Ah, Queenstown, New Zealand. Playground for the snowbirds, haven for summer wine lovers, and absolutely surreal scenery no matter the season. Queenstown developed on the shore Lake Wakatipu in the 1860s first as a high country farm and later as a gold mining town. Only some of the original buildings remain, one of them now the luxurious Eichardt’s Hotel. Queenstown, despite its rugged roots, is most definitely an adventure and luxury tourism-based town. It also attracts the majority of Working Holiday Visa travellers who come to work during the ski season. With a population of only 15,000, it might seem like a small town, but Queenstown is definitely jam-packed no matter the time of year with visitors from all over the world.
Queenstown, New Zealand
Most of the southern South Island’s roots lie in the Otago gold rush of the 1860s. The rush started at Gabriel’s Gully in Otago but quickly spread across the central Otago high plains to Dunedin, Oamaru, and Queenstown. It followed a rather unsuccessful gold rush in Golden Bay (Nelson, New Zealand, 1850s) and a much more successful gold rush along the west coast.
The number of miners in the area reached its max around 1864, but people continued to find small bits of gold. Dunedin – not the mining camps at Arrowtown, Queenstown, and Cromwell – reaped most of the benefits from the gold rush. A unique way to learn about the history of the gold rush is to take the Dunedin Railways train into the Taieri gorge to Pukerangi (more about Dunedin on Friday!).
After the gold rush, Queenstown, New Zealand attracted no more than the odd tourist. As of the early 1980s, the year-round population was no more than 3,500. Adventure sports hadn’t yet taken off and the skifields north of Lewis Pass were much more popular with locals than those near Wanaka and QT. Overseas tourism also hadn’t peaked in New Zealand.
Thirty years later, by the early 2010s, Queenstown was a bustling town with over 10,000 year round residents. Adrenaline-pumping activities like skydiving, bungee jumping, and jet boating lured young travellers while the Central Otago wine industry (quietly becoming well known across the country) lured everyone else. Suddenly, luxury and Queenstown went hand in hand. As I write this at the end of 2017, Queenstown is the most expensive place to buy a house, with average housing prices at $1 million NZD. Auckland, New Zealand is second.
What to do in Queenstown
Queenstown, New Zealand lies in one of the most spectacular places in the planet. I swear to you, I am not the only person that thinks this! It sits at the top of Lake Wakatipu, in a basin below the majestic Southern Alps. The lake is ringed with mountains, and in the winter the snow-capped mountains truly are a beautiful sight. In the summer, hiking trails crisscross the mountains where you can stumble on hidden lakes.
There is absolutely no shortage of things to do in Queenstown, which is one great reason to add it to your list of places to go! While one person golfs, the other can enjoy a leisurely spa day. While one summits Ben Lomond, the other can skydive over Lake Wanaka (one hour north). The Skyline gondola is a popular attraction for those who wish to view Queenstown from above while still keeping their feet on the ground. Helicopter rides are incredibly popular, and should you wish to fly over Milford Sound (by driving, six hours away) you can do that too. In fact, there are flightseeing tours that offer round trips over Milford and Doubtful Sound as well as Mount Cook (three/four hours to the north by car).
Central Otago wines are increasingly popular worldwide, with Pinot Noir the dominant grape in this area. There are over 130 wineries in the Central Otago region (Queenstown, Wanaka, Cromwell, and Alexandra) to visit, although some do not have open-to-the-public cellar doors. One awesome luxury activity is a private wine and cheese tasting atop Mount Michael – accessible via helicopter.
Around Queenstown
Some of the towns around Queenstown include Lake Wanaka, Glenorchy, and Arrowtown. All three have accommodation as well as unique attractions. There is some great hiking around both Wakana and Glenorchy; the famous Roy’s Peak track is about ten minutes from Wakana town centre. One of New Zealand’s Great Walks, the Routeburn Track, is about thirty minutes north of Glenorchy via a narrow dirt track. It’s doable in a day, although you will need transport on the other side – which is the Milford Road (six hours away by car).
Where to stay in Queenstown
Queenstown, New Zealand has a plethora of accommodation, from backpackers hostels to luxury lodges. Queenstown has a number of major New Zealand hotel chains as well as a few independent properties.
Bed and breakfasts abound here as well; you may find some in the surrounding suburbs to be less expensive. There are also a few excellent luxury lodges of New Zealand in the surrounding area, namely Blanket Bay (Glenorchy) and Matakauri Lodge (outside of Queenstown). In town, Eichardt’s is a luxury lodge right on the lake. All three of these are Virtuoso properties.
Wanaka is a nice alternative to the crush of Queenstown, although there are few truly luxury properties in town. Minaret Station, a new Virtuoso property, is accessible by helicopter and lies north of town in the mountains.
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