Luxury hotels in Queenstown

Queenstown guide

Milford Sound from Queenstown: fly, cruise, fly

New Zealand's most famous fiord is a long drive away, or a short scenic flight over the Southern Alps.

Milford Sound, in Fiordland National Park, appears on every list of things to do from Queenstown, alongside the Skyline Gondola and the lake cruises. Rudyard Kipling called it the eighth wonder of the world: sheer cliffs, Mitre Peak rising from the water, waterfalls and seals on the rocks.

By road it is a long day, around four hours each way. The better way is to fly: a small plane or helicopter crosses the Southern Alps and the glaciers in well under an hour, you cruise the fiord out to the Tasman Sea, and you are back in Queenstown by the afternoon. Some helicopter flights land on a glacier or a remote beach on the way.

Flights depend on the weather, so we keep a flexible day in the plan. Rain is no loss in Fiordland, because that is when hundreds of waterfalls appear on the cliffs. End the day with a Central Otago pinot noir by Lake Wakatipu.

Adventure in Queenstown

Queenstown calls itself the adventure capital of the world, and the bungy jump from the historic Kawarau Bridge, where commercial bungy began in 1988, and the Shotover Jet through narrow canyons are among its most cited experiences.

The Skyline Gondola climbs above the town for views over Lake Wakatipu and the Remarkables, with luge rides at the top. Helicopter flights to glaciers, skydiving and paragliding complete the menu, and in winter Coronet Peak and The Remarkables offer skiing.

Central Otago wine and Arrowtown

Central Otago, around Queenstown, is one of the world's southernmost wine regions and famous for Pinot Noir, and a day among the wineries of the Gibbston Valley, Bannockburn and Cromwell is one of the most cited experiences from the town. Several have caves and celebrated restaurants.

Arrowtown, a gold rush village of the 1860s about twenty minutes away, has preserved miners' cottages and a Chinese settlement, and is spectacular in April when the trees turn gold. The region's lakes and mountains are ideal by bicycle.