Queenstown, New Zealand — Where to Go
Queenstown Sightseeing Overview
Much of Queenstown’s value as a tourist destination comes from its stunningly beautiful surroundings. Nestled on the shores of the pristine Lake Wakatipu and surrounded by the breathtaking Eyre and Remarkables mountain ranges, Queenstown attracts visitors for the same reasons it attracted the Lord of the Rings film crews.
Indeed, an entire industry has sprung up taking visitors on tours of their favorite film locations. Other main sightseeing attractions, such as the Skyline Gondola, the Ben Lomond Summit Track and The Deer Park, make full advantage of their stunning views.
Queenstown is at the center of New Zealand’s booming adventure sports market, with bungee jumping, skydiving, white water rafting, lugeing, jet boating, paragliding, canyon swinging and river boarding on offer to the brave or foolhardy.
In winter skiing and snowboarding are added to this list, thanks to the great ski fields on Coronet Peak and in the Remarkables, and for the ultimate experience, heli-skiing packages are also available.
Queenstown Tourist Information
Queenstown i-SITE Visitor Center
Clocktower Building, corner of Camp and Shotover Streets
Tel: (03) 442 4100 or 0800 668 888.
Website: www.queenstown-vacation.com
This is the official Tourist Information Center, but there are numerous other information providers in Queenstown, including the excellent Info & Track, 37 Shotover Street (tel: (03) 442 9708; website: www.infotrack.co.nz).
Queenstown Sightseeing
There are currently no official passes available, but Queenstown Combos (tel: (03) 442 7318 or 0800 423 836/ADVENTURE; website: www.combos.co.nz) offers various combination packages including activities such as bungee jumping, jet boating, helicopter flights and white water rafting for reduced combined prices.
Queenstown Sightseeing
There are currently no official passes available, but Queenstown Combos (tel: (03) 442 7318 or 0800 423 836/ADVENTURE; website: www.combos.co.nz) offers various combination packages including activities such as bungee jumping, jet boating, helicopter flights and white water rafting for reduced combined prices.
Key Attractions in Queenstown, New Zealand
Adventure Sports
Queenstown is unquestionably the adventure sports capital of an extreme sports obsessed nation. An astounding number of extreme sports are on offer here, making the most of the stunning locality. The Karawau and Shotover rivers can be enjoyed while white water rafting, jet boating, and even ‘mad dog river boarding’, where the most daring adventurers navigate the rapids with nothing but body boards to hold on to.
For those who want to stay a little drier, the canyons can also be experienced while bouncing upside down on a bungee rope. AJ Hackett has four jumps in the Queenstown area, including Nevis, which at 143m (440ft) is one of the highest bungee jumps in the world. For an alternative experience, adrenaline junkies may choose to ‘swing’ rather than jump at AJ Hackett’s The Ledge or the Shotover Canyon Swing to experience a feeling closer to flying than falling.
Shotover Jet
The Station, corner of Camp and Shotover Streets (departure point)
Tel: (03) 442 8570 or 0800 746 868/SHOTOVER.
Website: www.shotoverjet.co.nz
Queenstown Rafting
35 Shotover Street
Tel: (03) 442 9792 or 0800 723 8464/RAFTING.
Website: www.rafting.co.nz
Mad Dog River Boarding
Info & Track, 37 Shotover Street (departure point)
Tel: (03) 442 7797.
Website: www.riverboarding.co.nz
AJ Hackett
The Bungy Center at The Station, corner of Camp and Shotover Streets
Tel: (03) 442 4007 or 0800 286 495.
Website: www.ajhackett.com
Shotover Canyon Swing
Info & Track, 37 Shotover Street (departure point)
Tel: (03) 442 6990 or 0800 279 464/2SWING.
Website: www.canyonswing.co.nz
Skyline Gondola, Restaurant & Luge
One of Queenstown’s premier attractions, the Skyline Gondola carries passengers up 450m (almost 1,500ft) above Queenstown, giving them a superb view of the whole area. At the top there is a high quality restaurant, a luge track, a bungee jump, walking tracks towards Ben Lomond, and the opportunity to paraglide back down to the town.
Top of Brecon Street
Tel: (03) 441 0101.
Website: www.skyline.co.nz
Kiwi Birdlife Park
Although New Zealand has no native mammals, it does have some truly amazing birds, many of which are on show in this wildlife park. Star attractions include kiwi birds and tuatara, members of a unique 200-million-year-old reptile species, which has a primitive ‘third eye’ (a patch of light-sensitive cells) on the top of its head.
Brecon Street
Tel: (03) 442 8059.
Website: www.kiwibird.co.nz
Lake Wakatipu Walks and Trails
A number of excellent walking tracks surround Queenstown, ranging from the tough Ben Lomond Summit Track, which provides spectacular panoramic views, to the easy Frankton Arm Walkway, a walk along the Lake Wakatipu shoreline with great views of the Remarkables. For those feeling a little less energetic, Queenstown Gardens, at the end of Rees Street, is a tranquil space with equally beautiful views.
Department of Conservation Office (DOC), 37 Shotover Street
Tel: (03) 442 7935.
Website: www.doc.govt.nz
Maori Cultural Experiences
The outstanding Haka Pa Maori Village gives visitors a chance to experience New Zealand as it may have been before Europeans arrived. Tourists are welcomed by a terrifying warrior’s challenge, and then treated to a show of traditional skills and music, before being given a sumptuous feast cooked in a Hangi oven. Closer to Queenstown, Kiwi Haka offers some similar experiences.
Haka Pa Maori Village
Waterfall Park, 345 Lake Hayes to Arrowtown Road
Tel: (03) 442 1534.
Website: www.hakapa.com
Kiwi Haka
Top of Skyline Gondola, Restaurant & Luge, Brecon Street
Tel: (03) 441 0101.
Website: www.skyline.co.nz/queenstown/kiwihaka
Further Distractions
Caddyshack City
This amazing mini golf course has 18 incredibly intricate holes, including a volcano, a rollercoaster and a ski lift.
Brecon Street
Tel: (03) 442 6642.
The Deer Park
The Deer Park offers visitors the chance to photograph and feed many species of deer and other introduced animals, including highland cattle, bison and miniature horses, against a backdrop repeatedly used in the Lord of the Rings films.
Peninsula Road
Tel: (03) 442 2949 or 0800 843333.
Website: www.thedeerpark.co.nz
