Essential Guide

Your First Time in Queenstown — The Complete Guide

By the Queenstown Tourism team · 12 min read · Updated February 2026

There's a moment every first-time visitor to Queenstown shares. You round a corner on the drive from the airport — or the cloud breaks on your descent — and suddenly there it is: Lake Wakatipu stretching out like hammered silver, the Remarkables range cutting a jagged line against the sky, and a town that looks like someone built a village inside a postcard.

Queenstown is compact enough to walk everywhere, wild enough to fill a month, and beautiful enough to make you rethink your return flight. Here's how to make the most of it.

Day 1 — Arrive & Get Your Bearings

The airport is 15 minutes from town. Drop your bags and head straight for the Skyline Gondola — it's the single best way to understand the landscape. From Bob's Peak, you'll see the full sweep of the Remarkables, Cecil Peak, Walter Peak, and the lake curving into the distance. The luge is genuinely fun (not just for kids), and the viewing deck at sunset is a Queenstown rite of passage.

Skyline Gondola + 5 Luge Rides

2-3 hrs · All ages · ★ 4.7 (4,500 reviews)

From $82 NZD

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In the evening, walk the lakefront. Grab dinner at one of the restaurants along Steamer Wharf — you'll see the TSS Earnslaw docked there, steam still rising from its 1912 funnel. If you have energy, the Onsen Hot Pools are a beautiful first-night experience.

Onsen Hot Pools

1 hr · Private cedar tubs · ★ 4.9 (2,200 reviews)

From $88 NZD

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Day 2 — Milford Sound

This is the day you'll remember most. Milford Sound — Piopiotahi in Māori — is consistently voted one of the most beautiful places on Earth, and it's one of those rare experiences that actually exceeds the hype. Mitre Peak rising 1,692 metres from the water, Stirling Falls crashing down in a 155-metre curtain, dolphins riding your bow wave — it's overwhelming.

The question isn't whether to go, it's how. The glass-roof coach gives you the stunning 4-hour drive through Fiordland (Mirror Lakes, Homer Tunnel, Eglinton Valley) plus a 2-hour cruise. If you're short on time or want to see it from the air, the fly-cruise-fly option covers everything in half a day.

"The drive through Fiordland is almost as beautiful as the fiord itself. Take the coach there and fly back — best of both worlds."

Milford Sound Premium Small Group + Lunch

12-13 hrs · Max 16 guests · ★ 4.9 · #1 Bestseller

From $289 NZD

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Day 3 — Your Adrenaline Day

This is the day you earn the right to call yourself a Queenstown veteran. Start with the Shotover Jet — 25 minutes of 90km/h canyon madness with 360-degree spins that have been terrifying tourists (in the best way) since 1965. Follow it with the Kawarau Bridge Bungy, which is where AJ Hackett invented commercial bungy jumping in 1988. The 43-metre jump with an optional water touch is the perfect entry point.

Shotover Jet

25 min · 90km/h · ★ 4.7 (3,200 reviews)

From $179 NZD

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Kawarau Bridge Bungy

2-3 hrs · The original · ★ 4.8 (2,840 reviews)

From $205 NZD

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Day 4 — Scenic & Wine

Balance yesterday's adrenaline with something gentler. Board the TSS Earnslaw for a cruise to Walter Peak — the 1912 steamship is a Queenstown icon, and the farm tour with BBQ lunch is one of the most popular family experiences in town. In the afternoon, head to Gibbston Valley for a wine tour. Central Otago produces some of the world's finest Pinot Noir, and tasting it with the mountains as your backdrop is unforgettable.

TSS Earnslaw + Walter Peak Farm + BBQ

3.5 hrs · 1912 steamship · ★ 4.8 (1,400 reviews)

From $204 NZD

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Central Otago Wine Tour

5-6 hrs · 4 wineries · ★ 4.9 (980 reviews)

From $259 NZD

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Day 5 — Explore Beyond

Queenstown is a gateway. Drive 45 minutes to Glenorchy (which doubles as Middle-earth) for a jet boat safari on the Dart River. Or take the full-day trip to Mt Cook — NZ's highest peak — where the Hooker Valley Track walks you right to the foot of a glacier. If you want something closer, paragliding from Bob's Peak is a peaceful, scenic way to end your trip on a high.

