Top 10 things to do in Queenstown, NZ
Queenstown, Queenstown, Queenstown, where do i start?
All I can say is that I LOVED this place.
This is the place people will tell you about / warn you about.
It is Queenstown that attracts the adrenalin seekers / the party animals / the food lovers / the view lovers / and the people lovers.
All of which I am.
It is a pretty small town, cosy i’d say, everyones close knit and by the end of the week we felt like we were completely at home.
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| View onto Queenstown |
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| A typical street in QT filled with shops / cafes |
We stayed at The Nomad’s hostel (website here) located right near the lake front for 8 days which I cannot fault for fellow backpackers.
Cost? $31 a night for a bed in a dorm.
Includes? Breakfast 7-9am, Dinner 6pm.
It was clean, busy with travellers and walking distance from everywhere you need.
Wifi / hairdryers / laundry at an additional cost.
Now instead of documenting each of my 8 days here, and boring you all, I am going to list…
My top 10 things to do in Queenstown.
(in my opinion, obviously. And in no particular order.)
1. The Nevis Bungy Jump / Adrenalin rush
Queenstown is the adrenalin capital of the WORLD offering over 200 activities for those seeking a thrill. Activities include, canyoning, bungy jumping, sky diving, jet boating, fly boarding, white water rafting etc etc.
Fly Boarding, Queenstown…
Click here to watch a video of the Fly Board in Action!
Book here.
Now, something that has been on my bucket list for a while is a Sky Dive.
Something I actually wanted to do.
But the girls I was with were set on doing the Bungy, something I said i would never ever do. Weirdly, another case of FOMO kicked in and well…
Something I actually wanted to do.
But the girls I was with were set on doing the Bungy, something I said i would never ever do. Weirdly, another case of FOMO kicked in and well…
Somehow I found my self signed up for a bungy and next thing i knew i was preparing to face my fear on the 3rd largest bungy in the world. Brilliant. Life begins once you step of out of your comfort zone… right?
Book your bungy now… click here BEFORE YOU CHANGE YOUR MIND!
2. Walk to a view
There are many beautiful views to see in Queenstown, some of the best being the ones looking down over the town. We did the Queenstown hill walk up to the ‘Basket of Dreams’ which gives you the view in the picture above.
If you’re feeling super energetic (and not hungover) then there is a crazy good view from a higher peak called Ben Lomond. I didn’t get the chance to do it (sadly) but here’s a photo my friend Rob took up there…
And if you’re feeling like anything but exercise after a night out in Queenstown… then you can catch a Gondola up to a pretty awesome view and there’s the option to ‘Luge’ or gondola back down.
(You can even get dinner / ice-cream at the top).
(Read more about it / buy tickets here).
3. Cookie Time Cookies
Um… I guarantee you will not be able to walk past this cookie shop without turning straight back round for another whiff of their freshly baked cookies.
We certainly couldn’t. My mouth is watering right now at the thought of them.
You can by a cookie on its own, with milk, with ice-cream or in a smoothie.
Oh and they have 2 for 1 Happy (cookie) hour between 6-7pm every night.
See if i can tempt you…
Oh and they have 2 for 1 Happy (cookie) hour between 6-7pm every night.
See if i can tempt you…
One cranberry and white chocolate cookie, one milk chocolate cookie, served with one scoop of salted caramel and cashew ice cream and one scoop of double chocolate fudge ice cream.
4. Sunset by the lake
If the suns out you will find that everyone (literally) heads to the lake front about 7pm – 9.30 (summer) for the sunset.
You can’t drink in most of the hostels so the lake is where people will be pre-drinking and enjoying a cider with music and friends.
The lake is even cold enough to chill your drinks for you. 🙂
The vibe down here at sunset is my perfect kind of vibe – the ‘no-one has a care in the world’ kinda vibe.
5. Frisbee Golf
Just around the side of the lake there is a park in which there are tennis courts and a frisbee golf course.
You can buy frisbees, or hostels will loan them to you if you ask at reception.
We went for a round with a few drinks which certainly nearly ended up with the frisbees in the lake…
6. Ferg Burger
THE place to eat.
Everyone will be telling you about this place.
Apparently it has been voted one of the best burger bars in the world. And I can see why. There is ALWAYS a queue here and at busy times you can be waiting about an hour for your burgers!
You can have just about anything on a burger and the best thing? It’s open pretty much 24hour (closing for an hour 5-6 maybe).
7. Hangover Cures: Rehab, KiwiYo, Subway, Pita Pit & Starbucks.
Queenstown is the King (Queen?) of food.
There is so much choice for eating.
It is here that my Subway and PitaPit virginity was taken.
The KiwiYo (Frozen yoghurt) was a reminder of home and super refreshing on a hot day.
And as for Rehab (MY FAVOURITE) – if you’re immune system is hanging low, this is your spot.
I WISH they had one of these in London.
Fresh juices / smoothies / baked potatoes with the cleanest and purest of ingredients.
8. Milford Sounds Trip
They say not doing this trip is like going to Egypt without seeing the pyramids. Basically an essential.
Unfortunately we had booked on a day which was overcast so some of the peaks were hidden in cloud and it was a little cold.
The bus takes you from Queenstown on a 4 drive to the sounds where you board a boat for a couple of hours and have lunch before heading back.
Our bus driver gave us a geography lesson en route on how the Glaciers work and how they formed this beautiful piece of nature which i actually had no clue about and found extremely fascinating.
I was then able to appreciate the views ALOT more because i could understand what i was looking at.
It’s a very long day, 7am start and 7pm return, but like I said it’s a must.
Highlights of the trip? Filling up our bottles from the fresh water falls, seeing the Fur seals lazing on the rocks & getting right under the waterfalls on the Milford Cruise.
9. Chill out by the lake.
One of the things that i loved so much about Queenstown is it’s atmosphere. It’s soooooo chilled and friendly and I found myself more relaxed than i’ve been in a long time.
Queenstown is hugged right around Lake Wakatipu and so there are lots of little walks alongside it for a little wander. Inbetween all that partying QT will lure you into, make sure you take some time out to lie by the lake and just watch the world go by.
10. Fat Badgers
THE place for extra large pizzas and extra large beers. Head here with a group of friends and share a 21inch pizza and some HUGE beers without breaking the bank.
♡
I hope I have given you the temptation you need to head to QT. I know it’s already been added to my ‘places to go back to’.
If i was coming to New Zealand to work, i would come here. There are job vacancies everywhere and a pretty high turnover of staff due to the number of people travelling + working, so i don’t think it would take long to find something.
Queenstown – it was an absolute pleasure.
No doubt I will see you very soon.
♡
Thank you for reading, lots of love all the way from New Zealand…
Mollie xxxx
