Queenstown, New Zealand is a favorite of many travelers. Its location on a beautiful lake surrounded by the Southern Alps makes it a great destination. The population is small, but the tourism industry is bursting here with the international airport bringing in people from all over the world.
The city was founded during the Gold Rush of the 1860’s. When the gold ran out, so did the people. Once the 1950’s hit, people started using this area as a holiday spot and it’s only picked up since then. We had three nights planned here to take in all the fun.
So what was the surprise?
We didn’t love it. It was all a bit too much.
We are in this magical country to be outside enjoying the amazing scenery, learning about the history of these islands and getting a feel of the local flavor. The vibe we got from Queenstown was a little more party and crazy, expensive tourist activities. If you are looking for a thrilling way to see New Zealand, this is a great place to be. If you are a budget traveler, there may not be as much for you. We happen to fall into the latter category.
All that said, we still did some things we LOVED in the Queenstown area and want to share them with you. But we want to be transparent and share the good, the bad, the honest. There was nothing bad about this town at all, it just didn’t jive with us like we thought it would.
Recommendations for Queenstown
The Remarkables Ski Area
Skiing is a huge draw for this area in the winter, but it also offers some beautiful hikes when there is no snow on the ground. Just a warning that the drive up there is not for the faint of heart. Once you’ve arrived, the ski area is fairly small compared to resorts in the Rocky Mountains. We did the hike to Lake Alta which is an amazing glacial lake surrounded by the peaks. It was steep but not too long – about an hour plus some time to relax at the top.
Queenstown Hill
This is one of the most popular hikes in the area. There is a loop you can do or you can continue on to the summit. I would definitely recommend the summit if you have the energy. The views are beautiful. It brings you about as high as the gondola, but it’s free!!
Arrowtown
This little town is about 15 minutes away from Queenstown and definitely worth checking out. The Main Street is a blast from the past. You can read about the history of the Gold Rush in their museum and even pan for gold. We spent our time walking through the Chinese Settlement which has tons of information laid out about the men who came to try and make money for their families in the late 1800’s. It was really informative and interesting. The town was pretty busy with tour buses, but I would definitely recommend stopping here if you’re in the area.
Places to Eat & Drink
Queenstown has tons of restaurants and bars to choose from. We are eating most of our meals using groceries and the AirBnB kitchens, but we do eat at restaurants and split meals when it’s the best option. We found two spots I want to share here while in Queenstown.
Winnies
We got extremely lucky our first afternoon in town. We wanted a hot meal and couldn’t check in to our AirBnB so we ventured right into the craziness that is central Queenstown. We found the sign pictured below and knew that pizza was the right move. We ordered a pizza to share at Winnie’s. After a little while, the manager came over to apologize that the kitchen had lost our order. We hadn’t even really noticed that it was taking a while, but she insisted on buying us a round of beers and discounting our pizza and we couldn’t turn that down. Best customer service ever. Plus, the pizza was so worth the wait! This is a great spot for a great meal in town.
1876 – Beer Garden
After one of our hikes, we ate our picnic lunch by the lake and googled the cheapest beers in town. 1876 has $5 pints all day every day, so we found our way to their sunny patio and enjoyed a pint. The people watching was great, the sun was beautiful and the beer was tasty (and cheap.)
Final Thoughts
I think Queenstown is an awesome place to stop. If you are visiting New Zealand to tap into the adrenaline junkie side, this is definitely a great place to be. You can also make a (long) day trip to Milford Sound from the city. We would have shortened our time here and spent some time in Wanaka instead.
Have you been to Queenstown? Did you try any of the crazy activities?
