Hot Spots › New Zealand
Queenstown
Queenstown occupies one of the most dramatic settings of any town on earth — on the shore of Lake Wakatipu with the Remarkables range rising behind it. The town itself is now primarily an adventure tourism and ski resort economy: bungy jumping, jet boating, skydiving, heli-skiing, wine tourism. It does all of these things very well and at very high prices. The proximity to Fiordland and Milford Sound is a significant asset. The problem is that Queenstown's success has made it one of the most expensive small towns in the southern hemisphere.
Crowd pressure
The main strip and waterfront are tourist-saturated year-round. Skifield queues in winter. Most lakeside activities involve queuing.
Why visit
The scenery — Remarkables range, Lake Wakatipu, Fiordland proximity — is genuinely world-class. Milford Sound day trips depart from here.
Best window
Shoulder seasons (April-May and October) — winter for skiing, summer for hiking, both extremely busy
Getting there
International airport with connections from Australia. Self-drive is the best way to explore the region.
The honest version
One of the most expensive small towns in the southern hemisphere. A significant portion of the town exists to extract money from tourists.
Instead of Queenstown
Instead of
Queenstown
New Zealand
Try
Wanaka
New Zealand
Wanaka has the same lake and mountain scenery as Queenstown with a smaller town, lower prices, and Mount Aspiring National Park at the door.
Instead of
Queenstown
New Zealand
Try
Hokitika
New Zealand
Hokitika gives access to the West Coast's dramatic landscape — Hokitika Gorge, wild beaches, rainforest — with a greenstone craft tradition and almost no foreign tourists.
Layers
Region
At a glance
- Country
- New Zealand
- Region
- Otago
- Heat Score
- 82/100
- Cost level
- $$$
- Alternatives
- 2