That awkward moment, when this is the 5th blog you’re writing on Queenstown, and not all of them list things to do in a clear concise manner. My recent trip to Queenstown in December 2019, was quite different as I did some activities that I had not previously done, and got to experience yet another side of this beautiful city. William Gilbert Rees sure knew what a beautiful town he’d stumbled upon.

Whilst, yes, I’ve written many blogs on Queenstown, I want to write this one and list all of the activities that you can do in the city. They will be biased as a lot of these are the activities that I’ve done and can recommend them with my heart and soul (okay a bit dramatic, but you get the gist).

Queenstown as such is an adventure and thrill seeking town, but don’t you worry there’s something for everyone.

• Gondola – When you visit Queenstown, regardless of whether it’s in the summer or winter, on a clear sunny day, venture to the Gondola (and luge), and make your way to the top to get an aerial view of Queenstown. Since the recent refurbishment, there’s now a nice restaurant up there, and you can book lunch and possibly
  dinner packages. I haven’t eaten at the restaurant, and so cannot comment on how good/bad it is. Once you’re up there, make sure you get the obligatory Queenstown check-in photo. For those who are up for it, you can forgo the cable car, and hike to the top. Again, this isn’t something I’ve done, so cannot comment on fitness level, and how hard the hike actually is or how long it would take.

• Paragliding – If this is something you’re interested in doing, you are likely to have better chances of doing this when visiting Queenstown during the summer. This takes off from the top of the Gondola station.

• Kawarau jet – I will list both the jet options separately, as they are so different from each other. The Kawarau jet leaves from the jetty that is situated right in the heart of Queenstown’s town centre. This jet boat ride, including its 360 degree turns takes about 45-minutes in total and goes down Lake Wakatipu and to
  Kawarau and Shotover rivers. Whilst, this is a thrilling ride, this is quite a different experience from the Shotover jet.

• Shotover jet – This is again roughly a 45-minute boat ride, through the Shotover river. However, this one is more thrilling, as the skippers take the vessels right up against the canyon rocks, which doesn’t happen on the Kawarau Jet (unless they’ve now changed their routes). If you’re worried about old and young going
  on this, let me tell you, my parents went on this and my dad was the first to say that he loved it! Doing 360degree spins in a tight space can be quite an adrenaline jump.

• Parasailing – This is one activity, I’ve always wanted to do, but somehow can’t getmyself to do it. Queenstown, is a tricky place weather wise. The summer isn’t necessarily warm all the time and when the wind picks up the sails come down. My suggestion would be not to pre-book this, I don’t believe they take payment till you’ve actually done the tour, but don’t take my word for it. If someone has done this, what is it like?

• Off road adventures – We booked a quad biking activity and my oh my was it so worth it! This takes roughly 3-hours in total, as you check-in at the Off Road Adventures shop in the Queenstown town centre, and they drive you out to the track which is about a 45-minute drive and then you ride around for about an hour and a half or so. Don’t worry they give you training on how to ride and teach you the safest way of riding around and as long as you follow their instructions, you won’t hurt yourself.

• Skiing – I had to mention this, as I’m sure there are a few readers who like hitting the slopes when visiting Queenstown during the winter. I’m not much of a mountain or an altitude person, having been to the slopes only a handful of times.

• Dart river – This is a full-day activity as you get picked up around 7.30am and you return about 12-hours later. I opted against doing this tour, but that was mainly because I was exhausted. This tour is broken down into 3-4 things. The first being the bus journey that takes you to the starting point, followed by a jet boat ride, after which you get to do some kayaking. As far as I can tell, my brother enjoyed doing this activity.

• Segway at Queenstown – I did my first ever segway when I first visited Queenstown in 2010. If this is your first trip to Queenstown, the segway is a nice activity to do as you get to learn a little about Queenstown’s history, and check out a few hotspots and of course learn more about the filming locations for the Lord of the Rings trilogy – my precious!

• Milford or Doubtful Sound tours – I haven’t been to Doubtful Sound yet, however, I can recommend the Milford Sound tour. I’ve been to Milford Sound twice. The first time, I had extended family visiting and we had done an extensive tour of the South Island, and made our way to Milford Sound whilst we were staying at Te Anau. The second time, I had gone to Queenstown with my friend and we’d booked a tour to Milford Sound. You can do this tour with or without lunch included. The tour bus picks you up very early in the morning about 6.30am or so and makes it’s way to Milford Sound. This can take a wee while as the bus makes frequent stops along the way to pick up fellow passengers and then for rest breaks. Once you get to Milford Sound, you go on a cruise, which is about an hour and a half long, and you get to explore the many waterfalls. Some of the highlights of the cruise include the seal colony you’ll come across, having a shower under a waterfall, and looking out to the Tasman Sea. After this of course, you have the journey back to Queenstown. If you opt to do this tour, this is an entire day’s outing and you won’t be able to pack in any other sightseeing activities. You can however make your own way to Milford Sound, if you’ve rented a vehicle, and do the cruise. This may be a better option as you can go at your own pace, and get to Milford Sound a lot faster. Alternatively, there are other ways of exploring Milford Sound, for example a helicopter tour, or perhaps an overnight cruise.

• Neighbouring towns/cities to visit – There are a few cities that you can do trips to if you run out of things to do in Queenstown. I will try and list the ones that are within an hour’s driving distance. These include:

  • Arrowtown – this is a small gold rush town. It has a historic museum and a row of shops that you’ll only find in this corner of the world. None of the big retail chains have been allowed to come in the vicinity of Arrowtown.

  • Glenorchy – apart from horse riding, or possibly a stopover during a pre-booked tour, you may not make it to this place. But if you are a photographer, wanting to take that million-dollar shot, or if you are a die-hard fan of the Lord of the Rings trilogy, you’d like to set foot in this little town.

  • Wanaka – this is an hour’s drive (maybe a little more) on the other side of the mountain and is a quaint little town much like Queenstown.

I think I have finally covered most of the activities that you can do when in Queenstown. But of course, don’t get caught up in just doing the paid activities, nothing beats a refreshing walk along the lake. Perhaps, catching a beautiful sunset, the ones in the summer are far better than the ones in winter. Maybe even stopping to watch a busker perform some musical hits or maybe do a trick or two. There is something for everyone in this gorgeous town of New Zealand.

Until next time,

MiliG