76. Queenstown, New Zealand. The top things to do around Queenstown, New Zealand.
Did you know that Queenstown New, Zealand, isn’t just for extreme activities and snow sports?
Although these are incredible, this week’s episode is all about what to do in Queenstown if you don’t ski or just want to enjoy exploring this unique part of New Zealand.
For such a small town, Queenstown punches way above its weight.
The views from all over the town are stunning. It doesn’t matter where you choose to have a coffee, wine or meal on the waterfront – you will be experiencing one of the most beautiful places in the world.
Lake Wakatipu is the jewel in the middle of Queenstown, surrounded by snowcapped mountain ranges, including the Remarkables where Lord of the Rings was filmed.
We tell you all about the water activities you can do or simply watch including submersible sharks, jet boats and an iconic steam boat that is as old as the Titanic.
If you are into shopping the brand names here rival the stores in Paris, from Gucci to Rolex.
We tell you about the unique wine tasting experience that we enjoyed and have never come across before and where we found the coolest toilets in town. Seriously.
Come with us as we take you wandering around the Botanic gardens on the edge of town. From duck ponds, to gigantic pine trees to an unusual sport that we discovered here.
We tell you the cheap way to explore the lake – how to get to the sunniest spot in town and then stay listening as Lyle tells us how I made him kiss a large kiwi. There are lots of laugh out loud moments to enjoy and great info all about being out and about in Queenstown.
Please enjoy episode 76 or scroll for pictures.
SHOW NOTES AND PICTURES BELOW
Even though Queenstown in a relatively small town on Lake Wakatipu, there is so much to do if you don’t want to visit the ski fields.
One of our favourite things to do is to walk along the waterfront and find some delicious street food, or have a coffee with spectacular water views. Even though most restaurants and cafes are a bit expensive, you will find the street food vendors are very reasonably priced with delicious food.
Wherever you walk along Lake Wakatipu in Queenstown you will be spoilt for views. The lake is the jewel in Queenstown’s crown, surrounded by snow-capped mountain ranges. There are many lake front cafes, bars and restaurants to enjoy the views as well.
Lake Wakatipu is a huge boating playground. You could sit all day and watch (or participate if you wanted to) all the different water activities. These include high adrenaline jet boat trips as well as the semi-submersible hydro shark attack boats that dive under the water, then launch into the air - definitely not for the faint-hearted.
A less pulse raising boat trip is on the TSS Earnslaw - an historic steam boat that launched the same year as the Titanic. The steamer takes you around the lake where you can enjoy fabulous views and a delicious lunch.
One of the most economical ways to venture out on the lake is to take the water taxi service. This takes you from Queenstown, to the Marina area and then onto Kelvin Heights where the 5 star Hilton Hotel is located. You can hop off and enjoy the sunny side of lake and watch the planes come in or take off. The Hilton is a great spot to enjoy lunch and a nice glass of wine, and if it is a cool day, there is a fire pit area to enjoy as well.
Queenstown has an amazing selection of shops from designer labels to the latest snow gear stores and everything in between. There is a pedestrian mall area full of places to eat, bars to enjoy and shops to buy all your souvenirs.
One of the favourite cafes to visit is Patagonia. It is famous for its hot chocolate and delicious desserts.
The Cow is another Queenstown favourite. It is a very rustic restaurant that used to be where the cows were milked. These days it is where you will find the best pizza and pasta in town.
For something a bit cool (very cool) and fun, try the Minus 5 Ice Bar at the Wharf. The Queenstown casino is located here as well.
One of our favourite places to visit when we are in Queenstown is the Botanic Gardens. You could wander around here for hours. There are many paths through the middle of the gardens that lead you past the rotunda, across a stone bridge to the huge pond that is always surrounded by ducks.
Once you have explored the stunning gardens and giant pine trees, you can then walk around the outside of the gardens along a pathway on the edge of Lake Wakatipu. This is one of the most stunning walks you can do - you get to see Queenstown from the other side of the bay, and then when you continue walking around the other side of the point, you will find yourself gazing up at the spectacular Remarkables mountain range. It takes your breath away every time.
Episode 75 has so much more detailed information and funny stories (like the one about why Lyle is kissing that big kiwi bird above) If you would like to know more about the places in Queenstown that I have mentioned then click the one of the podcast player above or this one below.
To see all the episodes, pictures, maps and links in our New Zealand series then click the button below.