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Meg | 29 years local | Your Arthurs Point Neighbour
Meg is quintessentially local – came, saw and stayed, loves outdoor adventures and was so in love and passionate about our home that she created a business that allow her to share important information with locals and visitors who are travelling with children. Meg’s publication Kidz Go is found in almost all accommodations, visitor information centres and even in local convenient stores. Meg and her hubby Declan also host visitors in their home, you can learn more about their local experience here.
Read more of Meg’s story below:
“What I love about Queenstown is most people live here not because they were born here but because they CHOSE it, and I think that is what gives the town its energetic creativity – so full of new spirit and new ideas!
My story is like many or most others – I arrived, fell in love with the town and with New Zealand, and stayed. I was a young backpacker in 1990 and I had planned for four months to see New Zealand. After a brief stint teaching in Invercargill I arrived in Queenstown and my life long relationship began – I felt like I’d met my ‘soulmate’ of places.
Fast forward 29 years and I still feel the same, and still relish the fact that I can find new places to explore, new treks, new bike tracks, all around here, every day! After 10 years in the restaurant trade, then a couple of years travel I returned with renewed energy and a passion to share my knowledge and love of the area with our visitors. I wanted to provide the kind of information I would share with my own visiting family, to all visitors with children. There is so much to do, explore, see and experience, but with little ones there are endless tips and different questions and all sorts of need-to-know stuff.
I set out to channel my passion and drive and created Kidz Go Southern Lakes. The Kidz Go guide for local and visiting families was a hit and 18 years later the magazine is an iconic feature of the Queenstown tourism scene and go-to guide for families. I truly believe its success lies in my passion for the task and desire to provide a wealth of tips and general information beyond my paid advertisers.
And me? My passions when not working on Kidz Go are all in the outdoors – downhill skiing, ski touring, snowboarding, rock climbing, kayaking, hiking and mountain biking.
I guess riding my bike is my favourite thing and Queenstown is lucky enough to have the funding and dedicated team of keen biking volunteers who have created and maintain a network of incredible biking trails through show-stopping terrain! It’s a work in progress and there are even more trails and more terrain opening up next year. The Kidz Go magazine and website keeps you updated on the best trails with the kids, including some awesome downhill single tracks that budding bike fiends will just love! Plus after so long hanging out around the Southern Lakes, I have all sorts of favourite walks – whether for an hour or a day, picnic spots, and hidden gems or must-do outings!”
whitelawmitchell
