New Zealand is a country known for its gorgeous landscapes and heart-racing thrills, and the South Island is especially breathtaking. No city embodies this allure quite like Queenstown, with its mountainous vistas, winding canyons, and nearly endless opportunities for adventure sports. While you could easily stay longer, two full days in scenic Queenstown is enough to get a taste of what makes this spectacular city so special. We’ve compiled the perfect itinerary— a nice combination of action-packed and restful relaxation that will make it hard to leave.
Queenstown is a growing resort town, with booming tourism, and while no one wants to be a tacky tourist, there’s some things that are worth being just a little touristy for. I mean, how many opportunities in life will a gal get to go bungee jumping into a canyon?!
When Delta slashed Skymiles prices and made a round-trip flight to New Zealand 50k miles, we didn’t think twice! The long flight is more than worth it to experience all New Zealand has to offer– particularly the lovely and lush South Island. While the nearby mountain range, The Remarkables, is known to be great skiing in the winter, we visited in the summer, enjoying the vibrant colors and warmer temps of February. Could not recommend this time of year more highly! The weather was just absolutely perfect for all the fun we got into.
Where to stay?
Downtown Queenstown! You cannot beat the convenience of being walking distance from everything– plus you can avoid renting a car by using your own two feet. Uber runs in Queenstown, which makes it easy to get to and from the airport, when necessary. While it’s possible to snag a cheaper hotel or Airbnb a bit farther away, you’ll spend a dime on ubers or a rental car, so the slightly more expensive hotel is likely worth it!
To Drive or Not to Drive
If you plan to stay downtown (which we recommend) you don’t need a car. Everything is pretty walkable, plus most tour services have complimentary shuttles that run, so having your own car isn’t a necessity. Also, not all hotels have free parking for vehicles, so this gives you one less thing to worry about. If you plan to drive around and explore outside of Queenstown, we recommend just renting your car for the days once you leave!
Time Flies
Queenstown really is set up to be quite the year-round destination. Their summer months are December through February, so this tends to be the best time to go for warmer days and maximizing sunlight hours. We visited in February and found the weather to be nothing short of delightful— almost chilly for these FL girls.
The winter months of June, July, and August are filled with snow and the joys of shredding the gnar for any skiing or snowboarding visitors. We loved the vibrant allure of the summer months, but there’s much to be said for the untouched beauty of winter!
DAY 1
Odd Saint
To start the day off strong, swing by the cutest neighborhood eatery: Odd Saint. Not only is the breakfast delish but they also sell coffee from a local roaster. Even if you’re feeling a bit jet-lagged, a cup of eighthirty coffee will get you powered through your day. When we visit new places, I’m hard pressed to frequent the same spots twice… there’s so many new things to try; however, Odd Saint was so good, I found myself back here a couple times while we were in Queenstown.
Queenstown Hill
Once you’re fully caffeinated, it’s time to get your blood pumping and muscles burning! The Queenstown Hill Hike starts not far from the city and despite being convenient to access, it’s a bit steeper than you might initially assume, but not too technical. The view at the top makes the sweat equity more than worth it! The Queenstown panoramic landscape really is unforgettable!! Plus, there are 6 informational plaques to stop and read along your climb, to give you a little more background on Queenstown’s history.
As with any hike, it’s always a good idea to ensure you have enough water and a snack or two to enjoy at the top. Once you make it up there, you’ll never want to leave!
Fergburger
All that hiking’s going to have you ready for a big lunch! Generally speaking, ordering a burger outside the good ‘ole USA is a rookie move– almost guaranteed to disappoint; however, we’d heard so much hype about Fergburger, we figured we had to give it a try… and it lived up to the hype! Hands down the best burger we’ve ever eaten abroad! The line can get a little long, so either call and put a pick-up order in ahead of time, or arrive with a bit of a patient mindset. The burger will be worth the wait!
Whimsical Wandering
Fergburger is in the downtown Queenstown area, so when you’re finished eating, it’s nice to just wander a bit, check out the shops… or perhaps snag an ice cream cone and just look out across Lake Wakatipu.
Skyline
Everything in the downtown area is pretty close, so it won’t take long to reach Skyline… or at least the base of Skyline. Getting up to the Skyline complex means taking a dreamy gondola ride up to Bob’s Peak. As you might imagine, SkyLine offers a breathtaking view of the horizon and local landscape while also affording all kinds of fun.
If you’re feeling a little competitive and ready for a racing rush, going on the luge is an absolute MUST. You might be thinking to yourself ‘What is a luge?’ The best answer would be ‘part go-kart, part toboggan’. Powered by gravity and the giddy excitement of flying downhill, luge rides are an even-more-fun-than-expected way to end the day.
While the luge is arguably their most popular attraction, there’s all kinds of fun to be had up here. Time of year can dictate availability, but there’s also stargazing, mountain biking, guided walks, paragliding, and ziplining if you’re keen to sneak in additional adventures for day one.
DAY 2
Shotover Canyon Swing
Start the day off right with the ultimate adrenaline rush! Queenstown is known for being home to all kinds of adrenaline junkie hobbies, and the bungee-jumping-esque Shotover Canyon Swing will send you on a wild ride and get your heart pumping in the best way. This was our favorite thing we did while in Queenstown because you just can’t beat the rush!!! After your initial jump, you can go again for a fraction of the initial cost. As you might guess, we couldn’t resist a second round of the thrill, and we both went soaring a second time!
As an added bonus there’s loads of different ‘jump styles’ to rock n’ roll with as you plummet into the canyon. We both got a little more brave on our second swinging jump and went down backwards from a handstand….. yeeeeee haw!!!
We didn’t do any boat exploration, BUT if you’re interested in zooming around in the canyon itself after you finish soaring through it, booking the Canyon Swing and the jet boat ride together can save you some pennies!
Queenstown Gardens
The Queenstown Gardens is an easy, short walk from the center of town and makes for a gorgeous afternoon saunter. If you’re visiting in the warm spring and summer months, you can expect to find colorful flowers in bloom and stretches of trees reaching for the sky. There’s also loads of different sculptures to check out as well. In addition to all the lovely flora, the gardens also provide quite the view of the surrounding lake, beach, and mountains. Holy moly, what a sight!!!
If you disc golf, and have room in your luggage, you might want to pack a disc or two… there’s a the course through the gardens!
Onsen Hot Pools
Wind down for the day at Onsen Hot Pools! Life is all about living and learning, and while we really enjoyed our hot pool relaxation, if we were to do it again, we would book an evening slot to take in the stars. The pools are so luxuriously relaxing, and the open roof would make for an incredible stargazing spot!! That being said, the view during the day really was rather remarkable, so you can’t go wrong– regardless of the time you visit.
There’s a few different room options, but we did the Original Onsen and loved it— would definitely chose this option again. The room includes a couple different beverage and snack choices, which was refreshing. If you’re feeling like you could use some extra relaxation, they do offer some spa services as well!
No car? No problem! When you make your booking, you can request a free shuttle service from central Queenstown.
Two days goes fast but it’s enough to get a nice glimpse of the highlights of Queenstown… and experience some of her thrills! It’s certain to leave you eager to come back one day– even just to take in the panoramic scenery one more time. Happy travels!
written by McKenna
If you look up diva in the dictionary, you will find a picture of McKenna Lee. Loud-mouthed and overly opinionated she may have the biggest personality (read: attitude) of us all. McKenna is in college at FGCU, but her passion lies in her small business Mack Swimwear and running her small group through church. She lives for days spent in a bathing suit, and tries to go surfing in every new beach town she visits.
