Much of Queenstown's value as a tourist destination comes from its stunningly beautiful surroundings. Nestled on the shores of the pristine Lake Wakatipu and surrounded by the breathtaking Eyre and Remarkables mountain ranges, Queenstown attracts visitors for the same reasons it attracted the Lord of the Rings film crews.

Indeed, an entire industry has sprung up taking visitors on tours of their favourite film locations. Other main sightseeing attractions, such as the Skyline Gondola, the Ben Lomond Summit Track and The Deer Park, make full advantage of their stunning views.

Queenstown is at the centre of New Zealand's booming adventure sports market, with bungee jumping, skydiving, white water rafting, lugeing, jet boating, paragliding, canyon swinging and river boarding on offer to the brave or foolhardy.

In winter skiing and snowboarding are added to this list, thanks to the great ski fields on Coronet Peak and in the Remarkables, and for the ultimate experience, heli-skiing packages are also available.

Queenstown i-SITE Visitor Centre
Clocktower Building, corner of Camp and Shotover Streets
Tel: (03) 442 4100 or 0800 668 888.
Website: www.queenstown-vacation.com

This is the official Tourist Information Centre, but there are numerous other information providers in Queenstown, including the excellent Info & Track, 37 Shotover Street (tel: (03) 442 9708; website: www.infotrack.co.nz).

There are currently no official passes available, but Queenstown Combos (tel: (03) 442 7318 or 0800 423 836/ADVENTURE; website: www.combos.co.nz) offers various combination packages including activities such as bungee jumping, jet boating, helicopter flights and white water rafting for reduced combined prices.