Exploring in Queenstown

Overview

When your flight lands in Queenstown, it serves as a remarkable gateway to New Zealand. Arriving flights wind through the narrow mountain passages before touching down, bringing you stunningly close to the trees and terrain. And departing flights make loops over the lake as they gain altitude, affording you repeated views of town, lake, and mountain off the right side of the plane.

So when the pilot comes over the intercom to remind you not to be alarmed, what they say might be a strangely poetic way to bookend your trip. “You’re going to feel really close to the mountains, and that’s normal.” Indeed.

We spent a day and a half in Queenstown—getting our bearings driving on the left; accustoming ourselves to the incredible grandeur and diversity of scenery; and most importantly, settling in. In my view, the city serves its role well as an entry-point for new adventures.

The view from up top

Yearning for some quiet from the bustling (and perhaps kitschy) town center, we decided to make the trek up to the Ben Lomond Scenic Reserve—a mountain area to the northwest of Queenstown. Our hope was to catch the sunset over the lakes and explore the viewing decks with fewer crowds.

You can ride the Skyline Gondola ($52 NZD) or, for a free option, hike the Tiki Walking Track (3 mi / 1,400 ft elevation gain). That price felt even steeper, but the hike is boring and—unlucky for our timing—littered with detours and lingering construction equipment from the Gondola’s renovation. Mildly jet-lagged, we also wanted to save our legs for additional walking while up top. So soon, thanks to our late afternoon timing, we were ascending in a private capsule.

The Gondola itself is quite an experience. It’s one of the steepest gondolas in the world, so the ride up and down feels nearly vertical. It’s also brand new, so the ride is incredibly quiet and smooth and the clear walls are smooth and distraction-free for photos. But the construction has cut a deep gash in the otherwise smooth mountainside. I hope the vegetation recovers soon.

Up top, there are several viewing decks and two luge courses. Only the smaller of the two luge tracks was open and it seemed like a bit of a tourist trap for kids. That being said, it is lift-served. The first ride is $69 NZD and every subsequent ride is $2 NZD so, if you do decide to luge, I would probably do as many as you can stomach.

Where others take flight

Now satisfied with the heights, we searched for an opportunity to stretch our legs: something with diverse scenery that would place us back in time for sunset at the Gondola’s lookout decks.

The Skyline Loop Track fit this criteria. It’s a one-hour, out-and-back to the paragliding launch site (1.5 mi / 400 ft elevation gain) offering a pleasant climb through the woods. It was somewhat difficult to find and the beginning portion was detoured due to construction, but once we started along, we were treated to two easy viewpoints.

The first was a metal-framed viewpoint celebrating Ben Lomond the mountain (around here, everything is named after this guy). It looks west expansively and is a great spot for a break or literal framed photo.

The second is the Scenic Reserve’s launch site, where paragliding and parasailing flights take off. Standing here, I couldn’t help but feel jealous for anyone who would be diving off the mountain the next morning. Flights have a good 2,000 ft of elevation drop here before landing in one of the parks in town. On a clear day like today, I’m sure the experience would have been incredible. Next time!

Garden and town

Queenstown is in a great location for incredible views of Lake Wakatipu. Two easily accessible areas offer two different experiences—the Queenstown Gardens and the central town area. And both let you look out along the long axis of a straighter stretch of the lake: that means a view where the water stretches away for over 8 miles.

The Queenstown Gardens are a short walk from downtown. The vibe is manicured urban park. Some portions are landscaped and built up with facilities, while the path wrapping around the outer edge is unpaved and isolated. The loop around the edge (1.2 mi / flat) is well worth the half hour.

Lucky for us, it was a beautifully clear day. Unlucky for us, it was brutally windy—and the lake exposure did not disappoint, offering us both beautiful views of waves cascading against the shore from nearly every direction, but also a frigid wind chill that forced every jacket we owned onto our bodies.

On the way back to the main drag from the Gardens, walk the quiet pathway along the Marine Parade. It connects the Harbour View Walk in the garden to the elegant War Memorial arch, and is fronted by a short pebble beach. Queenstown’s clean and peaceful side is showcased here.

There’s a diverse collection of boats to be found near Queenstown on Lake Wakatipu, ranging from small craft and jetskis to the iconic steamboat, the TSS Earnslaw. You can also catch adventure boats like the “shotover jet.” We didn’t think these were value for cost—you can (and we did) drive the highway along the lake for most of the same views, but they’ll surely appeal to many who want an experience on the water.

What’s particularly nifty about Queenstown is actually that it’s quite touristy but it doesn’t look that way from the Gardens, or from really anywhere except the main strips downtown (where almost every store is a souvenir shop). The city has maintained nature along most of the waterfront. If not for the occasional shotover jet (with the name emblazoned in bright yellow on its side), you might mistake it for a quiet seaside town.