Queenstown is a beautiful resort town, in the Otago region of New Zealand's South Island. It is surrounded by beautiful forests and a lake - which is known as Lake Wakatipu (also sometimes known as Whakatipu). And it is not only a beautiful place due to it's alpine scenery, but it also has lots of things to do - in addition to great hospitality as it has lots of great food and drinks on offer, which makes Queenstown a great holiday destination. You are spoilt for choice.
Adrenaline activities
Queenstown is actually a playground and the best destination for adrenaline junkies in New Zealand, due to everything that they have to offer - and also the abundance of good hospitality and friendly people, too. You can never go wrong with Queenstown. Asides from enjoying yourself, the benefits of an adrenaline rush are huge - other than just that "feel good - euphoric" feeling, it also plays a huge role in your health for the better. Note: Not all adventures are for everyone, some people with certain medical conditions or injuries may not be able to do it. So if you have a medical condition, such as hear or back problems, neck or head injuries, it is best to check with your doctor first. You cannot bungy jump in Queenstown if you have photosensitive epilepsy (Epilepsy which is triggered by flashing lights) due to AJ Hackett's policies on medical condition requirements. Please also check with each company's policies if you have certain medical conditions. Also, anyone who is pregnant should not seek out intensive and high adrenaline fueled activities and many companies will not permit them either. Bungy Jumping Bungy Jumping is a MUST do in Queenstown. I have done the Kawarau and Nevis bungy (yet to do the Ledge Bungy but will do so eventually). For those who are starting out, the Kawarau Bungy is the best place to start. Be warned though, the Nevis Bungy is NOT for the faint of heart as a stunning 134m is more than 3 times the height of the Kawarau one! The second bounce is actually just as high as the Kawarau bungy, which makes it really thrilling! Nevis swing and Catapult The Nevis Swing and the Nevis Catapult are also a must do activity in New Zealand. The feeling of a big drop is so satisfying - and also the feeling of the adrenaline rush and euphoria that comes with it! I was supposed to do the Catapult - but we had the misfortune to not be able to do it that day - since we found out the ride actually malfunctioned before anyone could do it, and so we got a refund. But I enjoyed the swing and this time I went backwards, which, according to the crew, was the most thrilling option! At least I will get to do the Catapult the next time we go back to Queenstown. Shotover Canyon Swing This is another of my favorite of my activity. It is not exactly a jump, but depending on the method you choose, this may not be a swing either. You can choose from many, many styles - including the chair, seven count style or even the "Osama" style - that involves the staff putting a black bin with a depiction mocking the now deceased terrorist Osama Bin Laden over your head (hence the name) before dropping you off the platform for 60 metres - with a harness attached, of course! This company even has their own Tik Tok which I highly recommend you follow as it is really amusing to watch people react and scream as they're terrified to their wits! Jet boating Jet boating is another great activity that is a must do in Queenstown. There are several locations in which you can do it - you can do it at the skippers canyon, you can also do it the extremely popular Shotover canyon valley, run by Shotover jet - there's Kjet as well. I prefer the Shotover Jet and the Kjet out of the fact that they are the most thrilling - and the Kjet being the longest jet boat ride - up to an hour. The Shotover Canyon is not for the faint heart, as this can be a rough jet boat ride - and the Skippers Canyon is not recommended for anyone with respiratory problems (the extremely dangerous road - or so they say - leading up to the canyon, can be very dusty and can cause eye and breathing problems. If you do choose to do this one and you have a respiratory condition, it is highly recommended to wear a mask to avoid breathing in dust. Sunglasses should also be worn, to avoid eye irritation from the dust. Hydro shark attack Hydro attack is a little bit like jet boating - but with a huge difference. One important difference is that the hydro jet goes underwater, which sets it apart from jet boating. Another thing is that only one person can ride it at a time, and it can get very loud - which means they require you to wear noise cancelling ear muffs. The hydro jet also leaps above water and, like jet boating, is very fast too, which makes it a really fun activity to do! NOTE: This activity is weather dependent, so it may not run on days if the weather is deemed unsuitable by the company. Haunted house - Fear Factory The Fear Factory is just by Lake Wakatipu, and it is extremely fun! You have to navigate your way through total darkness - without help except only the guidance of small red lights. It is thrilling not only because you are in total pitch black, but you will also be exposed to sudden movement, bright, flashing lights and loud, startling noises. Due to the potential exposure to flash lights and strobing effects, this is not recommended for anyone with photosensitive epilepsy. Other adrenaline fueled activities include:
Pamper time and relaxation
Adrenaline is clearly not for everyone, and it requires lots of bravery and strength and confidence to do any adrenaline fueled activity. Not to worry though, there are plenty of other activities for others to do! Onsen Hot Pools This is definitely a must do in Queenstown. Onsen Hot pools are outdoor, and you spend one hour in there, soaking up the beautiful views of the mountains and Shotover river. The tubs have very fresh and clean water, and the water is very warm. You also get to choose a snack and a drink to have in the pool. This is an ideal activity for those who don't like doing adrenaline activity, or for those looking to wind down after an intense activity that they've done that day. Wine exploration/tours There will be tour companies in New Zealand that will take you to various vineyards, where you can do wine tasting. These will last half a day, or a day depending on what you choose. For example, on the trip right after the Delta lockdown last year, we went to Gibbston Valley for lunch, a wine tour and wine tasting, after doing the Kawarau bridge bungy (Highly recommended place, the winery is hugely known for producing really good wines and fine dining!). Depending on your wine preference, your budget and how much time you have - and your itinerary, you will need to choose the right wine tour for you - and not all of them may be suitable for you. If you are only in Queenstown for a short time, for example, and have lots of other activities in your itinerary, then you should only do a half day tour, or even book a simple lunch or dinner at one of the vineyards around Queenstown.
