"Fun Fun Fun" Queenstown by Kimi_the_Bear

Every tourist runs to Queenstown – or drives, flies, or whatever. All those people go there because they want to fall down from a bridge head first, spin around on jetboats, drive up mountains you would better walk, and they pay a lotttt of money for all those activities which make them scream from fear.

I do not know why people want to be scared. But I can tell you: Although I am a little coward I have also tried some of those activities like jetboating and bungy jumping.

But there are also more relaxed things to do, for example gold panning (unfortunately unsuccessful up to now). I love the area because there are so many mountains and forests, so I can hop from rock to rock, and climb on trees. I also went on a cruise on Lake Wakatipu on a veeeery old ship named Earnslaw. This lake is very impressive. It is New Zealand’s longest lake, 77 kilometres long, and its name means: the place where the demon lies. Despite this name the cruise was harmless and not scary at all.

On this photo you can see me with Mr. Rees and a merino sheep. I do not know the name of the sheep but it is of the same breed as my friend Shrek. Mister Rees' first names are William and Gilbert. This guy walked over the mountains with a friend in 1860, and they also travelled by horse and on driftwood rafts. When they saw Lake Wakatipu from the Crown Range they thought this place looked quite nice, and they decided to settle here. William Gilbert Rees came back a year later with lots and lots of sheep, and founded Queenstown. His farm was located at about the spot you see this monument today. And I can imagine, the merino of the monument was one of the original sheep. Anyway. We have to thank this man for being such a tough pioneer. Without him we would not have so much fun in Queenstown today.

As I have already told you, Queenstown is surrounded by lots and lots of mountains. The most famous ones are the Remarkables and Coronet Peak. They are used for skiing in winter and have ski lifts. On the photo you see me in Skippers Canyon. This is the most exciting valley of the area. The upper Shotover River which was the richest gold-bearing river of the world in the 1860's is deep down in the valley, and you can drive down there on a veeeeery narrow, veeeeeeeeery winding and veeeeeeeery scary and absolutely unsealed road. But only if you have your own car. Rental companies do not allow their cars to be taken into Skippers Canyon. But you can book a tour - and spend more money... I can tell you: Queenstown is a very expensive place for humans! Only bears like me can squeeze in for free everywhere.

• Pros:Bears travel free of charge on all tours
• Cons:Traffic jams like in Germany during the peak seasons
• In a nutshell:I will be back to pan for gold. I want to be rich!