皇后镇，给心灵放假的好去处

来到南岛，皇后镇是不得不去的地方，它是新西兰南岛耀眼的存在。

被冠以「皇后」之名的原因，并不是这里真的诞生过皇后。据说，早在 1862 年，这里只是毛利人的传统生活领地。随着淘金热的兴起，越来越多的英国殖民者来到这里，他们被秀丽的湖光山色深深吸引，认为所有的荣耀都应归功于维多利亚女王，所以将之命名为「皇后镇」。

湖光山色是皇后镇最美丽动人的标志。

皇后镇位于瓦卡蒂普湖畔，置身于南阿尔卑斯山脉环抱之中。瓦卡蒂普湖是新西兰第三大湖泊，湖水呈现深邃的宝蓝色。其形如闪电，独特的形状致使湖面具有特别的潮汐现象，水面每隔 25 分钟就会涨落一次。若想欣赏壮丽的高山和湖泊景色，一定要搭乘厄恩斯洛号。厄恩斯洛号于 1912 年投入营运，从湖的一边开往另一边，是南半球唯一还在航行的燃煤蒸汽游船。

皇后镇的湖泊、高山以及神奇地势，天生就是探险活动的乐园，有「探险之都」的美誉。在这里，游客可以随时来一场冒险之旅：在世界上第一个蹦极场地卡瓦劳大桥上飞跃而下，感受「自由飞翔」；乘坐卡瓦罗号喷射快艇，体验穿越休特弗河峡谷的惊险；在休特弗河的船长峡谷，挑战一次真正的漂流。若这些不过瘾，还可以选择高空跳伞、峡谷秋千、滑翔伞、热气球等，200 多种户外运动项目绝对能满足体内的冒险细胞。

除了皇后镇，瓦卡蒂普湖区周围的格林诺奇、箭镇、金斯顿村和金洛克等城镇也各有特色，值得一去。格林诺奇拥有多条优美的步道，壮观的景色使这里成为《指环王》及《纳尼亚传奇》等多部电影的取景地。距离皇后镇 21 公里的箭镇，有着与中国剪不断的联系，留下了最早一批华人在新西兰淘金的印迹。

上山、入海、游湖、观星……以皇后镇为轴心，无论是来一场探索内心之旅，还是单纯地给心灵放个假，都可以在此开启。而专属这里的那份气韵，为旅途增添了一份魅力，也让这份美好历久弥新、毕生难忘。

Queenstown， a Perfect Place for Relaxing Your Soul

A lot of people have said， “Be sure to visit New Zealand’s South Island at least once in your lifetime.”The North Island has a greater concentration of cities and more developed economy， but the South Island seems like a treasure given to New Zealand by nature， where the splendid scenery of snow-capped mountains and lakes is natural and pure. It is a place that will never disappoint travelers.

The name “Queenstown” does not mean that it is a queen’s hometown. It is said that in 1862， it was only Maori traditional living territory. With the rise of the gold rush， more and more British colonists came here. Captivated by the beautiful scenery of lakes and mountains， they believed that all the glories should be credited to Queen Victoria， so the town got the name “Queenstown”.

Queenstown is located on the shore of Lake Wakatipu， and surrounded by the Southern Alps. Lake Wakatipu is the third largest lake in New Zealand， appearing sapphire blue. Because of its unusual shape like a lightning bolt， the lake has a special tidal phenomenon， which causes the water to rise and fall every 25 minutes. If you want to enjoy the magnificent alpine scenery and lake view， be sure to take the TSS Earnslaw. Put into operation in 1912， the Earnslaw is the sole coal-fired steamship that sill runs in the Southern Hemisphere.

In addition to Queenstown， the surrounding towns of Lake Wakatipu， including Glenorchy， Arrowtown， Kingston and Kinloch， all have their own characteristics， and are worth visiting. Glenorchy has many beautiful trails. Its spectacular landscape has made it a prime location for films， including Lord of the Rings and The Chronicles of Narnia. Arrowtown， 21 kilometers from Queenstown， has a close relation with China. There are the traces of the earliest batch of Chinese miners panning for gold in New Zealand.

作者 飞扬