Excursions
Queenstown has got lots of excursions on offer. These typically last a day, or in some cases, over a few days depending on your itinerary. Here are some of the most popular ones that I know off: Glenorchy Excursion The route from Queenstown to Glenorchy is very scenic and beautiful, and it is also a must do in Queenstown. You can catch a half day tour - there are a few companies that run excursions to Glenorchy from Queenstown. They give commentary along the way to Glenorchy and they take you to Paradise, and the Lord of the Rings film locations. You will also get a delicious Kiwi - themed morning tea and photo opportunities as well. The trip lasts around four hours, but it is worth it. Mount Cook Excursion This is an absolute must do when you go to Queenstown. It is quite a long way from Queenstown to Aoraki/Mt Cook, with at least 7 hours each way (not including the short stops in between) by bus, drive or a coach. This can vary, of course, depending on traffic, road conditions - and any stopovers. With this in mind, be sure to get up very early in the morning - and be prepared the night before hand! You will be picked up by the tour guide very early in the morning, then the guide will pick up other passengers. Once all people booked are picked up, the tour will commence , with the driver giving some commentary of the areas you pass through throughout the trip. You will also get stopovers for photo taking opportunities and also morning tea at The Wrinkly Rams in Omarama and on the way back from Mount Cook to Queenstown, you'll get to have a nice feast of fresh salmon at High Country Salmon farm in Twizel. If you're lucky, you may even get to stop at Mrs. Jones fruit store in Cromwell, if you have time on the way back! If you have the luck, do buy fruit and wine from there, as the produce is very fresh. Once you reach Mount Cook, you will be given a choice of activities to do - you can do the Hooker Valley track, the Helicopter glacial landing, or another track which is shorter. I highly recommend doing the helicopter glacial landing and the hooker valley track. The hike is long, but is well worth it. Milford Sound OR Doubtful Sound day trip This is another highly recommended excursion to do when you are in Queenstown. Again, you are picked up very early in the morning - when it is still pitch dark - so it is recommended that you are prepared the night before you do this excursion. Be sure to have lunch and water packed with you, if you have opted not to buy lunch as a part of the package of the excursion. They also have the opportunity for you to buy additional drinks and snacks on board as well. If you are doing the Milford Sound excursion, it is a different route to the Doubtful Sound one, and it is a bus ride throughout, until you reach Milford Sound - then you hop onboard the boat and you'll get a cruise around Milford Sound, with plenty of opportunities to take photos of the waterfalls, and wildlife if you are lucky to see some. The Doubtful Sound route is a bus ride until you reach lake Manapouri, then you take a boat ride across the lake - then you go by bus through dense forest before reaching Doubtful sound, where the cruise begins. Like Milford Sound, there are opportunities for photos and to buy food and drinks - the scenery is a little different though, and it is often very gloomy, but yet very scenic and beautiful. You will also see wildlife. Once the cruises are done, you will be picked up and dropped back to Queenstown pretty late.
Queenstown has got lots more than all that is listed here on offer, such as picnicking by Lake Wakatipu, getting an ice cream, hiking, going to the ice bar, going for a bike ride and going to Arrowtown to do shopping and buying candy from The Remarkable Sweet Shop, and getting a platter and enjoying wine at The Winery. There are plenty of things to do - again, you cannot go wrong with Queenstown as there is activities for everyone.
