7 favorite day trips from Queenstown, New Zealand

While there are so many exciting things to do in Aotearoa, New Zealand’s premier alpine resort of Queenstown, there’s plenty more in the surrounding region to entice visitors to make an extended stay. Enthralling day trips are possible in all directions. 

In and around Arrowtown, visitors can learn the area's fascinating history, visit wineries, and hit bike trails. A bit further afield, there’s stunning natural scenery, killer hiking and even the chance to ski a glacier. If you've rented a car, you'll have max flexibility, but there are also plenty of outfitters offering tours and transport. Any way you approach your time, these day trips from Queenstown are worth the extra miles. 

1. Enjoy the historical treasures of Arrowtown

Travel time: 20 minutes each way
How to travel: public bus, car or bike

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Only 20 minutes by car east of Queenstown, Arrowtown is a former gold rush settlement and historical treasure on the banks of the Arrow River. It’s home to the fascinating Lakes District Museum & Gallery, which tells the story of the region, from pre-European Māori inhabitation, to the gold rush of the 1860s and through to the present day.

The main street is lined with heritage buildings, these days featuring a plethora of colorful galleries, boutiques, cafés and restaurants. The river is close, too, with trails perfect for a stroll. Arrowtown is particularly colorful in mid-April, when the leaves change and the town hosts its Arrowtown Autumn Festival.

How to get to Arrowtown from Queenstown:

Arrowtown is easily reached by car, public bus or by mountain bike, using the off-road Queenstown Trails. Outside Sports Queenstown rents e-bikes by the half or full day, while Orbus runs regular public buses between Queenstown and Arrowtown.  

2. Bike to the Gibbston Valley wineries

Travel time: 30 minutes each way by car
How to travel: car, bike or tour

Wine buffs love the Gibbston Valley, renowned for producing some of the best Pinot Noir on the planet. Only 30 minutes from Queenstown by car (10 minutes from Arrowtown), an increasingly popular way to visit the wineries is by bike from Arrowtown.

After driving or taking a public bus to Arrowtown, rent an e-bike at Better by Bike. Ride the Arrow River Bridges Trail and Gibbstown River Wine Trail, dropping in to wineries in the Gibbston Valley, before being picked up and driven back to Arrowtown. 

This is a particularly good-fun day out, involving 23km (14.3 miles) of riding on well maintained off-road bike trails, plus the chance to ride over the legendary bungy bridge, and visit wineries such as Gibbston Valley Winery, Peregrine Wines, Coal Pit and Mt Rosa Wines. At the end of the line, Mt Rosa is superb for a wine and cheese matching and the pick-up for your ride back to Arrowtown.  

How to get to the Gibbston Valley from Queenstown:

If biking isn’t your thing, a number of companies, such as Queenstown Wine Trail and Appellation Wine Tours, run guided winery tours from Queenstown to the Gibbstown Valley wineries and vineyards further afield around Wānaka and Central Otago.   

3. Road Trip to Wānaka & Cromwell

Travel time: 2 ½ to 3 hours driving time (in a loop)
How to travel: car 

Day trips don’t come any better than this; there’s a lot to love on this big day out. After dropping in to Arrowtown, only a 20-minute drive from Queenstown, drive up the zigzags on the Crown Range Rd for absolutely stunning views of Queenstown, Lake Wakatipu and its surrounding basin. Cross over the Crown Saddle, at 1,076 meters (3,530 ft), the highest mountain pass on a sealed main road in the country, before descending in the Cardrona River valley. Take a break at the Cardrona Hotel, one of New Zealand’s oldest and most iconic country pubs, beloved by Kiwis nationwide after featuring in a popular beer commercial. A couple of kilometers on, the Cardrona Bra Fence needs to be seen to be believed.

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Wānaka is a world-renowned resort in its own right, with a lovely lake, alpine views and a bustling little township – a perfect place to stop for lunch or longer. Kai Whakapai Eatery & Craft Beer Bar, near the waterfront, is the place for lunch.

