Skip to main content

Queenstown Travel Guides

An alpine lake, peaks on three sides, and trailheads everywhere

Queenstown is the South Island base I keep coming back to, and it works for far more than adventure sports. These guides cover the hikes from Ben Lomond to Lake Alta and Roy’s Peak, which areas to stay in and why it matters, the Gibbston Valley wineries and the bike trail through them, and the day trips worth leaving the lake for.

Guides in Queenstown

More about Queenstown

First trip

Queenstown is the busiest base on New Zealand’s South Island and the starting point for most of what follows. Start with the complete guide, or the first-timer’s itinerary if you want a route rather than a list. Fifteen things to do covers the rest.

The hikes

  • Ben Lomond — the long climb straight up from town.
  • Lake Alta — a shorter alpine track above the ski fields.
  • Roy’s Peak — over in Wanaka, and worth the drive.
  • Lake Hayes — the flat loop, plus places to stay around it.

Wine and day trips

Where to stay

Hotels and areas and a neighbourhood breakdown cover the choice, with a Lake Hayes stay reviewed in detail.