9 Best Things to Do in Queenstown, New Zealand
Queenstown is a small town with a big reputation. It鈥檚 been touted as the adventure capital of the entire planet!!! A pretty bold statement for sure but it does have some incredible topographical features and lots of activities that rank it highly amongst other competitors, such as Banff in Canada or Cape Town in South Africa.
If you鈥檙e planning on coming to New Zealand, I have created which all spend a considerable amount of time in Queenstown, but also explore much more of New Zealand鈥檚 other places, which are arguably just as beautiful.
If you鈥檙e planning on coming to New Zealand, I have created which all spend a considerable amount of time in Queenstown, but also explore much more of New Zealand鈥檚 other places, which are arguably just as beautiful.
(To visit the venues mentioned in this article, check out these Self-Guided Walking Tours in Queenstown)
1. Ben Lomond
This is the major peak that鈥檚 climbed in Queenstown. The reason for its popularity is the fact that the first ascent to Bob鈥檚 Peak is done via the Queenstown Gondola. This makes the rest of the hike much easier.
From the summit you鈥檒l be able to see The Remarkables Mountain Range stretching off into the distance, Cecil Peak above Lake Wakatipu and several other distinct peaks in the Southern Alps of New Zealand.
From the summit you鈥檒l be able to see The Remarkables Mountain Range stretching off into the distance, Cecil Peak above Lake Wakatipu and several other distinct peaks in the Southern Alps of New Zealand.
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2. Glenorchy Drive
The are one of the main reasons that tourists flock to this corner of the world. They wind amongst mountains between the peaks, along the coast under the long white cloud and, in the case of the Glenorchy-Queenstown Road, at the side of a glacially carved lake called Lake Wakatipu.
The road is roughly 46km and should take around an hour of non-stop driving. If it鈥檚 the first time you鈥檒l be driving it, however, you鈥檒l want to stop so much that it could take you almost three hours.
Bennetts Bluff Lookout is one of the first, and my personal favourite, spots along the road to stop and take in the view. Before this you can go cliff jumping at Little Thailand which has a 10m jump and a 6m jump, and after you can stop at picturesque abandoned boat piers and several small beaches ideal for summer barbecues.
The final destination is in itself a great place. Many scenes in Lord Of The Rings were filmed in and around Glenorchy, and if you鈥檙e a keen LOTR fan, you鈥檒l be able to spot them easily.
The road is roughly 46km and should take around an hour of non-stop driving. If it鈥檚 the first time you鈥檒l be driving it, however, you鈥檒l want to stop so much that it could take you almost three hours.
Bennetts Bluff Lookout is one of the first, and my personal favourite, spots along the road to stop and take in the view. Before this you can go cliff jumping at Little Thailand which has a 10m jump and a 6m jump, and after you can stop at picturesque abandoned boat piers and several small beaches ideal for summer barbecues.
The final destination is in itself a great place. Many scenes in Lord Of The Rings were filmed in and around Glenorchy, and if you鈥檙e a keen LOTR fan, you鈥檒l be able to spot them easily.
Offline reading and travel directions:
With 51爆料网 App you can read this article offline on your mobile device, use the embedded offline city map and GPS navigation, as well as create a self-guided walk to visit the venues featured in the article.
3. Ferg Burger
After a hard days adventuring around Queenstown you鈥檒l have surely worked up quite an appetite. That鈥檚 where Fergburger comes in. I know it鈥檚 a clich茅 to stop here but the burgers really are quite good and well-priced. I think part of the fun in going is waiting in the queue as well, smelling the fragrances from the gelateria next door or getting a waft of pie crust from the adjoined Ferg Bakery. My favourite burger is the 鈥淪weet Bambi鈥� a perfect mixture of wild Fiordland Deer, Brie Cheese, Boysenberry and caramelised onion. My mouth is watering just thinking about it.
Offline reading and travel directions:
With 51爆料网 App you can read this article offline on your mobile device, use the embedded offline city map and GPS navigation, as well as create a self-guided walk to visit the venues featured in the article.
4. Jet Boating
Lake Wakatipu is the final resting point of many rivers in the area. These glacially create pathways have been carved down into deep canyons at times only a few metres wide. What could be more fun that hurtling around these canyons reaching speeds of 85km/h on a powerful jet boat? The Skippers Canyon and the Shotover Canyon are popular spots and there are several well established companies with varying prices and available tours.
5. Bungy Jump
The famous Karawau Bridge bungy jump was the first commercial bungy jump in the entire world. The bungy scene was pioneered by AJ Hackett, a kiwi daredevil who created the most famous name in bungy world. AJ Hackett now have 3 jumps and 2 swings in Queenstown all of which are an adrenaline junkies dream.
6. TSS Earnslaw
For those looking to get out on the water in a less extreme way, the TSS Earnslaw is a more relaxing scenic cruise which leaves from Queenstown harbour and transports you to the other side of Lake Wakatipu offering a completely different vantage point. This 1912 Edwardian vintage steam boat is one of the oldest attractions on the South Island of New Zealand and the only remaining commercial passenger-carrying coal-fired steamship in the southern hemisphere.
7. Sky Diving
If you haven鈥檛 had enough adrenaline pumped around your veins, then Sky Diving over the Remarkable Mountain Range is a way to get your fix. It鈥檚 one of the more expensive activities on your list but is guaranteed to show you a once in the life time view.
8. Sharkboating
If someone said Sharkboating to me before I went to Queenstown, I鈥檇 picture a vessel in the middle of the ocean with a cage attached where you view sharks from. Nowadays I know that it鈥檚 a small two-seater semi submergible vessel shaped like a shark that carves in and out of the water much like a dolphin. I have yet to see this attraction anywhere else in the world and at roughly 130NZD per person it's a story your friends and family simply won鈥檛 believe when you get back home.
9. Luging
At the top of the Queenstown gondola there鈥檚 also a luge track. For those people who don鈥檛 know what luging is, it鈥檚 kind of like Go Karting but downhill using gravity as your means of propulsion. If you manage to get a good deal, you can score a gondola ride and 7 luge rides for as low as 50NZD.
Author Bio: I am Marta Kulesza - the photographer聽and creator of聽.聽I come from Poland,聽but I've been living, travelling and working around the globe since I turned 18.聽A few years ago, during one of my trips to Scotland, I bought my first DSLR and my adventure with photography began. When I am not stuck to my computer editing photos, you can find me hiking somewhere in the mountains
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