NZ +5: The Ice Bar

We went into Queenstown yesterday evening for food and drink and generally to stretch our car weary legs. There's a free shuttle minibus from the lodge, so no need for the car here yet.

It was very weird being out at 7pm and it being dark, as we've just come from British summer, but anyone who knows me knows that I prefer winter, so am really in my element. It should be dark when you go out in the evening!



The town is very bustling, even in mid-winter, as it's a ski centre. Lots of nice places to eat and drink but probably not enough time to try them all in the three days we are here.

But we did go to Minus 5, which was actually minus 8 last night. It's commonly known as the Ice Bar. Basically a refrigerated room of the sort you get in supermarkets to keep meat in. But done up as a bar. Everything is made of ice, including the glasses you drink out of...

You're only allowed to stay in there for half an hour, or you might get hyperthermia, and they do you up in a big coat and gloves before you're allowed through the door.



(I include this photo of me only to show I am actually here and not just sitting in my room at home a la Shelley from the Rovers, getting the photos of someone else's holiday off the internet.)

When I say that everything is made of ice, I obviously mean most things. A cash register of ice would be just impractical. You get a free cocktail, and the whole thing is sponsored by a popular brand of vodka.



I have lots of photos from in the bar, partly because you had to keep your fingers moving otherwise they would seize up, and partly because I was experimenting with different modes on the camera. The whole place had a very blue tinge to it, which didn't really come out if you used the flash...



...but did if you didn't...



We enjoyed ourselves anyway...



...and, replete with vodka, we came back out into the relative warm and went off back to the lodge to bed.

Footnote: before we went out into Queenstown in the evening, we booked 4x4 off road trailing, which we are doing this afternoon. And jet boating which we are doing tomorrow morning. And a helicopter journey up into the mountains which we are doing tomorrow afternoon. Thought for several seconds about jumping off a bridge suspended only by a piece of rubber band, but decided that dollar per minute, there were better ways of spending money... And also it looked too scary.