafe/restaurant scene: There are lots of great places to eat in Queenstown, but I’m happy just buying food from the supermarket. The exception being burgers!
- Lots of adventurous activities: I don’t need to do all the activities, but it’s great there are some options. Who knows, my passion may change in the future. It’s also great to have people with other interests…so maybe this is a good thing too.
When I compare Queenstown to Chiang Mai, another place I could see myself living, they have a fair amount in common.
This connection is useful to know for future life decisions.
