Queenstown

Surrounded by majestic mountains and nestled on the shores of Lake Wakatipu, Queenstown is New Zealand’s premier four-season lake and alpine resort. Nestled on the southwest side of the South Island, Queenstown has established a reputation as a international jet set location, the Adrenaline and film capital of the South Island and of course, the Otago region’s wine center.

Whatever you do, whatever your style, Queenstown will feed your imagination, fuel your passions and revitalize your spirit. From bungy jumping to wine trails, jet boating to tramping, dining out to skiing, the tricky part is extending your stay to try and fit everything in.

Born as an 1860’s goldmining camp, 150 years later Queenstown has a compact and sophisticated downtown area tucked into a picturesque bay on the shores of Lake Wakatipu. Dwarfed by the surrounding mountains, it is a camera-person’s delight as there are amazing views from almost anywhere. There’s also a permanent buzz in the downtown area where you’ll find a lively café/bar scene and excellent shopping.

Queenstown rarely sleeps. Sophisticated wine bars, live jazz, top DJ’s, long summer nights in a garden bar serving locally brewed beer or après ski, there’s more than 160 licensed bars and cafés in downtown Queenstown. Your tastebuds will be treated to a plethora of international cuisines and local delicacies that are savored by locals and visitors alike.

The main dining precinct runs from Steamer Wharf up Beach Street, splitting into Shotover and Church Streets and includes all the malls and alleyways in between. The gondola can transport you to a dining room with an awesome view of the Wakatipu basin. The ultimate in taste sensations, there are more than 150 eateries to choose from in Queenstown and neighboring Arrowtown, not counting the winery restaurants between Lake Hayes and Gibbston.

The region’s gallery and craft workshop trail would take days to do justice, yet a few hours can happily be spent watching jewellery makers at work, taking an artist-hosted studio tour or eyeing up New Zealand paintings and sculptures on show in some fabulous galleries. Every Saturday morning a craft market at Queenstown’s Steamer Wharf offers all sorts of artisan products from traditional greenstone carved necklaces to hand-painted ceramics.

Home to the world’s first commercial jet boating, bungy jump and river surfing, Queenstown’s reputation as the world’s adrenaline destination is well deserved. From the mild to the wild you’ll find your adventure threshold here.  The expansive natural physical environment offers superb air, water and land based activities – tramping, sailing, hiking, climbing, fishing, cycling, golfing, off-roading, skiing or mountain biking.

Queenstown is also a major center for snow sports in New Zealand, with people from all over the country and many parts of the world travelling to ski at the four main ski fields – Cardrona Alpine Resort, Coronet Peak, the Remarkables and Treble Cone). Cross country skiing is also available at the Waiora Snow Farm located near the village of Cardrona.

Interesting facts:

Queenstown and the surrounding area contains many locations used in the filming of the Lord of the Rings film trilogy as well as the 2009 film X-Men Origins: Wolverine.

A coal fired steamship that is nearly 100 years old, called the TSS Earnslaw, provides tourist trips on the lake.

A bit of Queenstown lore

William Gilbert Rees, along with fellow explorer Nicholas Von Tunzelman, were the first Europeans to settle the area. Rees was in search of pastoral land, and after an initial visit returned in 1860 to establish a high country farm in the location of Queenstown’s current town centre. However the Rees’ farming lifestyle was to be short-lived. In 1862 gold was discovered in the Arrow River, a short distance from Queenstown.

There are various apocryphal accounts of how the town was named, the most popular suggesting that a local gold digger exclaimed that the town was “fit for Queen Victoria”. It is now known for its commerce-oriented tourism popular with young, international and New Zealand travellers alike.

Queenstown Surrounds

Queenstown’s neighboring towns include Arrowtown, Wanaka, Alexandra and Cromwell. The nearest cities are Dunedin and Invercargill on the eastern and southeastern coasts respectively.

The lake resorts of Queenstown, Wanaka and Te Anau share an adventurous spirit and natural splendor. Queenstown and Wanaka are separated by just one hour’s drive over the Crown Range; they are much loved alpine playgrounds with subtly different atmospheres. The resort town of Te Anau, about a 2-hour drive around the lake, is an ideal base for exploring the Fiordland National Park – New Zealand’s largest National Park and a World Heritage area.