The first people to discover Queenstown were Maori pounamu (jade) hunters. Then the area was settled by Europeans and a substantial Chinese population for gold mining and farming in 1860s. Queenstown became a sleepy rural town, until a few ingenious locals dreamt up ways to fully utilise its rare beauty...

Capital of What?
The 'Adventure Capital of the World' is a reputation well earned. Bungy jump, drive quad bikes, go white water rafting or jet boating, paraglide, jetski, helicopter ride, snow board or ski or skydive (tandem of course!). Queenstown is a 'Natural Theme Park', with a spectacular geography to create a special atmosphere and unique setting that has made this town famous the world over. Queenstown has everything the adventure seeker could ever want.

Queenstown's Record Breaking

• Bungy jumping was first established commercially on the Kawarau Bridge by AJ Hackett Bungy Co.
• Queenstown, named in honour of Queen Victoria, is the "jewel in NZ's crown", with more adventures per square metre than any other similarly-sized town in the world!
• One of the top scenic drives in the world is from Queenstown to Glenorchy, 50 minutes north up Lake Wakatipu.
• 
  Queenstown Winter Festival (10 days in June), is the biggest winter party this side of the equator! A strong comedy and fun theme sees the programme of 60+ sport, art, music, comedy, food and wine events mixed with strangely attired people leaping into Lake Wakatipu’s freezing waters, and dogs and their owners capering on the ski slopes.

Local Knowledge

Unlike other South Island towns, Queenstown operates at lightening speed, with endless opportunities to scare yourself silly, so it is alive with an infectious adrenalin-fuelled energy. When in New Zealand's year-round high-octane holiday hub, the local advice is to "get in the 'zone', even if only in your mind..."

Getting Around

The Queenstown town centre itself is small enough to walk around. Parking is at a premium and hard to find during the day. Transport from downtown Queenstown to adventure activities is often part of the tour package.

A number of boat tours depart from the Queenstown Wharf, including the historic steamship TSS Earnslaw, affectionately known as the "Lady of the Lake". There are also water taxis. Queenstown has a small local bus service operated by Connectabus. There are three routes including services 10/11 which run every 30 minutes to the airport.

Regional Attractions Accessible From Queenstown

• Milford Sound Fiordland is by far the best known of all of the fiords & the only one that can be accessed by road. Visitors can comfortably travel the length of the fiord to open ocean & return.
• Queenstown is close to two ski areas - Coronet Peak (18 kilometres) and The Remarkables (28 kilometres). Treble Cone and Cardrona are also close by.
• Arrowtown is about 20 kilometres from Queenstown and full of heritage-style buildings and shops.
• Wanaka is a magnet for people who seek a combination of outdoor adventure & indoor luxury. A number of world-class annual events draw special interest, & Wanaka's great restaurants, award-winning wineries & internationally acclaimed brewery satisfy even the most discerning taste.
• The Gibbston Valley wine area is 20 minutes drive from Queenstown by the ancient Kawarau Gorge.

Best Views

That's after you've done the Skyline Gondola to the top of Bob's Peak for dinner. See breathtaking views of Coronet Peak, The Remarkables mountain range and across Lake Wakatipu to Cecil and Walter Peaks. It's truly magnificent and awe-inspiring!

Best Months

Queenstown definitely has four distinctive seasons; long summer twilights; brilliant autumn colours; the best skiing & snowboarding conditions in winter; and a freshness in spring. Any season makes a holiday to remember.

Clothing

Pack the North Face and Patagonia outdoor wear to wrangle with Queenstown’s roller coaster weather and work that sporty look... In Queenstown it's all about "label" clothing.

Shopping

Queenstown has many tourist and souvenir stores, and bargains can be hard to come by. Top quality Possum Fur products, Sheepskin, knitwear and Greenstone (Jade) carvings, along with fine New Zealand wine are all available - for a price.

Outdoor suppliers are plentiful, with equipment for trampers (hikers), mountain bikers, skiers and snowboarders, and many others who use Queenstown as the launching-pad for expeditions into the nearby National Parks. There are a handful of convenience food stores in the town centre, most open until midnight and beyond. Two large supermarkets are on the outskirts of town. Most of the stores in Queenstown are open until 8PM or 9PM, 7 days a week.

