For some people , Queenstown is the whole and sole reason for their trip to New Zealand. Where else, you would find every imaginable adventure in the lands of the Hobbits !
Queenstown is a tourist town in the Southern Island of New Zealand. Its well connected with major cities of New Zealand and is just under 90 mins flight time.
The airport is not faraway from the city center, and trust me you do not need car in this little town for better part of your stay in Queenstown.
Queenstown is a tourist town in the Southern Island of New Zealand. Its well connected with major cities of New Zealand and is just under 90 mins flight time.
The airport is not faraway from the city center, and trust me you do not need car in this little town for better part of your stay in Queenstown.
Novotel :
We stayed 5 nights in Novotel which is in one corner of the city center, and is very near to the lake. Its in a convenient location to all the adventure sports operators and restaurants. You would not need a car, if you are staying in this area.
The hotel is a 3 star property with decent room size. But you end up staying outdoors for a major part of your stay here, doing sports, or lazing away on the lakeside.
The best part of this hotel is the concierge where you can book all your adventure sports. The benefit of doing that is you need to pay when you check out. If in any case the activity is cancelled due to bad weather , then you do not need to waste time going to the operator's outlet and getting a refund. You can also do the changes here itself.
In case, you have rented a car, there is paid parking during day time just 1 street across and during night, the parking is free just outside the hotel.
We stayed 5 nights in Novotel which is in one corner of the city center, and is very near to the lake. Its in a convenient location to all the adventure sports operators and restaurants. You would not need a car, if you are staying in this area.
The hotel is a 3 star property with decent room size. But you end up staying outdoors for a major part of your stay here, doing sports, or lazing away on the lakeside.
The best part of this hotel is the concierge where you can book all your adventure sports. The benefit of doing that is you need to pay when you check out. If in any case the activity is cancelled due to bad weather , then you do not need to waste time going to the operator's outlet and getting a refund. You can also do the changes here itself.
In case, you have rented a car, there is paid parking during day time just 1 street across and during night, the parking is free just outside the hotel.
Shotover Canyon Swing
Instead of the Bungy, Canyon swing looked more appealing and more exciting. We walked in , without any reservation and luckily got a booking instantly.
They drive you in their van to their outpost. You walk towards the canyon with your heart rate increasing gradually.
The girl who accompanies you is jolly throughout , makes some weird drawings on your hand and keeps the atmosphere lively.
And there you see a very deep and narrow canyon, with a platform just at the edge of the cliff where you see some people falling down !
Me and my wife did a backward tandem jump, and falling backwards just increased the adrenaline levels.
Properly harnessed and tied up, the instructor's candid talks made no sense to the brains, and just multifold thoughts racing through your mind.
They release you at the count of 3 and whoosh.. you fall down in the canyon and take a 200 ft huge swing in it...
Great experience and a must try.
I did another jump, hanging upside down in a Superman pose !!
Shotover Jet
One of the most advertised activity in Queenstown, there are various operators doing the same thing, but Shotover Jet is the most famous. Just like Canyon Swing, they ride you from their outlet in the city to the river bed where the actual machines are.
Its in a beautiful setting with a lovely shallow river going through the mountains. Life jacket is worn and you are off to the boat in a jiffy. Make sure to sit in the last row, so that you can get the best view as the seats are a little inclined plus you need to sit at the corner for some water to splash in your face.
A nice 20 mins ride, where the driver jokes, turns, spins the boat in 6 inches deep water at amazing speed !
Great fun, but always remember to do these kind of adrenaline activities in an ascending order, so that the rides do not fail in comparison.
Instead of the Bungy, Canyon swing looked more appealing and more exciting. We walked in , without any reservation and luckily got a booking instantly.
They drive you in their van to their outpost. You walk towards the canyon with your heart rate increasing gradually.
The girl who accompanies you is jolly throughout , makes some weird drawings on your hand and keeps the atmosphere lively.
And there you see a very deep and narrow canyon, with a platform just at the edge of the cliff where you see some people falling down !
Me and my wife did a backward tandem jump, and falling backwards just increased the adrenaline levels.
Properly harnessed and tied up, the instructor's candid talks made no sense to the brains, and just multifold thoughts racing through your mind.
They release you at the count of 3 and whoosh.. you fall down in the canyon and take a 200 ft huge swing in it...
