Queenstown (and Wanaka and the surrounding area) are just stunning and it's so lovely to live here... I wake up every morning to views of the mountains (which now have snow on) and the huge lakes and can't believe I'm actually living here. It doesn't matter where you are here there is an awesome view of the lakes and mountains... for example I went to the supermarket and stood in the carpark and had an awesome view of the Remarkables (mountain range) and then again at the petrol station you get an wicked view of the lake and then I drive to work sometimes towards Arrowtown and drive past Coronet Peak (ski-field) and it's like regardless what mundane job I'm doing in the day it just feels so much better for the beautiful surroundings...!!!
My boyfriend and I are outdoorsy people and so love being able to go out walking here or mountain biking or snowboarding... and the rest... and it's all so easy and accesible here (although I know you can also do that easily in other parts of NZ).
There are also lots of other places close by that are easily accessible to visit such as Wanaka, Arrowtown (a gorgeous quaint old gold-mining town that is particularly beautiful at the moment with all it's Autumn colours), Glenorchy (40 mins away), Milford Sound etc etc... We haven't managed to visit them all yet but gives us something to do on weekends (when I'm not working)...!!!
I chose to live down this area of NZ because I just fell in love with the mountains and the huge lakes and also because I want to take advantage of the snowboarding for the winter. It was easier to get a job here than it was in Wanaka, although if I'm honest I prefer Wanaka because it is smaller and quieter than Queenstown and I'm not really here for the partying and the adrenalin-filled activities. Regardless, although sometimes when I'm driving to work early in the morning I do sometimes see people who are obviously on their way home to bed after a night out on the town I have managed to stay blissfully away from it all and am almost unaware of the partying that goes on. Nonetheless when you're walking through town it does have a holiday feel about it and it has a knock-on 'nice-feel' effect when I'm out shopping, and am sure when the snowboarding season starts it will be nice to go have a wee hot drink in town and know there are lots of like minded people around and the subsequent atmosphere it creates. And as for the adrenalin-filled activities most I wouldn't touch ever, although I think I have talked myself into a sky-dive... because it would be such an awesome view over the lakes and mountains on the way down if I manage to keep my eyes open...!!!
I have pretty much convinced my boyfriend to emigrate here when our 1-year holiday visas expire and I would love to live in this area permanently, however it is unlikely that a job in my line of work (Clinical Psychology) will come up and so we would have to live in a bigger town/city. So in some ways this is our year to enjoy the lakes and mountains and make the most of it. It is also more expensive to live here than most places and it is unlikely we would ever be able to afford to buy a house near here and things like food shopping and petrol is more expensive than the NZ average because of its remoteness...
OK you probably didn't expect quite such a long winded answer and I've probably waffled on long enough to make it obvious that I'm a big fan of Queenstown and the Southern Lakes... and definitely recommend you pay it a visit for a wee holiday when you get a chance
