Free skiing as the essence of freedom Pete learned to ski almost as soon as he could walk. “I started skiing when I was five and took to it straight away. There's an old photo of me pinning it straight down a hill wide-eyed with excitement and the thrill of it.” Everything from then on was about…
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Gearing Queenstown visitors and locals up for the great outdoors Small Planet Outdoors is on Shotover Street in the heart of Queenstown. Walk in and you’ll see this is no ordinary gear store. It’s packed to the rafters with an eclectic range of outdoor gear, and crewed by knowledgeable staff who…
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We sat down with the president of the Queenstown Mountain Bike Club, Pete McInally, to talk about the local scene. Pete’s a bit of a local MTB legend himself. His nickname McGnarly comes from his enthusiasm for steep technical trails with massive jumps, so much so that intermediate jump trail…
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La Rumbla At La Rumbla in Arrowtown, the atmosphere is buzzing and the food is fresh and tangy, with plenty of Latin American spice. Created by Sam Gruar, a previous manager at Eichardts Private Hotel, and Penelope Johnson (known as PJ), who managed Barmuda and helped set up Botswana Butchery, the…
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Owner and distiller of Broken Heart Spirits, Joerg discovered Queenstown in 2001. Back then he was a commercial pilot, living in Germany and flying regularly to New Zealand. One stopover, he hired a camper van, drove south into Gibbston, saw a sign saying ‘vineyard for sale’, and realised he’d found…
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The prodigal child of two ski instructors, Blake grew up on the slopes of The Remarkables and Coronet Peak. Blake's first freeride competition was on home turf at The Remarkables where he won the 2* Freeride World Qualifier (FWQ) competition: The North Face Frontier. Heartened by this, he went on…
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Christopher Keys: Winemaker at Gibbston Valley Winery Christopher Keys’ first exposure to the wine world was at a part-time job in a bottle shop in Dunedin. Having just graduated from Otago University with an Arts degree, he was scrambling for the next move and found the wine scene invigorating and…
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If you’re a keen mountain biker with an eye for young talent, you’ve probably heard of the Meek boys. Rory Meek has been twice W3 for his age group in BMX racing and two times age group US Open MTB Champion. Toby Meek is U17 Downhill MTB NZ2 and has been BMX racing at world championship level for…
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Are you in the pursuit of adrenaline zen? Think climbing, rafting, skydiving, and exploring some of the greatest adrenaline-fueled sports Queenstown has on offer for every thrill seeker. Queenstown is the home of outdoor adventure sports, and its powerful natural landscapes and magnetic energy have…
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Originally from the North Island, Mike discovered his true passion for mountaineering and skiing when he moved to Queenstown at age 20. Since then, Mike's worked and lived in Mount Cook, Canada and Japan, before starting his own mountain guiding business in Queenstown four years ago. What is ski…
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