Other Facts

Telephone Area Code: 03
Population: 33,372 (2006)
Summer Average Maximum Temperature: 20°
Winter Average Maximum Temperature: 10°
Local emergency contact number for all Police, Fire and St John Ambulances: 111

Activities

Day Tours in Queenstown

Queenstown has forests and shorelines and activities centred around the outdoors. It can offer the visitor some great holiday experiences as outlined below:

	Tandem Skydiving Best thing you will ever do! After the nerves are quelled, you'll love it enough to take up skydiving as a sport. The tandem masters are extreme and the photographs/DVDs are a must to show the friends back home.
	Bungy Jump AJ Hackett Bungy offers six very different Bungy and Swing experiences in Queenstown, ranging from the ultimate personal challenge to a more low-key discovery of Bungy from the sidelines. They even have a "Jump Shrink" to help you decide.
	The TSS Earnslaw A 1912 vintage twin screw steamer plying the waters of Lake Wakatipu in New Zealand, The Earnslaw is one of the oldest tourist attractions in New Zealand and the only remaining passenger-carrying coal-fired steamship in the southern hemisphere.
	Shotover Jet Jetboats were designed by Sir William Hamilton (1954) for the fast-flowing and shallow rivers of New Zealand. The original Shotover Jet (on the Shotover River) is billed as "The World's Most Exciting Jetboat Ride"
	Nomad Safaris Nomad Safaris, operating out of Queenstown, New Zealand, offers small (max. 6 people per guide), personalised tours into NZ back country. We explore historic gold mining areas, some of the locations of Lord of The Rings filming and an exclusive high-country farm. We use fully-equipped Land Rover Defenders to handle all terrain for our 4WD safaris. Our Quad Bike tours use fully-equipped Honda 400cc ATV Quads which are completely automatic.
	Other Activities Other activities available are parasailing, parapenting, white water rafting, fly fishing, cycling, cruising and horseback riding.

Things to do in Queenstown

This list will assist you in accessing all the natural and man-made visitor attractions and activities that Queenstown has to offer.

	Hiking There are about a dozen well-marked hikes in town that you can explore on your own, and more a short taxi ride away. Pick up a map at the DOC office in town. Hike Ben Lomond for amazing views of the lake, town and surrounding mountains. Start at the Fernhill roundabout just past the youth hostel, and take One Mile Creek Track up to Bobs Peak at Skyline Gondola Chalet.
	Gardens Queenstown has a number of superb private gardens as well as the centrally located public Queenstown Gardens jutting out into Lake Wakatipu. The walking track on the lake edge offers excellent views of Queenstown and surrounding mountains.
	Wine Tasting The southernmost vineyards in the world are close by and some offer free wine tasting from their cellar doors.
	Gondola & Luge Rides Take the gondola up the mountain, then ride your very own luge down again. The luge is fun for all ages where you control your own gravity propelled vehicle down the track. Choose from two tracks, one scenic and gentle, the other advanced and adventurous..

Activities Outside Queenstown

Queenstown can be used as a base to explore the south of the south island.

	Mount Cook Continue through the rugged high country landscape of the Mackenzie Basin to arrive at Aoraki / Mt Cook National Park, Australasia’s highest mountain at 3754 metres. As you arrive into Mount Cook Village you will be mesmerised by the alpine surroundings of this truly unique region. Book with us.
	Milford Sound by Sea and Air Discover Milford Sound by Sea and Air, leaving from Queenstown. For your return journey to Queenstown, board a twin engine aircraft, the scenery will take your breath away. Book with us.
	Milford Sound Travel by coach on a journey from Queenstown into Milford Sound. Located within the World Heritage Fiordland National Park, this region is rich with dense rainforest, lakes and waterfalls. Book with us.
	Te Anau Glow Worm Caves Described by the Sydney Morning Herald as “one of the most unusual limestone cave experiences on the planet”, a visit to the Te Anau Glowworm Caves begins with a cruise across the Lake, then an underground cruise, past underground waterfalls to a silent hidden grotto inhabited by glowworms.
	Stewart Island If you want to see the southern most part of New Zealand then take the 1 hour ferry from Bluff to Stewart Island, renowned for its seafood: blue cod, mussels and crayfish.
	Arrowtown Arrowtown developed from a canvas gold mining town to a solid community, including hotels, a Bank, Post Office, Goal, School, and Hospital. At the height of the gold rush, Arrowtown's population grew to over 7000. Today its historic buildings are preserved.
	Wanaka Wanaka is set on a magnificent lake with mountains as a backdrop and perfectly complements its vibrant neighbour (just 50km away). The name Wanaka translates from Maori as “renewal of the soul”. Wanaka hosts the world famous "Wings Over Wanaka" air show every year.

Diary of Events

Coach Tours Which Include Queenstown

The following fully escorted coach tours are our top 3 which include Queenstown.

