What to do in Queenstown is my longest post yet! If it can help someone else in their travels then thats great! However, it has felt so great to document our holiday in a summary of photos, even if it’s just for us! Pretty sure I will definitely do this in the future!
Five years ago, I married the love of my life (See the hottie below)…and together we have enjoyed so much marriage, work, pregnancy, twins, nappies, etc. etc. etc, need I go on….that we deserved a holiday! A holiday together and alone! (Thanks mum for having the twins! I owe you more grandchildren 😉 lol )
So…. to celebrate, we thought we would return to the ‘Adventure City of the World’ that is Queenstown.
If you have been, I have no doubt you loved it, and if you haven’t, you have to go! It’s amazing!
(Queenstown is kinda to the right of this photo, but great photo right?!)
In this post I will talk about a few highlights from our trip such as:
- Climbing to the Remarkables peak
- Skiing/snowboarding
- Fergburger/Fergbakery
- Tekapo Springs (3hrs north)
- Visiting the Glowing Lakes
- Hike to lake Sylvan
- Zip lining
- Gondola ride
- Luge rides
- Dinner up the gondola
- Ice Bar
- 12D Movie
- Sampling Food
- Walking around town
- Sitting by the lake with piano music wafting around.
As there is so much to do in Queenstown/South Island of New Zealand, you can easily return again and again, especially if you love skiing or snowboarding. And I’ve heard it’s even busier in the warmer months for the summer sports!
Hiking the Remarkables
After chatting to the guy at customs for 15 minutes, he told us about a so called ‘hiking track’ that starts at the 10km mark on the road to the Remarkables Snow Field. Obviously there may be a track in summer, but for us, we just started walking in the snow!
We started looking at topographical maps on our phones after a while to see how far the peak was, as each new rise presented another peak. We were sinking at least to our knees, then to our waists closer to the top. To add to that, we were losing sun!
It also didn’t help that we had just seen the movie ‘Everest’. Great way to freak us out!
Peter wasn’t feeling too well (why does this always happen to us when we fly to NZ?!), but wanted me to keep going, so we facetimed at the top (aaaah!).
Needless to say the isolation was complete, and the views breathtaking.
Once I got back to him I realised I’d left his phone somewhere (Eeek!), while literally rolling down the mountain! (Warning: You do get a lot of snow in your face and mouth!) My phone had also turned off by this time because it was so cold (Seriously?!)… so were having some awesome luck!
After putting it inside Pete’s clothing for a while, we were finally able to call the missing phone and eventually found it halfway up the mountain mostly covered in snow! Thank goodness it had a life proof case!!! (We also dropped it in the bath later in the trip!)
So my advice is to start earlier in the day, (we started at 3pm) and make sure you take hot chocolate in a thermos. It never tastes as good as it does when you are alone in the snow!
Skiing/Snowboarding
This is one of the main reasons I love coming to New Zealand!
Last trip we snowboarded and this trip we did half skiing, half snowboarding. We are still beginners…but I think we’re pretty awesome lol! I have too little fear and tried some blue (intermediate) runs this year…and nearly died!
As people will tell you when you are there, Skiing is easier to begin, but harder to master, whereas Snowboarding is harder to begin, but easier to master. So if you don’t want to spend a few days on your butt, choose skiing. If you are up for a challenge, or have surfed or skated before…snowboarding might be for you!
We honestly love both and can’t chose one yet!
We only went to Coronet Peak this trip (due to waking up late!) as it is closer. Last trip we went to Cadrona and the Remarkables.
If you are a absolute beginner, and you won’t make it off the magic carpet, you can go anywhere. You won’t know any different.
However, if you are taking your first green (beginner) runs, I would recommend Cadrona even though it is further away, as I found the runs wider and more pleasant. The Remarkables have the sun for a bit longer than Coronet Peak, but Coronet Peak has the best view. Like. Incredible. From. Everywhere.
They are all world class ski fields, so you should be happy where ever you go (still talking to beginners).
If however you are quite experienced, I’ve never been there, but I hear that Treble Cone is definitely the way to go. Possibly staying in Wanaka instead of Queenstown will help with the travel there, as it is further away than the other three snow fields.
Also if you get a Juicy Car Rental, they often have a deal where you get a free lift pass with Treble Cone for a few days which can save you a lot of $$$! (Just make sure you have two people at the desk when hiring your car, otherwise they won’t offer it.)
So my plan next trip is to possibly stay in Wanaka a few nights and go to Cadrona and Treble Cone a bit more??? Not sure just yet!
