I've just had an amazing weekend exploring my own country, so wanted to share.

As a background - this was Mr Fleet7 and my first weekend away alone since becoming parents 13 months ago. We were looking forward to sleeping through the night and not waking until after 6:30am! The weekend was also a company conference for the three partners and their wives.

Thursday 19 July
NZ8804
NPL-AKL
My base is AKL but I'd flown to NPL the day before to deposit Junior Fleet7 with his grandparents. Rather than take the long way to Queenstown I decided to fly to AKL and then catch the direct flight from there.

The flight to AKL was a typical quick hop - my status afforded me seat 2B - although I noticed that all seats in row 1 were empty. This was something I've noticed more of flying domestically. Not sure why they keep them empty? The flight attendant spent her time doing what looked like university study! It must be a fairly mundane job these days.

NZ641
AKL - ZQN
We had an hour or so in the lounge, so I partook in the sandwiches on offer. Also hot soup which smelt great. Plenty of food in the AKL lounge and not too busy either.
The flight to Queenstown was spectacular as usual. The captain came on a number of times to point out scenery of interest. They always do a great job on this flight and it makes me proud to be a Kiwi.
The drinks trolley came around with muffins and scones etc. There was a full menu card in the seat pocket although I read on a forum that Wishbone was no longer catering - it didn't seem to be the case. As I went to the bathroom I saw the calculations for the flight's take - $88.00 - I did wonder if it is worth it to Air NZ?

Upon arrival in Queenstown our weekend of luxury began. We were collected by a limousine (slightly tacky! but a rather hilarious start to the trip) and driven to our accommodation - Blanket Bay Lodge in Glenorchy.

Blanket Bay Lodge
If you are ever in the mood for a slice of perfection then I couldn't recommend this lodge enough. About 45min from Queenstown, Blanket Bay sits at the north end of Lake Wakitipu, nestled amongst some of the most spectacular scenery. We were welcomed like old friends and shown around the lodge. You could not fault the place. Our beds were so luxurious and warm (full goose down duvets) that we actually turned the airconditioning off at night and slept with the windows open (-2degrees outside!)

Pre dinner drinks start at 6:30pm (champagne by the glass is Moet) and during that time your meal choice for dinner is taken. Dinner is a five course affair - soup, cold starter, salad, main, dessert - spread over as many hours as you want. On our last night there the All Blacks were playing so we had a TV dinner - five courses on the coffee table infront of their massive TV! Nothing was a bother.

Breakfast was continental and cooked and again, nothing was a bother. You could basically request anything you liked. One of our group was gluten free and her food was fantastic. Every morning she had four (!) muffins freshly baked for her, with freshly baked bread, cereals etc.

Activities
Our first activity was snow mobiling. We were dropped off at one of the helicopter companies, loaded into a Squirrel chopper and flown for 15min over the Remarkables to the Old Woman Range. We were fitted out in all the gear (suits, gloves, boots, helmets etc) and given a quick lesson on how to drive - then off. This was a most excellent adventure! You can go as fast as you like (I managed 60km/h for a brief moment) and the experience lasts about 1hour. The helicopter then came to collect us and gave us a great scenic flight back to Queenstown. Everyone in the group was buzzing. An amazing experience. [URL="http://www.snowchaser.co.nz/snowmobile-tours.htm"]

Our second activity was jetboating down the Dart River. The jetboat collected us from Blanket Bay and we were off for nearly three hours exploring our amazing country. It isn't like the Shotover jet which is more of a thrill ride, more of a scenic tour of the country via jet boat. The river was very low, so there were some fun moments sucking up rocks and nearly getting stranded and so many awe inspiring moments. We parked up in a spot nicknamed Siberia - it's been under frost for over 14 days - the frost formations were amazing. It started to snow just as we returned to Blanket Bay so a truly fabulous experience.

Unfortunately all over too soon - and back to the airport for our flights home.

Sunday 22 July
ZQN-WLG
NZ5406
Unfortunately no quick way to return to NPL from ZQN other than through Wellington with a 2 hour wait. The flight to WLG was on an ATR Turboprop so rather noisy. Tea, coffee and the good old biscuit were offered. Another flight with amazing scenery and a great pilot who pointed out everything of interest.

Two hours in the lounge in WLG passed with a good selection of food - sandwiches, soup and a delicious carrot cake.

WLG-NPL
NZ8848
On board the Dash 8 for the final hop to NPL. Fairly quiet flight, no tea or coffee this time - just the water. Flight attendant spent her time doing an inventory check of the plane - counting pencils, plastic bags etc!

And so, the weekend of luxury ended with a reunion with Fleet7 Junior (who didn't recognise me!!) and a sleep in a bed with no goose down duvet! I couldn't recommend Blanket Bay enough - if you have a special occassion (or not!) definitely head there. It is fairly empty in winter as the American and Europeans like to visit Queenstown in summer - but I think it is at its most spectacular in winter. It was great to explore my own country and be reminded again just how lucky we are.