Flat White

The kitchen is well stocked for cooking: there’s an oven, dishwasher, pots, pans, utensils, dishes, a microwave, toaster, and kettle. The fridge has an ice maker and water filter, and the stove is gas. Dishwasher detergent is well supplied, and the salt and pepper come in individual packets. There was also cooking oil, probably left by the previous guest. I brought Nespresso capsules, so I was disappointed there was no espresso machine. There’s no way to make coffee otherwise. The frying pan is the usual kind for places like this, scratched up with its Teflon coating peeling, so expect food to stick. The building is probably under 10 years old and seems well maintained. The facilities were clean enough. There are three bedrooms, one with twin beds and two with double beds, plus one shower room and two toilets, with no bathtubs. There’s a hairdryer, but women should bring their own shampoo and conditioner. The only option provided is an all-in-one shampoo, conditioner, and body wash, which left my hair incredibly dry and brittle, and it was impossible to fix the next day. The washing machine is in the garage, a freestanding model like the one in the booking.com photos. The garage was dusty, though, and I worried there might be mold inside the machine, so I decided not to use it. The drive from Queenstown Airport takes about four hours, since you can travel around 100 km/h along the highway. There are lots of scenic lookout points, so allow five hours if you plan to stop. Maybe because it was close to a full moon, the stars were no different from what you see at the stargazing spot in Ikuta Ryokuchi Park in Kawasaki.