Queenstown

Getting There

Fly into Queenstown (ZQN). Direct flights from Sydney, Melbourne, and Auckland operate year-round; seasonal direct flights from selected Asian cities. The town itself is 8km from the airport; taxis and shuttles are the standard transfer. A hire car is essential for exploring the region properly.

The Landscape

Queenstown sits on the shore of Lake Wakatipu, with the Remarkables mountain range rising directly from the opposite shore. The setting is frequently described as the most beautiful of any town in the Southern Hemisphere. The drive from Queenstown to Glenorchy (45 minutes north along the lake's western shore) through the Mount Aspiring National Park is one of the great short drives in the world. Paradise (the valley at the road's end, used for filming Lord of the Rings) earns its name.

Adventure Sports

Queenstown invented the commercial bungee jumping industry (AJ Hackett, the Kawarau Bridge jump — the original and still the most iconic). Jet boating on the Shotover River (Shotover Jet, the narrow canyon section) at 85km/h is as dramatic as it sounds. Skydiving from 15,000ft with a clear-air view of the Southern Alps. Canyon swinging, white-water rafting, paragliding. The adventure tourism infrastructure is the best in the world and the operators are highly regulated.

Wine

The Central Otago wine region surrounding Queenstown produces Pinot Noir that consistently ranks among the world's finest — the cold climate, the altitude, and the schist soils produce a style of Pinot that tastes unlike anywhere else. Amisfield, Felton Road, and Mt Difficulty are the benchmark wineries; most have cellar door tastings. The wine trail by bicycle or by car is the correct post-adventure reward.

Winter vs Summer

Summer (December–February): Lake swimming, hiking the Routeburn Track (one of New Zealand's Great Walks), mountain biking, and the adventure activities at their most accessible. Winter (June–August): The ski fields of Coronet Peak and The Remarkables are within 30 minutes of town — world-class skiing with an excellent après-ski culture based in the town below.