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Queenstown

Adventure Capital on Lake Wakatipu

Plan this trip
3 daysIdeal stay₹9,350From / night₹3,030Food / day₹3,250Entry

A lake town under the Remarkables, and the South Island's busiest airport. Bungy jumping began here (the Kawarau Bridge), the Shotover jet boats and the Skyline gondola and luge are next to town, and Milford Sound is a long day trip by coach or a short scenic flight. Arrowtown's gold-rush street, the Gibbston valley wineries and the drive to Glenorchy are close by. Winter brings skiing at Coronet Peak and the Remarkables (mid-June to early October); summer is busy and dear.

Highlights

  • Skyline Gondola view over Lake Wakatipu
  • Kawarau Bridge bungy
  • Shotover Jet
  • Gold-rush Arrowtown
  • Drive to Glenorchy
  • TSS Earnslaw to Walter Peak
  • Milford Sound day trip or flight
  • Skiing June to September

Things to do

  • Skyline Gondola and lugeAfternoon · 2h
  • Shotover Jet boat rideMorning · 1h 30m
  • Kawarau Bridge bungy (or watch it)Morning · 2h
  • Arrowtown and the Gibbston valley wineriesAfternoon · 4h
  • Milford Sound coach, cruise and back (or fly)Morning · 12h
  • TSS Earnslaw cruise to Walter Peak farmEvening · 3h 30m

Tours & tickets

Tours & tickets in Queenstownvia GetYourGuideTours & tickets in Queenstownvia Klook

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When to go

Best time: December – March; June – September for skiing

Worth knowing

Snow on the Crown Range and Mountain Roads

June to September, the Crown Range road between Queenstown and Wānaka and the roads up to the ski fields need chains in snow and ice, or close. Rental firms supply chains: learn to fit them before you need them, or drive via Cromwell, which stays open. Drive slowly on shaded corners in the morning (black ice).

Heads up

Ski Season: Queenstown Busy and Dear

The ski fields (Coronet Peak, the Remarkables) run from mid-June to early October; July and the school holidays are the busiest. Rooms cost more and sell out on weekends: book early, and hire chains with the car.

Worth knowing

Summer Peak: Book Everything Ahead

Mid-December to February is New Zealand's summer holiday and peak season: Queenstown rooms, rental cars and campervans sell out and prices are highest from Christmas to mid-January. Book Milford Sound cruises and coach days, the Shotover Jet and the TSS Earnslaw a week or more ahead.

  • Matariki (Māori New Year) — The rising of the Matariki (Pleiades) star cluster, a public holiday since 2022: dawn ceremonies, light shows, kai (food) festivals and star-viewing events across the country, biggest in Auckland and Wellington. A long weekend: domestic flights and ski towns are busier.
  • Queenstown Winter Festival — Usually late June, at the start of the ski season: fireworks over Lake Wakatipu, street parties, comedy and on-snow events. Rooms are dear that weekend.
  • Christmas and New Year holidays · 25 Dec – 2 Jan — New Zealand's main summer holiday: families head to the beaches and lakes, holiday parks and campervans are booked out, and Queenstown and Wānaka hold big New Year's Eve parties. Public holidays on 25-26 December and 1-2 January close some shops and add surcharges in cafés.