Dart River Jet Safari

8 hrs · Paradise · ★ 4.9 (920 reviews)

From $299 NZD

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Practical Tips

Book Milford Sound and wine tours at least a week ahead — they sell out. The Skyline and jet boat can usually be booked same-day. Always layer your clothing — Queenstown's weather changes hourly. The town is walkable, but tours include transfers. Free cancellation is standard on most activities (24-48 hours). Budget roughly $200-400 NZD per person per day for activities.

Adventure Guide

The Ultimate Adrenaline Bucket List

10 min read · Ranked by thrill level · Updated February 2026

Queenstown didn't get its "adventure capital" title by accident. AJ Hackett invented commercial bungy jumping here in 1988, the Shotover Jet has been doing 360-degree spins since 1965, and the skydiving views are consistently ranked among the world's best. Here's every adrenaline experience, ranked from "exciting but manageable" to "you might actually scream."

🟢 Level 1 — The Warm-Up

Start here if you're adrenaline-curious but not ready for the full send. These give you the thrill of speed and height without the feeling of falling.

Shotover Jet — The Gateway Drug

25 minutes at 90km/h through narrow canyon walls, skimming over water as shallow as 10cm, with 360-degree spins that leave you breathless. This is most people's first Queenstown thrill, and it's the perfect way to test your tolerance. Kids love it, adults scream — everyone walks off grinning.

Shotover Jet

25 min · 90km/h · All ages

From $179 NZD

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Parasailing & Paragliding

Parasailing is gentle — you float 200m above the lake on a parachute towed by a boat. Paragliding from Bob's Peak is more thrilling — a running launch off the mountain followed by a 10-15 minute soaring flight over town with your tandem pilot.

Tandem Paragliding

1.5 hrs · Bob's Peak · All ages

From $239 NZD

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🟡 Level 2 — Serious Thrills

This is where your heart rate stays elevated. These experiences involve genuine height, speed, or rapids.

Kawarau Bridge Bungy — The Original

43 metres of freefall over the Kawarau River. It's the birthplace of commercial bungy, and the water-touch option — where the jumpmaster adjusts the cord so you dip into the river — is iconic. At 43m, it's short enough to not be paralyzing, but tall enough that your body absolutely does not want to jump.

Kawarau Bridge Bungy

2-3 hrs · 43m · The original

From $205 NZD

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White Water Rafting — Shotover River

Grade 3-5 rapids through the Shotover Gorge, including the legendary Oxenbridge Tunnel — a 170m pitch-black tunnel you raft through by headlamp. This is genuine white water, not a theme park ride. You will get wet, you will paddle hard, and you will love it.

Shotover Rafting Grade 3-5

5 hrs · Extreme · Age 13+

From $305 NZD

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🔴 Level 3 — Full Send

These are the ones you'll tell stories about for the rest of your life.

Nevis Bungy — 134 Metres of Freefall

This is NZ's highest bungy. 134 metres. 8.5 seconds of uninterrupted freefall. You're suspended in a pod over a valley — no bridge, no ground beneath you — just a cable car that swings you out over nothing. The 4WD drive through the Nevis Valley to get there is itself an adventure.

"8.5 seconds doesn't sound like a lot until you're falling for every single one of them."

Nevis Bungy — NZ's Highest

4-5 hrs · 134m · 8.5s freefall

From $395 NZD

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Tandem Skydive — 15,000ft

60 seconds of freefall at 200km/h. The scenery is what sets Queenstown skydiving apart — you're looking down at Lake Wakatipu, the Remarkables, Coronet Peak, and Milford Sound in the distance. The canopy ride afterwards is pure bliss.

Tandem Skydive 15,000ft

4 hrs · 60s freefall · 200km/h

From $479 NZD

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If you're doing multiple adrenaline activities, the Nevis Bungy + Swing Combo saves $75 and gives you both the bungy and the world's biggest swing in one day. For most visitors, the sweet spot is 2-3 adrenaline activities spread across their trip.

Food & Wine Guide

The Foodie's Guide to Queenstown

8 min read · Updated February 2026

Queenstown's food and wine scene has quietly become one of New Zealand's best. The Gibbston Valley — just 25 minutes from town — produces Pinot Noir that regularly beats Burgundy in blind tastings. The dining scene has evolved from backpacker fuel to genuine fine dining with views that Michelin-starred restaurants would kill for.