Great experience and a must try.
I did another jump, hanging upside down in a Superman pose !!
Shotover Jet
One of the most advertised activity in Queenstown, there are various operators doing the same thing, but Shotover Jet is the most famous. Just like Canyon Swing, they ride you from their outlet in the city to the river bed where the actual machines are.
Its in a beautiful setting with a lovely shallow river going through the mountains. Life jacket is worn and you are off to the boat in a jiffy. Make sure to sit in the last row, so that you can get the best view as the seats are a little inclined plus you need to sit at the corner for some water to splash in your face.
A nice 20 mins ride, where the driver jokes, turns, spins the boat in 6 inches deep water at amazing speed !
Great fun, but always remember to do these kind of adrenaline activities in an ascending order, so that the rides do not fail in comparison.
Sky Dive
Nzone Sky Dive is a best sky diving operator over here and also has an outlet in Rotorua. Where you should jump is your call, but what I had heard was that Queenstown was the best.
Sky Diving is very dependent on the weather and winds , so book the moment you reach there, because we had this activity cancelled twice.
You will be briefed at the city center outlet and driven off in their van to the diving site which is 30 mins away. The diving arena is a set in a wide green pasture lands, with mountains on one side and lake on the other.
You are geared up , assigned a jumper and a videographer jumper, given some safety tips and then set away in a small plane with no seats. You need to sit on the floor with your jumper on your back. You wait for 20 mins for the flight to get to a particular height where you can do your 45 seconds of free fall jump. There are 30 seconds and 60 seconds jumps as well.
The flight door opens , and you need to let your feet hang from the flight and trust on the clasps which ties you to your jumper. One huge breath and then you fall....
Its a numb feeling with nothing going in mind, and then you realize after 3 seconds, that you are FLYING !
Your associate jumper points towards the camera fitted on your videographer's head, and tells you to do something. You try to make poses, make faces, and then you try to speak and shout which you cant because of the wind hurling in your mouth.
Time was never shorter and you will feel 45 seconds go away in 7 seconds. (Dont worry, I checked it later on the video, and its precisely 45 seconds !) Then the parachute opens, and you realize what you just did ! You take around 7-10 mins to come down, and this is the time, when you are just awestruck with the view.
Thousands of sheep grazing away in the endless pastures with lake and mountain views. You talk with your jumper and learn that he makes around 10 jumps a day.
You land and thank god for giving ground under the feet ! Its an amazing feeling, best understood when jumped by yourself.
Unfortunately, the camera malfunctioned and they could not record my jump. I thought they might be joking but unfortunately it was the truth. I was very disappointed and expressed the same to them about it. Generously they gave me another jump the next day, so that I could have a recorded souvenir for my lifetime.
Glenorchy
On our last day, we rented a car since we were driving the next day to Wanaka & Dunedin. Someone suggested us to drive to Glenorchy where apparently The Wolverine was shot. Its a 45 mins drive, which I felt was ok, and if you have time, then you can think about otherwise just indulge in adventure sports.
Nzone Sky Dive is a best sky diving operator over here and also has an outlet in Rotorua. Where you should jump is your call, but what I had heard was that Queenstown was the best.
Sky Diving is very dependent on the weather and winds , so book the moment you reach there, because we had this activity cancelled twice.
You will be briefed at the city center outlet and driven off in their van to the diving site which is 30 mins away. The diving arena is a set in a wide green pasture lands, with mountains on one side and lake on the other.
You are geared up , assigned a jumper and a videographer jumper, given some safety tips and then set away in a small plane with no seats. You need to sit on the floor with your jumper on your back. You wait for 20 mins for the flight to get to a particular height where you can do your 45 seconds of free fall jump. There are 30 seconds and 60 seconds jumps as well.
The flight door opens , and you need to let your feet hang from the flight and trust on the clasps which ties you to your jumper. One huge breath and then you fall....
Its a numb feeling with nothing going in mind, and then you realize after 3 seconds, that you are FLYING !
Your associate jumper points towards the camera fitted on your videographer's head, and tells you to do something. You try to make poses, make faces, and then you try to speak and shout which you cant because of the wind hurling in your mouth.
Time was never shorter and you will feel 45 seconds go away in 7 seconds. (Dont worry, I checked it later on the video, and its precisely 45 seconds !) Then the parachute opens, and you realize what you just did ! You take around 7-10 mins to come down, and this is the time, when you are just awestruck with the view.