As for hiring gear, we had our own clothes and goggles which made it a lot easier to do hiking etc on other days of our trip as they are water proof. We chose to hire our equipment (Skis and poles, boards, boots, helmets, wrist guards) from the snow fields this trip. I particularly liked it as we were able to change from skiing to snowboarding whenever we wanted, as it was all right there. We also didn’t have to lug it around with us everywhere. (Shop to car to bus and back again)
Make sure, if hiring at the ski field, to order your lift passes, lessons and gear online through each ski fields website, which will cut down waiting time dramatically.
The downside to us hiring it at the snow fields is that we had to get kitted up while everyone else headed straight to the ski lifts! (But that still didn’t take too long!)
And last but not least, I know it sounds like a no brainer, but if you haven’t ever skied or snowboarded before – get a lesson! We have met more people than I expected, who buy a full lift pass, take the chairlift to the top, and wonder why they nearly die. They then sheepishly come for an afternoon lesson after wasting half a day. Like I said, a no brainer!
Oh and if you have never done it before…you can bet you will be very sore! But it is so much fun!!! Enjoy!!!
Fergburger/Fergbakery
If you haven’t tried the Ferg, it is amazing! It is the most popular place in town, a burger place, a bakery and ice creamery, with huge lines and large crowds at all times of day! It’s often an hour wait for a burger and they are open 21 hours a day! It’s insane!
Our personal favourites are the Chief Wiggam Burger (Pork Belly with crackling, mustard etc), the Boston Bun from the Bakery (aaaahmazing!) and the Pork Belly Pie and the Lamb and Kumera Pie from the bakery. You wouldn’t know that I don’t eat pork much, let alone pork belly…but like I said. Amazing!
The Boston Bun….we were talking about these constantly for the three years between trips….and we might have had about four each day between us!!!
Pete and I do wonder if Fergburger deliberately make the burgers slow so there is a consistent crowd out front to add to the hype….?? Not sure on that one! But our advice is to order over the phone and pick up, or order then take a walk!
Or just chat to everyone in line for an hour and meet some other holidayers! That can be super fun too!
Tekapo Springs
(3hrs north)
We were really really cold, colder than our last trip. And we’re from a hot country. And it was snowing. On our balcony!
Sooo….we decided to drive up to Tekapo for some respite in the hot springs. They are very well priced, have a lovely view and also have ice skating and tobogganing if you feel like it!
They have three pools at different temperatures, my favourite was actually the middle one! It was so lovely to sit back and relax, watching snow capped mountains as the sun sets! It’s also great for sore achy muscles from snowboarding!
The Glowing Lakes
It was also such a lovely drive to get to Tekapo which was another draw card! Just look on google earth and you will see Lake Pukaki and Lake Ruataniwha being an incredible turquoise colour! So exquisite and fascinating! Definitely worth driving to really see these lakes and streams up close!
Apparently they are this colour due to the minerals in the glacier dust. To see the colour at it’s finest, it’s definitely best to see these when the sun is shining strong, so save it for a sunny day! Here is a great article about these lakes!
Dinner and Luge Rides up the Gondola
Anyone who goes to Queenstown MUST do this! It is a bit on the pricey side, but the views are spectacular, the dinner was amazing and the luge rides (go-carts) were great fun.
Oh and it was FREEZING! Like the coldest we were on the entire trip! It was snowing at the top, and when you are on the luges you are seriously in the elements.
So here is the gondola……wow right! An awesome ride in itself!
These are the luge lanes. I do agree with their motto that once isn’t really enough, especially as there are two different tracks. There is also a chairlift to take you back to the top! How awesome is that?! Two rides in one! And how cool is the snow on the ground for all our hot climate friends?!
After a few times on the track, we decided to have a race.
And oh my goodness, I wish everyone could see Peter in his full go cart racing mode! There is absolutely no way I could compete! He has twice the body mass I do, and insane agility! He seems to know the machine and its limits immediately!
For example, at the end the track does little zig zags to slow you down…as in if you don’t go slower you crash into the sides. So how did he go so fast?!?! I lost sight of him instantly and he overtook 10 people by the time he finished!
I think he needs a new profession! Race car driver!
Anyway, the Luge’s are heaps of fun! Go for it!
Sadly we forgot to take a photo of us at dinner with the view, but here is one of us in the lounge near the fire waiting for our sitting. The food was to die for! My favourite was a laksa soup that you add the ingredients to yourself. To. Die. For.
