My Queenstown apartment hunt went pretty well and I have found a great place to live. I have three other flatmates and Bella, a cat, also lives here. We have blueberries, arugula, and a ton of lavender growing outside. Check out the cool views:
My job hunt in Queenstown continues to yield results well after my resume drop. I now have three jobs.
My main job is at a nice Polynesian-inspired restaurant that is popular with visitors. It gets some solid reviews online and, now, I do too:
“Group dined here and had a superb experience. Unbelievable food , fantastic service from our Canadian waiter and pleasant music and atmosphere.. A fantastic dinning experience all round.”
“the whole fish was exquisite perfectly cooked and flavored with just a bit of Ginger, loved the Caparinha cocktail, and the tofu with cashew dip was delicious and I almost never eat tofu. Husband had seafood curry, which really is enough for 2, very spicy, just how he likes it. Canadian waiter had great suggestions for wine and beer pairings”
Can you guess who’s the ‘Canadian waiter’ in these two reviews?
One of my favourite parts about being a waiter is connecting with the guests who, in Queenstown, come from all over. I’ve been lucky to share travel stories with many of them and, in one instance, a table from Sydney even invited me to come eat dinner at their place should I find myself in Australia.
I also enjoy hearing the snippets of conversation going on at the tables. Sometimes it’s the “get to know you” chat of a first date or the “spending the weekend with my mistress” kind of vibe, while other times it’s engaging political discussions or suave business-deal talk. At times, you’re even the topic of conversation- like the bachelorette party (called a ‘hen party’ in NZ) last week, which was a little awkward.
My second job in Queenstown is as temporary staff for random events through a staffing agency. My tasks here vary from bartending at corporate functions to doing cooking demonstrations…yeah, a bit of a change from what I’m used to at home.
Lastly, I’m also a bartender and waiter for a catering company. This is one of my favourite gigs because many of their events take place at a scenic winery set in the Arrowtown hills about 30 minutes outside of Queenstown, oh and because there is always leftovers of their delicious food. So far, I’ve managed to carry out three plates at a time without any disasters; let’s see how long the streak lasts.
Because of these jobs, I have actually been to quite a few weddings here. My most memorable was that of an American couple who had escape to New Zealand by themselves and got married on the edge of a mountain. They then came in to the restaurant for dinner.
It was especially memorable because a close friend in Vancouver has been planning to elope with his fiance this month so, in a way, it felt like I was celebrating my friend’s wedding too.
Despite all the hours to keep me busy, I’m finding time to explore Queenstown and the area. It is very photogenic. I hope you enjoy:
Impermanent Establishments 