Activities
Top Things to Do in Queenstown: Gondola, Jet Boats, Trails, and Snow
Guide: Queenstown Essentials: Heights, Water, Trails, and Snow
A route-useful first-visit guide balancing Queenstown's engineered thrills with free walking and cycling, conservation, lake heritage, restorative hot pools, and weather-aware alpine logistics.
- Skyline Queenstown Gondola & LugeRide above town to Bob's Peak, then use the luge, terraces, and walking links to turn the famous panorama into a half-day.
- Shotover JetTwin-engine jet boats skim the Shotover's narrow canyon walls and spin in shallow water, an efficient version of Queenstown's signature engineered thrill.
- Kawarau Bridge BungyJump 43 metres from the world's first commercial bungy site, or watch free from the decks while the historic bridge frames the action.
- NZONE Skydive QueenstownTandem jumps trade a short flight for an immense basin view, with lake, braided rivers, and snow peaks arriving before the freefall.
- TSS Earnslaw Lake CruiseThe 90-minute lake crossing combines open-deck alpine views with access to the working engine room and optional Walter Peak farm experiences.
- Queenstown Hill Time WalkThis steep local loop climbs through forest to open tussock and the Basket of Dreams, revealing the lake basin without a vehicle or ticket.
- Onsen Hot PoolsPrivate cedar-lined pools overlook the Shotover valley, with retractable windows and timed sessions making advance booking more important than spontaneity.
- Kiwi Park QueenstownA conservation-focused sanctuary below Skyline offers kiwi encounters, native bird habitats, keeper talks, and a useful wildlife option when alpine weather closes in.
- Queenstown TrailThe network links Queenstown, Frankton, Lake Hayes, Arrowtown, and Gibbston, letting riders build anything from a lakefront hour to a winery day.
- Coronet PeakQueenstown's closest ski field combines early openings, night skiing, broad groomers, and summer mountain biking on a high ridge above the basin.
TSS Earnslaw Lake Cruise official or property pageSkyline Queenstown Gondola & Luge current map listingOnsen Hot Pools current map listingOnsen Hot Pools official or property page
Reviewed by RGuide EditorialVenue details checked