Southern Highlights This 10 day Christchurch Return guided coach tour is New Zealand South Island sightseeing at it's best. Highlights include Mt Cook region, massive man-made Hydro Electric schemes, a traditional Scottish Haggis Ceremony, the might of Milford Sound, the Southern Lakes region, Te Anau Glow-worm Caves, Earnslaw Cruise and dinner in an historic homestead, remote National Parks of Westland and Fiordland, West Coast Glaciers, a Jade Factory visit, Olveston House and finally a Milford Sound Cruise.

Southern Wanderer Starting in Queenstown, New Zealand's ski capital, you join this fully escorted guided coach tour to Christchurch covering the whole of the South Island in just 1 week. Enjoy optional jet boat rides, white water rafting, a wine & garden tour, then join us for an historic paddle steamer cruise. Marvel at the mountains plunging into the sea on a cruise to discover hidden waterfalls & chasms in Milford Sound. Pass the scenic Mt Cook (the highest mountain in NZ) and the beautiful alpine turquoise Lake Tekapo.

Scenic Explorer Tour Comments like 'What a comprehensive tour' are used to describe this 2 week Christchurch to Auckland, guided coach tour with train trips on the TranzAlpine & TranzCoastal trains. All the best activities are included- City tours of Christchurch, Dunedin, Wellington & Auckland, food like the Rotorua Maori Hangi & concert, the Scottish Haggis, the Queenstown cruise/ historic homestead dinner and the Montana Winery visit. Cruise on Milford Sound, the Interislander and underground boat to see the glow-worms. There is a visit to Rotorua's Thermal Reserve, sheep shearing demo, Maori culture show, trip up Auckland's Sky Tower and a Jade Stone Factory. Regions include the West Coast Glaciers, Huka Falls and Mt Cook.

Films Made in this Region

The following films were made in the Queenstown area: The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian 2008, The Water Horse: Legend of the Deep 2007, Antarctic Journal 2005, Mee-Shee: The Water Giant 2005, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King 2003, The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers 2002, Pyaar Ishq Aur Mohabbat 2001, The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring 2001, Wild Blue 1999, Soldier 1998, The Grasscutter 1988, The Rescue 1988, White Water Summer 1987, Willow 1987, Shaker Run 1985, Race for the Yankee Zephyr 1981.

Eating & Sleeping

Cuisine

There are a huge variety of eating places to be found in Queenstown, from all-hours takeaways to fine dining. Reservations for dinner are important. Fine restaurants serve world-class seafood (local mussels, oysters and deep sea fish such as blue cod), game, red meat (farmed venison, lamb and beef).

Queenstown nightlife is largely about drinking, with over a 100 licensed bars. Most are in the downtown area, with some open 24 hours so it is lively most nights. The "Minus5 Ice Bar" in Queenstown is pictured, right.

Regional Specialties

The wineries of the Gibbston Valley (20 minutes drive) are open for lunch.

Accommodation

The following is a selection of the hotels Relaxing Journeys use in our escorted coach tours.

Mercure Grand Hotel Mercure Resort Queenstown is on the shores of Lake Wakatipu, only 3 minutes drive from the centre of town. The hotel features 148 rooms, most of which have spectacular views over the lake and the Remarkables Mountain Range. Facilities include an outdoor swimming pool, spa, sauna, gymnasium, restaurant, bar, conference rooms and a ski and boot drying room. A convenient shuttle service to the town centre is also available.

Copthorne Hotel & Resort Conveniently located within walking distance of the centre of Queenstown and a few minutes stroll from Lake Wakatipu, the Copthorne Resort Lakefront is a resort hotel which blends superior facilities and comfort with friendly, personal service. The Copthorne Hotel & Resort Queenstown, Lakefront is a 4 Star Qualmark rated Hotel.

Kingsgate Resort Terraces Kingsgate Resort Terraces Queenstown, situated on the shores of Lake Wakatipu, is surrounded by the grandeur and beauty of the world famous Southern Alps. This internationally renowned summer and winter resort offers a myriad of exciting outdoor activities, including skiing, bungy jumping, jet boating, paragliding, golf, white water rafting ... the choices are endless.

Premium

Millennium Hotel Millennium Hotel Queenstown is located in the heart of Queenstown within minutes of the central shopping and entertainment area. The hotel is also only 20 minutes from the nearest ski field and just minutes from various other outdoors activities such as bungy jumping, white water rafting and jet boating.

Sofitel Queenstown The stunning five-star Sofitel Queenstown Hotel & Spa is located in the heart of New Zealand’s premier four season lake and alpine resort.