Again the views are spectacular, but make sure you book the early sitting so you see the day turn to night. Also, book ahead of time as the early sitting sells out!!!
Lake Sylvan/Lord of the Rings Style Spongy Moss
So this moss was another thing I wanted to see again as we have nothing like it in Sydney! You know in the Lord of the Rings movies where everything is so magical and mossy? Well, we saw it on a Funyak Safari 3 years ago, and decided to go searching for it ourselves!
We thought we would search up near Glenorchy, and once there, the locals sent us to Lake Sylvan, near the Routeburn Track. (The Lake Sylvan walk is about an hour. The Routeburn Track takes a few days and is still on the bucket list!) Our little track however did not disappoint!
Here is the bridge you cross to get to the trail, lots of photos of the moss, the Lake Sylvan and a little friend we met there.
There were so many different types of moss!!!
And it covered everything!!! It was so soft and spongy – like a trampoline!
We both practiced our yoga!
See the baby on the tree?!
Lake Sylvan, an incredibly tranquil place! Not a ripple!
This little guys cuteness reminded me of my twinnies at home. Look at that tummy! He was pretty tame and hung out with us for a good 5 to 10 minutes!
Minus 5 Ice Bar
The next three activities we found online, severely discounted, so we thought why not? We had a lot of fun and they were some cheaper options, so we weren’t blowing the budget every day!
The ice bar will give you cool photos, but I found it a bit of a let down when you walk in to a decorated freezer. It’s a lot smaller than the pictures make it look. On average people stay in there 20 minutes, so just figure out if it’s worth it to you.
The sculptures were amazing, so for me it was worth doing at least once so I can say I have done it. 😀
Our Mocktails were freezing so fast in the ice cup due to the lack of alcohol!
The pictures definitely make it look bigger than it is! But I suppose there is a lot of work in all those ice carvings! I hope they have a back up generator in case their power goes off!!!
Zip Lining
This was another heavily discounted online find. It was located at the very picturesque Shotover Creek, so that was beautiful! They give you lots of options of how you want to be strapped in, for example forwards, backwards, upside-down, etc. We both chose the superman pose!
It was an adrenaline rush, but a bit shorter than I expected.
In this photo, you can see the zip-line in the top left. Again we wore our snow clothes as it was raining. The fact that they are water proof was just so dang handy!!!
12D Movie
This was fun and great for what it was. A motion picture experience! We saw two short rollercoaster films, one through space and the other through the wild west.
It was 3D, the chairs moved, loud music etc, so it was quite fun and I’m sure kids would absolutely LOVE it, but it isn’t what I would travel to Queenstown for.
Apparently there is a video game these people offer that has won many awards, however as I HATE computer games and I don’t enjoy shooting people/zombies, this definitely wasn’t for me. But it may be for you…
Exploring Queenstown
Queenstown itself has a very cool vibe, a bit like a super cold Byron Bay, so make sure you don’t forget to wander the streets and sit by the lake. There are lots of backpackers and holidayers like ourselves bustling around, even in the zero degree weather!
There is a lot of delicious food such as this shake from Cookie Time. If you feel like home made cookies, this is the place! Or if you feel like a good heater….just walk in the door!
Or anything from Patagonia Chocolates! Totally amazing!
And there are some great buskers too. Like A.J. Hickling from Evolving Rhythms. He started out classical, but now writes really beautiful music taking inspiration from wherever he is.
My favourite part…he said the secret to a good busking piano, is keeping the tuning well maintained. Hence, he is becoming quite the piano technician, tuning the piano on the job as it needs it!
So we bought ourselves a Ferg pie, and went to sit by the lake when this beautiful piano music started wafting by! Aaaah!
Since doing the classical piano degree, I can’t help but analyse most music I hear, whether it be at the end of a yoga class when I’m supposed to be ‘clearing my mind’, or at a church concert when I really shouldn’t be ‘analyzing’! I’m getting better at it, but I can be a bit picky.
On this day however, the music and atmosphere was so lovely that we ended up buying 4 albums! Go check him out!
Otherwise generally wandering around, and especially through the park on the headland you will find many little places that make you think you might be in middle earth or fairyland. Is it just me? I can have a very overactive imagination sometimes!
Going Home
Saying goodbye to Queenstown is always a bit heartbreaking. I feel like it is our winter wonderland, magical haven away from home.
At least the views from the plane are consoling.
And the fact that we were going home to the two cutest, most amazing little people we know!
Untill next time Queenstown!!! xxx