From Travel Generation

Queenstown [1] is a scenic town in the South Island of New Zealand. It is one of the most beautiful regions of Otago and offers year round attractions. The town sits on the edge of Lake Wakatipu and is surrounded by the Southern Alps. The most remarkable sight is the Remarkables, which is a saw-toothed range of mountains on the opposite side of the lake from the town.

About Queenstown

Queenstown lies at the outlet to Lake Wakatipu, one of New Zealand's Southern Lakes. It caters for tourists on a wide range of budgets, from backpackers to luxury tourists. In many respects Queenstown can be a tourist trap. However, reasonable prices and bargains can be found for those prepared to look for them.

Queenstown is a party town during high seasons. if you plan on getting a good nights sleep, then you might consider staying slightly out of town. It is common to see people on the street up to 5am in the morning, coming back from the disco or pub. If you are looking for a relaxing scenic holiday, Wanaka (an hour drive) is smaller and more tranquil (with less of a party atmosphere).

How To Get around

The Queenstown town centre itself is small enough to walk around. Parking is at a premium and can be hard to find during the day. For more distant travel wheeled transport such as a bus or car is necessary.

There are a number of tour operators to be found in downtown Queenstown. Transport from downtown Queenstown to adventure activities is often part of the tour package. Some operators may even pick up from your tourist accommodation.

A number of boat tours depart from the Queenstown Wharf at the bottom of the Mall - including the historic steamship TSS Earnslaw, affectionately known as the "Lady of the Lake" [2]

What To Do

• Touring - the scenery surrounding Queenstown makes for excellent touring, with lakes, mountains and bush around vineyards and farmland
• skiing & snowboarding - 4 world class ski fields
• Bungy Jumping - the first commercial bungy jump was established on the Kawarau Bridgejust outside Queenstown.
• jet boats - exciting jetboat rides have been operating near Queenstown for 50 years. The Shotover Jet is billed as "The World's Most Exciting Jetboat Ride". The jet boats carry passengers at high speeds over shallow waters performing stunts like 360 degree pirouettes in the water.
• Luge is fun filled gravity ride for all ages and abilities. Choose from two tracks, one scenic and gentle, the other advanced and adventurous.
• horseback riding - there are some great tours that pick up in Queenstown and take you into the valleys, through rivers, etc. Pamphlets can be collected at any hotel or hostel to explore the dozens of horseback tours
• parasailing
• mountaineering
• parapenting - launching yourself off a hill with a parachute to ride the "thermals"
• white water rafting
• scenic flights - the helicopter and light aircraft flights to Milford Sound and Fiordland are rated amongst the best in the world.
• flyfishing
• hiking
• wine tasting. The southernmost vineyards in the world are close to Queenstown.
• cycling - hire a bike for the day and use your legs
• relaxing - Queenstown is a sleepy village with reasonable nightlife
• fishing - lake wakatipu is known for it's trout. You cannot buy fishes from lakes in NZ, you have to fish for them yourself.
• cruising - lake cruises on Lake Wakatipu offer great views of the town, surrounding mountains, etc.