The Wine Trail

Central Otago is the world's southernmost wine region and specialises in Pinot Noir. The terroir — schist soils, extreme temperature variation, intense sunlight — produces wines with a distinctive minerality that's quite unlike anything from Burgundy, Oregon, or Marlborough. Gibbston Valley, Amisfield, Mt Difficulty, and Peregrine are the standout cellar doors.

A guided wine tour is the best way to do it — you'll hit 4 cellar doors with expert commentary and a gourmet lunch, and someone else drives you home. If you want to go all out, the helicopter wine tour flies you between three wineries with aerial views of the vineyards.

Central Otago Wine Tour

5-6 hrs · 4 wineries + lunch · ★ 4.9

From $259 NZD

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Helicopter Wine Tour

4 hrs · VIP · ★ 5.0

From $699 NZD

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Craft Beer & Beyond

If beer is more your thing, Queenstown has a growing craft scene. The craft beer tour hits four breweries with guided tastings and lunch — think hazy IPAs, mountain-water lagers, and seasonal stouts brewed within sight of the Remarkables.

Craft Beer Tour

5 hrs · 4 breweries + lunch

From $189 NZD

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Dining with a View

Stratosfare Restaurant sits at the top of the Skyline Gondola — take the cable car up for a 5-course buffet with panoramic views of the lake and mountains. For something more intimate, the Walter Peak BBQ lunch aboard the TSS Earnslaw steamship is a Queenstown institution.

Stratosfare Dining + Gondola

2 hrs · 5-course buffet · Views

From $109 NZD

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For a self-paced experience, the E-Bike Gibbston Valley tour lets you pedal between cellar doors at your own speed, stopping wherever catches your eye. It's the most relaxed way to explore the wine region.

Family Guide

Queenstown with Kids

9 min read · Ages 3-16 covered · Updated February 2026

Queenstown with kids is brilliant — as long as you know which activities work for which ages. The town is compact, most tours include hotel transfers, and there's a surprisingly wide range of experiences that kids not only tolerate but actively beg to repeat. Here's the family breakdown.

Best for Young Kids (Ages 3-8)

The Skyline Gondola + Luge is the undisputed champion. Kids can ride the luge solo from 110cm (or with a parent below that), and most families end up buying extra rides because the kids won't stop. The Kiwi Birdlife Park is a lovely 90-minute experience — kids meet actual kiwi birds in the darkened nocturnal house, and the conservation show is genuinely educational.

Skyline Gondola + 5 Luge Rides

2-3 hrs · All ages · ★ 4.7

$52 NZD (child)

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Kiwi Birdlife Park

1.5 hrs · Family friendly · ★ 4.5

$32 NZD (child)

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Best for Tweens (Ages 8-12)

This is the sweet spot — old enough for jet boats and ziplines, young enough to be genuinely thrilled. The Shotover Jet accepts anyone over 1m tall (most 5-year-olds), but 8-12 year olds get the most out of it. The Ziptrek ziplines through the forest canopy are a massive hit, and the TSS Earnslaw farm visit with sheep shearing is surprisingly popular with this age group.

Shotover Jet

25 min · All ages (1m+ height) · ★ 4.7

$99 NZD (child)

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Ziptrek Kea 6-Line Tour

3 hrs · Age 6+ · ★ 4.8

$139 NZD (child)

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Best for Teens (Ages 13+)

Teens unlock the full menu: bungy at Kawarau Bridge (age 10+, parental consent under 14), white water rafting on the Shotover (age 13+), and the Milford Sound day trip, which is long but genuinely awe-inspiring for any teenager willing to put down their phone.

Milford Sound Premium (lunch inc)

12-13 hrs · All ages · #1 Bestseller

$149 NZD (child)

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Rainy Day Plan

It rains. It rains a lot, actually. But Queenstown rain rarely lasts all day, and most activities run rain or shine (jet boats and bungy are actually more fun in the rain). For truly horrible weather: the Ice Bar (-8°C, cocktails in a bar made entirely of ice), the Kiwi Birdlife Park (mostly covered), and the Skyline Gondola (the view through rain clouds is dramatic) all work well.

Queenstown Ice Bar

30 min · All ages · Unique

From $25 NZD (child)

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Budget Tips for Families

Look for family passes (Shotover Jet offers a $457 family pass). Under-5s ride free on laps for most jet boats. The Moke Lake Kayak is one of the best-value family activities at $109 per child. And the Queenstown Trail e-bike from town to Arrowtown ($75/child) is a full afternoon for very little money. Book online — most operators offer 5-10% off compared to walk-in prices.