The 74-year-old, the inaugural head coach of the South East Queensland-based team, admits it’s his first visit to the resort.
"[I’m] very impressed and looking forward to being here for a couple of days as long as the cold weather doesn’t turn up," he told Mountain Scene on Tuesday after he and his team had dined at Brazz.
Asked why they picked Queenstown, he says "it’s a very popular place in Australia, a lot of people talk about it".
"A lot of young men here haven’t been here before, so it’s nice — it’s part of being a football player, going places you don’t get opportunities to go sometimes in your life."
Bennett was planning to give his players a day off for some local adventures. "Myself, I don’t know what I’ll do — it won’t be bungy."
The Dolphins leave for Auckland tomorrow to play a pre-season game against the Warriors on Saturday.
Bennett has coached NRL teams to seven premiership titles, including six with the Brisbane Broncos. He’s also coached England, Great Britain and Australia.