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And finally, tips:
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It was just only two days after arriving back from Queenstown, and a day after watching Spiderman: No Way Home, that we commenced on yet another long, but a fun and an exciting trip. This time, it was a road trip which took us to three places to stay - Rotorua, Taupo and Tauranga. This trip was fun and exciting, and was adventurous as it involved both adrenaline - related activities and nice walks through the geysers. The car trips were also interesting and nice as it went through different scenery in different places - from the thermal explorer highway and the Waikato Expressway to the Pacific Coastal Highway/East Coast.
Please take note that like the Queenstown trip, this trip was also supposed to happen in 2021 August - September university semester break, but the Delta variant had forced us to move it to the New Year.
âWe left Auckland early in the morning on the 28th of December. We bypassed Hamilton, and deciding to have lunch in Tirau before going to Rotorua (which, happens to also be our final destination for the year although it was the first stop of our trip). Tirau is a lovely township with a number of good cafes in the South Waikato district. The town also boasts a museum and is a historical place. After arriving in Rotorua and checking in, we rested (due to the long 3 hour drive), had dinner and went to bed. The next day, we went to the Whakarewarewa geothermal walking trail, and we did the walk, which was about one to one and a half hours long. It was very scenic, and the geothermal trails are lovely. Then, the next day, I went to the altitude tree top adventure in the Redwoods forest to do the treetop adventure, which was thrilling and is about 2 hours long. It involved me crossing bridges, and also going through 3 ziplines! Unfortunately, I didn't take photos of this, as my mum did not allow me to carry my phone with me to record the experience. After that we had lunch, went for a walk, had dinner and rested until the next day, New Years Eve.
On New Years Eve, we went to the secret spa hot tubs in Rotorua. It is a bit like the Onsen Hot Pool in Queenstown, except that the scenery is much different - this time, it is surrounded by trees and bushes - and unlike Onsen Hot Pools, unfortunately, we were not allowed to bring snacks into the pools! We spent an hour in the pool. The scenery was lovely and it was an enjoyable experience.
âLater that evening, we dressed up for a special New Year's Eve dinner, then we headed to a restaurant near the lake, where we had a three course menu and a cocktail. The food was nice, and so was the drink. Unfortunately, however, due to the ongoing pandemic and the Delta outbreak, the glo festival and the fireworks were âcancelled. So we went for a walk, went back and stayed up instead to watch the Auckland New Year's Eve live coverage to celebrate the New Year at midnight (Auckland had fireworks, luckily). After midnight, we slept and got ready for the next day.
On the final day in Rotorua, we went to Orakei Korako geothermal park and cave. This geothermal park sits on the banks of the Waikato River. We had to get across by boat to access the cave. The geysers were beautiful, with pink terraces and were quite colorful and were very pretty to look at. The pools are very clear to look at - but, they are very hot (despite its close location to the river)! It was about a 2 hour walk in total and the weather was perfect that day although it was very hot. After that, we had lunch, swam at the lake, than had dinner, then got ready to go to Taupo.
We then went from Rotorua to Taupo. On the way, I went on the Huka Falls jet , which does a 30 minute trip of the Waikato River, which was really enjoyable and fun (we also got to see the Huka Falls). The The jet boat did exhilarating thrill spins, and the views were spectacular. Oh, and I also got wet! After that, we went to the Prawn Park for lunch. The prawns were very fresh, and the chowder was delicious. After we checked in and rested, we swam in the lake. We went out for dinner, then went back early so we could get ready for the next day.
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âOn the next day, I went bungy jumping at Taupo Bungy (which is also operated now by AJ Hackett following a takeover of the site). The bungy jump was 47 meters high, laying above the Waikato River. I tried to record the bungy jump on my action camera - but failed at doing so hilariously as the video did not come out good at all! After the bungy, we had lunch, rested and The next day we went to craters of the moon, where we did a 1 and a half hour walk, and we got to see the crater like geysers (hence the name). It was a nice day, although the weather was incredibly hot. The geysers were impressive to look at. Later that day, I went parasailing. It was really fun and I got incredible views of lake Taupo and the city itself, but unfortunately I wasn't allowed to bring my own action camera on with me! And as I forgot to get the photo/video package, we have no photos or videos of this experience unfortunately. We then had dinner early, then slept to get ready to go to Tauranga the next day.
We left Taupo and headed straight for Tauranga via Rotorua. It was the final stop of our destination. We had lunch, checked in and walked around Mt Manganui. Then we swam at the beach next to the mount. It was also the final full day of our trip. Then we went straight for dinner, at Mt Manganui. We packed up, after dinner, ready to go home on the next day.
The next day, we left Tauranga to go home, slowly making our way back along the Pacific Highway Coast. We stopped at Karangahake gorge, to have a bit of a walk and a look around of the historic mining area. After that, we went to Paeroa to have lunch, and finally making our way back home after a long, ten day but a good trip. And it was lucky that we avoided the traffic jams, best of all!
