Today was pure fun. As usual we had a slow time getting going and left for the gondola at about noon. I learned this morning that Nick pronounces this word “Gunjula”. You think you know a person and then get thrown a curveball like hearing them say “gunjula” instead of gondola. We got in and made our way up the mountain.

The main attraction, other than the amazing views, is a luge that you can take back down. They sell tickets for 3 rides, 5 rides, and onwards. 3 sounded like plenty so we went with that.

We got our helmets and a brief lesson and then got into our little sleds. Millie rode with Nick and I was solo.

On our first ride we were still getting the hang of it. The cars went way faster than I expected so we did a lot of breaking and figuring out how to slow down and turn. By the end, we realized why someone might want to go 5 or more times. We got the chairlift back up to the top.

On our second run, we took a new route to see if it would be faster. On our third run, we decided to race each other to the bottom, one car in each route. We were zooming and so competitive that we cut other people off. We were screaming and laughing hysterically by the time we got to the bottom. Nick and Millie beat me.

We had some lunch in the cafe. There was a small playhouse so Millie recruited many kids and played for about an hour while we hung out. The view of The Remarkables was… remarkable.

We took the gunjula back down to the base and began walking towards a playground we had heard all about from the parents we met yesterday. On our way we passed a sign for an “Ice Bar” and decided, yes, we must visit the ice bar. We paid way too much to get in and have one bad cocktail/mocktail each, but it was so worth it.

They gave us heavy coats and gloves and brought us down into the subzero bar that is made entirely of ice. Millie LOVED it and was running around laughing and touching everything.

While we were ordering I looked over and saw her licking the bar.

Our drinks were served in ice glasses. They were overly sweet so she was in heaven.

They had loud music playing and she kept getting up to dance. We call this Millie mode “party girl” and it’s like a glimpse into the future when she gets like this. It’s hilarious and slightly concerning.

She gets it from Nick. I had to talk him out of doing a shot from the ice boobs at 4pm this afternoon.

When we were finished with our drinks, we smashed our ice glasses into the trashcan, returned our coats, and walked out to the warm outside.

We walked through central Queenstown towards the playground. Most streets were pedestrian-only. It’s very touristy but also very nice. Cute shops and restaurants everywhere.

We got down to the lake which was just unbelievable. This has to be one of the most scenic playgrounds Millie has played in this year.

The cafe had a sign that advertised a deal on oysters and Prosecco. When we ordered they had run out of oysters, so we just had the Prosecco. Millie ran around making friends and we sat on the shore at a cafe with a glass of Prosecco while the sun went down. Why exactly are we itching to go home again?

She made friend after friend, and as always told her entire life story to their parents. We always sit in the distance so I imagine these other parents are just like “who is this outgoing orphan child?”

She played until the sun started setting and then we walked back. We stopped briefly to watch a street performer. The streets were lively and busy. She went right to bed, exhausted.