An adventure for every season and every traveller
Few places in New Zealand pack as much into one holiday destination as Queenstown. And the backdrop - set along the shore of Lake Wakatipu, ringed by mountains, with Cecil Peak across the water and The Remarkables rising to the south-east. The town centre sits at its heart, the open country of Central Otago at its back. What began as a gold-rush settlement is now the reason people travel from the far side of the world.
Its rhythm runs on the seasons. Winter belongs to the mountains, with crisp blue-sky days at Coronet Peak and The Remarkables. Summer belongs to the lake, when the twilight stretches past nine and dinner moves outdoors. Autumn turns the valleys gold, and spring offers the rare pleasure of skiing in the morning and golf in the afternoon.
For all its wilderness, Queenstown is easy to get to. The airport is ten minutes from the town centre, with direct flights from Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch, and from Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and the Gold Coast across the Tasman.
Your slice of the adventure capital
Your slice of the adventure capital
An Evening in Queenstown
From The Reach, the best of the town centre is a short stroll away. The waterfront and its restaurants, the galleries, spas and boutiques of the centre, the rose beds and century-old trees of the Queenstown Gardens: all within an easy walk. An evening might mean dinner at a local Michelin-starred restaurant, a quiet wine bar, or nothing more ambitious than watching the light dip behind the mountains.
An Evening in Queenstown
From The Reach, the best of the town centre is a short stroll away. The waterfront and its restaurants, the galleries, spas and boutiques of the centre, the rose beds and century-old trees of the Queenstown Gardens: all within an easy walk. An evening might mean dinner at a local Michelin-starred restaurant, a quiet wine bar, or nothing more ambitious than watching the light dip behind the mountains.
The great outdoors
Beyond town, the region opens up. Coronet Peak and The Remarkables are the winter drawcards. When the snow melts, the lake, the golf courses and hundreds of kilometres of walking and cycle trails come into their own. The many cellar doors of pinot noir country sit within half an hour's drive, with the gold-rush streets of Arrowtown just beyond.
Further out are the memorable, scenic drives: Glenorchy at the head of the lake, Wānaka over the Crown Range, and the vast reaches of Mount Aspiring and Fiordland National Parks. This is the quiet appeal of a Queenstown base: plenty to enjoy within a day's reach, with an enduring beauty that keeps drawing you back in.