Photo on blog cover by Tyler Lastovich on Unsplash
We were supposed to go to Queenstown in August, 2021. But, the lockdown (due to the Delta outbreak - which is still ongoing) had derailed our trip, and as a result, we have had to move it to December. Unfortunately, as a result, skiing that we had planned for the trip was no longer on the cards as by this time, it is summer (although we did see snow on the plane and also on the mountains in Queenstown itself). But, there were many other exciting and fun things that we did in Queenstown.
We left Auckland on the 19th of December in the morning. The flight to Queenstown was one and a half hours ââlong. After checking in to our hotel, the first thing I did was to go on the hydro shark jet at lake Wakatipu, which is the lake that the city itself surrounds, which was fun and exciting. It leaps up into the air - and also goes underwater as well. Then, we had lunch, and later in the day, we went to the below zero ice bar.
The next day, we went to Arrowtown, about 15 to 20 minutes out from Queenstown by bus. There, we did window shopping, bought a nice rain jacket and went to The Remarkable Sweet Shop, a nice little shop that is known in the area for selling unusual fudge and candy. We then went gold panning - unfortunately, I had no luck finding gold. We had lunch with a cheese platter and a cocktail before heading back to Queenstown.
On the 20th of December, it was a big day for me as I was an adrenaline junkie, and I did my first bungy jump - at AJ Hackett Kawarau Bridge. Initially, I was nervous (I had to admit) as I had never done a bungy before, but I was more excited than nervous. But, it was really fun and it was also not scary - as people would describe it as. After the bungy jump, we went to Gibbston valley winery for a 2 course lunch (which came with wine) - and we did a tour of the cave and also did some wine tasting!
Then, on the next day, we headed to Cromwell, Central Otago, where we did cherry picking. We picked a lot of cherries and stone fruit (we had to finish some on the trip but we could fit a box or two back for home). We wanted to visit the Cromwell heritage precinct, but unfortunately, there wasn't enough time to do so.
The next day, we went aboard the TSS Earnslaw, sailed across the lake to Walter's peak, where we had a delicious BBQ buffet lunch. It was a very nice cruise, and the views from the boat were scenic and spectacular.
Later that day, after the TSS Earnslaw cruise, we went to the Onsen Hot Pools, which had a spectacular view of the Shotover River. We were also given complimentary juice and snacks at the pool. We spent one hour in the pool, enjoying the stunning view, and taking photos and relaxing. After the pool, we headed back for dinner in the city and headed back to the hotel.
We woke on Christmas Eve, to yet another adrenaline fueled activity - the Nevis Swing. The swing was a 70 meter drop, going by a 300 diameter arc. It was really fun, although not for the faint hearted due to the sudden drop and the fact that you're suspended a long way up from the bottom of the valley. This activity is only accessible by the AJ Hackett bus, and I had to cross a suspension bridge (which swung a bit when I walked across) to access the Nevis Swing, which happens to be one of the biggest swings in the world.
After the swing, we headed back for lunch - then we got ready for the Christmas Eve buffet dinner at the Skyline Gondola. It was time to dress up glamorously - I wore a pink satin slip on dress, with an Alexander McQueen scarf and my YSL clutch (clutch pictured in my blog here). Then I slowly and carefully made my way up to the gondola, which was a bit difficult given that I was wearing stiletto heels, and we enjoyed a few rounds of dinner, accompanied with a glass of wine, then two rounds of dessert. The dinner was absolutely delicious. Making our way back was a little more challenging, as my feet was totally worn out from walking and the heels.
Christmas Day at last (which was also the final full day of our trip) - I went jet boating and did indoor skydiving. We had lunch and then walked along the waterfront - beforehand. Later, we had Christmas dinner - a three course menu (including dessert) with a cocktail. The next day, we headed to cookie time cookie bar to have a small dessert, before finally packing up - and leaving to go home back to Auckland.
Overall, it was a fantastic trip - I cannot wait to go back to Queenstown again, it is an adventure playground - like they say. The food was also delicious - from delicious meals to good hospitality. My favorite dessert places is Cookie time cookie bar - and Patagonia chocolates dessert place at the waterfront. Queenstown has something for everyone - from adrenaline fueled activities to wine tastings and pamper time. It is also a very beautiful city surrounded by a lake Wakatipu. If you are not from New Zealand and want to visit once the pandemic ends - I highly recommend Queenstown as there are lots of things to do all year round.
Photo on blog cover by Peter Luo on Unsplash |
AuthorI am Natalie Dunn. I am a feminist who believes in gender equality and rights for everyone. I have many passions in life such as fashion, beauty, adventures and travelling. Archives
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