Thousands of sheep grazing away in the endless pastures with lake and mountain views. You talk with your jumper and learn that he makes around 10 jumps a day.
You land and thank god for giving ground under the feet ! Its an amazing feeling, best understood when jumped by yourself.
Unfortunately, the camera malfunctioned and they could not record my jump. I thought they might be joking but unfortunately it was the truth. I was very disappointed and expressed the same to them about it. Generously they gave me another jump the next day, so that I could have a recorded souvenir for my lifetime.
Glenorchy
On our last day, we rented a car since we were driving the next day to Wanaka & Dunedin. Someone suggested us to drive to Glenorchy where apparently The Wolverine was shot. Its a 45 mins drive, which I felt was ok, and if you have time, then you can think about otherwise just indulge in adventure sports.
Milford Sound
Normally Milford Sound takes 1 full day trip and you need to leave at 6 am to drive 4 hours and then take a 90 mins cruise and then back 4 hours. I did not want to do that, hence I took a flight to the Milford by which I could enjoy the aerial view of the Milford also as well as the cruise.
Honestly the flight was great, but the Milford is boring. Its beautiful but its still boring. Maybe its for photo taking enthusiasts , but honestly to spend so much time and money , its not worth it.
Maybe you can do it on the way to Fox and Franz Joseph Glaciers, if you really want to do it.
The food is not good on the cruise, and it gets pretty cold outside, so you end up staying inside the boat.
Some people say The Doubtful Sound is much better and less touristy but its further away.
Helicopter Tour in the Snow
A helicopter ride away from the Queenstown airport to the nearby mountain ranges where the pilot finds you a nice & safe landing spot on SNOW ! Sounds very kiddish, but you are able to sit in a helicopter, have a nice aerial view of the city and also land in the snow.
Also the pictures come out great in the snow with Helicopter and the sky in the backdrop.
Normally Milford Sound takes 1 full day trip and you need to leave at 6 am to drive 4 hours and then take a 90 mins cruise and then back 4 hours. I did not want to do that, hence I took a flight to the Milford by which I could enjoy the aerial view of the Milford also as well as the cruise.
Honestly the flight was great, but the Milford is boring. Its beautiful but its still boring. Maybe its for photo taking enthusiasts , but honestly to spend so much time and money , its not worth it.
Maybe you can do it on the way to Fox and Franz Joseph Glaciers, if you really want to do it.
The food is not good on the cruise, and it gets pretty cold outside, so you end up staying inside the boat.
Some people say The Doubtful Sound is much better and less touristy but its further away.
Helicopter Tour in the Snow
A helicopter ride away from the Queenstown airport to the nearby mountain ranges where the pilot finds you a nice & safe landing spot on SNOW ! Sounds very kiddish, but you are able to sit in a helicopter, have a nice aerial view of the city and also land in the snow.
Also the pictures come out great in the snow with Helicopter and the sky in the backdrop.
What Else to do ?
You can just laze in the public park or sit by the lake side reading books, or just indulge in more adventure sports.
Some activities we missed out but looked great were : Lazy River Dog, where you are just floating in the rapid river, which I thought should have been better than normal White Water Rafting.
If you like bungy then there is Nevis Bungy from a cable car or Kawarau Bungy from the bridge.
There is an ice cream shop near the public park, it has the most wonderful ice creams and you should not give it a miss.
Too many restaurants, and you can easily find what you like, but one special mention for Cow's Restaurant, please go there and tell on my behalf that I had the most wonderful pizza ever. I still miss it, and would not mind going to Queenstown only for its pizza !!
You can just laze in the public park or sit by the lake side reading books, or just indulge in more adventure sports.
Some activities we missed out but looked great were : Lazy River Dog, where you are just floating in the rapid river, which I thought should have been better than normal White Water Rafting.
If you like bungy then there is Nevis Bungy from a cable car or Kawarau Bungy from the bridge.
There is an ice cream shop near the public park, it has the most wonderful ice creams and you should not give it a miss.
Too many restaurants, and you can easily find what you like, but one special mention for Cow's Restaurant, please go there and tell on my behalf that I had the most wonderful pizza ever. I still miss it, and would not mind going to Queenstown only for its pizza !!
