Home › Travel Guides › Oceania Travel Guide › New Zealand › Queenstown › Things to see in Queenstown
Image gallery

Queenstown, New Zealand

© 123rf.com / Chris Jewiss

++1300
Queenstown Local time

Weather in Queenstown
Sunny
1
9
°C
New Zealand

Things to see in Queenstown

Tourist information: 

Queenstown i-SITE Visitor Centre
Clocktower Building, corner of Camp and Shotover Streets
Tel: (03) 442 4100.
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; www.infotrack.co.nz).

Passes: 

Queenstown Combos (tel: (03) 442 7318 or 0800 423 836; www.combos.co.nz) offers various combination packages including activities such as bungee jumping, jet boating, helicopter flights and white water rafting for reduced prices.

Bungee jumping

For those who want to stay a little drier, the canyons can also be experienced whilst bouncing upside down on a bungee rope. AJ Hackett has four jumps in the Queenstown area, including Nevis, which at 143m (440ft) is one of the highest bungee jumps in the world. For an alternative experience, adrenaline junkies may choose to ‘swing' rather than jump at AJ Hackett's The Ledge or the Shotover Canyon Swing to experience a feeling closer to flying than falling. The bungee jump at Kawarau Bridge was the first bungee jump in Queenstown.

For more information: AJ Hackett (tel: (03) 442 4008 or 0800 286 4958; www.ajhackett.com) and Shotover Canyon Swing (tel: (03) 442 6990 or 0800 279 464; www.canyonswing.co.nz).

Disabled Access: No
Unesco: No
Address:
Caddyshack City

This amazing mini golf course has 18 incredibly intricate holes, including a volcano, a rollercoaster and a ski lift.

Disabled Access: No
Unesco: No
Address: Brecon Street, Queenstown, New Zealand
Telephone: (03) 442 6642.
Haka Pa Maori Village

The outstanding Haka Pa Maori Village gives visitors a chance to experience New Zealand as it may have been before Europeans arrived. Tourists are welcomed by a terrifying warrior's challenge, and then treated to a show of traditional skills and music, before being given a sumptuous feast cooked in a hangi oven. Closer to Queenstown, Kiwi Haka offers some similar experiences.

Opening Times: Daily 0900-1700 and 1900-2200.
Admission Fees: Yes
Disabled Access: Yes
Unesco: No
Address: Waterfall Park, 345 Lake Hayes to Arrowtown Road, Queenstown, New Zealand
Telephone: 03) 442 1534.
Website: www.hakapa.com
Kiwi Birdlife Park

Although New Zealand has no native mammals, it does have some truly amazing birds, many of which are on show in this wildlife park. Star attractions include kiwi birds and tuatara, members of a unique 200-million-year-old reptile species, which has a primitive ‘third eye' (a patch of light-sensitive cells) on the top of its head. You can watch kiwis being fed four times a day.

Opening Times: Daily 0900-1700 (winter); daily 0900-1830 (summer).
Admission Fees: Yes
Disabled Access: Yes
Unesco: No
Address: Brecon Street, Queenstown, New Zealand
Telephone: (03) 442 8059.
Website: www.kiwibird.co.nz
Lake Wakatipu walks and trails

A number of excellent walking tracks surround Queenstown, ranging from the tough Ben Lomond Summit Track, which provides spectacular panoramic views, to the easy Frankton Arm Walkway, a walk along the Lake Wakatipu shoreline with great views of the Remarkables. For those feeling a little less energetic, Queenstown Gardens, at the end of Rees Street, is a tranquil space with equally beautiful views.

Admission Fees: No
Disabled Access: Yes
Unesco: No
Address: Department of Conservation Office (DOC), Queenstown, New Zealand
Telephone: (03) 442 7935.
Website: www.doc.govt.nz
River adventures

Queenstown is unquestionably the adventure sports capital of an extreme sports obsessed nation. An astounding number of extreme sports are on offer here, making the most of the stunning locality. The Karawau and Shotover rivers can be enjoyed whilst white water rafting, jet boating, and even ‘mad dog river boarding', where the most daring adventurers navigate the rapids with nothing but body boards to hold on to.

For more information: Shotover Jet (tel: (03) 442 8570 or 0800 746 868; www.shotoverjet.co.nz); Queenstown Rafting (tel: (03) 442 9792 or 0800 723 8464; www.rafting.co.nz) and Mad Dog River Boarding (tel: (03) 442 7797; www.riverboarding.co.nz).

Disabled Access: No
Unesco: No
Address:
Skyline Gondola, Restaurant & Luge

One of Queenstown's premier attractions, the Skyline Gondola carries passengers up 450m (almost 1,500ft) above Queenstown, giving them a superb view of the whole area. At the top there is a high quality restaurant with Maori cultural shows, a luge track, a bungee jump, walking tracks towards Ben Lomond, and the opportunity to paraglide back down to the town.

Opening Times: Daily 0900-late.
Admission Fees: Yes (for gondola and luge)
Disabled Access: No
Unesco: No
Address: Top of Brecon Street, Queenstown, New Zealand
Telephone: (03) 441 0101.
Website: www.skyline.co.nz
Underwater Observatory

Life from the depths of the lake is showcased via six huge windows here. Slinky long- finned eels are easily spotted as are both rainbow and brown trout. But it’s the diving ducks that steal the show.

Opening Times: Daily 0830-dusk.
Admission Fees: Yes
Disabled Access: No
Unesco: No
Address: Queenstown, New Zealand
Telephone: (03) 442 6142.
Website: http://www.kjet.co.nz/Products---Prices/Fish-eye-view.asp
Travel Deals

Recommended Sites:

Protect yourself from malaria
Before you travel, find out if your holiday destination is in a malaria zone.
(An educational initiative organised and funded by GlaxoSmithKline Travel Health. UK/MARK/0173/10 September 2010)
Africa, the way it should be seen
We´re cutting the cost of Africa overland trips by up to a whopping 40%. 25% off many trips departing by 30/6/12.
Thailand Holidays from £349pp
Tailor made beach, city and multi-centre holidays to Thailand.
Travel insurance
For residents of over 150 countries. High levels of medical, evacuation, emergency & most adventure activities covered.