Drive through to Cromwell, an orchard town also known for its wineries, that is fast becoming a biking mecca with the Lake Dunstan Trail to Clyde (we’ll visit that later). This is cherry country and if you’re there in the mid-summer cherry season, a number of orchards will have out "Pick your own cherries," signs.

From Cromwell, drive back to Queenstown via State Hwy 8 through the Kawarau River gorge, taking a break at any of the excellent Gibbston Valley wineries and the original AJ Hackett bungy bridge. 

How to drive this road trip from Queenstown:

From Queenstown, allow an hour of driving time to get to Wānaka, longer if stopping in Arrowtown and Cardrona along the way. From Wānaka, it’s a 45-minute drive to Cromwell, then another 45-minute drive back to Queenstown, longer with stops. All up, you’ll drive around 180km (112 miles) for the day, so distances aren’t huge, though drivers will need to concentrate as the scenery is outstanding.

4. Ride the Lake Dunstan Trail

Travel time: 45 minutes each way
How to travel: car or shuttle bus

Kiwis are bonkers about biking, and with 23 designated Great Rides and Tour Aotearoa, a 3000km (1864 miles) bike-packing route the length of the country, it makes sense that there’s great riding in the spectacular Queenstown and Southern Lakes region. 

Opened in 2021, the 41km (25 mile) Lake Dunstan Trail has a glowing reputation that brings both Kiwi and international riders to Central Otago.

This great off-road ride connects the small, historic gold rush towns of Cromwell and Clyde and makes for an excellent day trip from Queenstown. The ride is exceptional, though challenging, and you’ll want to have some confidence and experience in off-road biking before taking it on. There are a number of tough climbs, switchbacks, clip-on boardwalks attached to sheer cliffside walls alongside the lake and an 86m (282ft) suspension bridge.

How to get to Cromwell from Queenstown:

If you’ve got your own wheels, drive to Cromwell and get a package with Bike It Now! that includes a conventional or e-bike, all the biking gear you’ll need, plus shuttle transfer from Clyde back to Cromwell so you’ll only need to bike the trail in one direction. An optional add-on is return shuttle transfers from Queenstown; book in advance.

5. Go hiking up the Routeburn Valley 

Travel time: 1hr 20mins each way
How to travel: car or bus

If you're into hiking, the famous Routeburn Track in Mt Aspiring National Park makes for a fantastic day-long adventure up the Routeburn Valley, through native beech forest, surrounded by towering peaks.

The full Routeburn Track is a three-day, 37km (23mi) trail over the mountains into remote Fiordland, generally open October to May. The day walk up the valley from the trailhead at the Glenorchy end of the track is open year-round and is a superb walk for hikers. 

Those who just want to experience the New Zealand bush can stroll the Routeburn Nature Walk, taking around an hour, others can walk up to Routeburn Flats Hut (3 to 5 hours return), while adventurous types will want to hike as far as Routeburn Falls Hut (5 to 7 hours return).

How to get to the Routeburn Track trailhead from Queenstown:

With your own wheels, drive 45 minutes northeast of Queenstown to gorgeous Glenorchy, at the northern end of Lake Wakatipu, then another 20 minutes to the car park at the Routeburn Track trailhead. If you don’t have your own transport, hop on the Info & Track bus from Queenstown that will shuttle you to the trailhead and back.     

6. Fly out to Piopiotahi/Milford Sound for a cruise 

Travel time: 40 minutes each way
How to travel: light aircraft or helicopter

The best way to enjoy one of the country’s scenic highlights, Piopiotahi/Milford Sound, is to fly out to Fiordland National Park in either a fixed-wing aircraft or helicopter from Queenstown, enjoying the unsurpassed alpine scenery, before taking a cruise on the fiord, then flying back to Queenstown. The entire trip should take half the day. 

While buses leave Queenstown early each morning for a 12 to 13-hour day trip to Milford, that makes for a very long day. If you want to drive into Fiordland on the Milford Road, it’s a much better idea to stay in Te Anau and shorten the journey.

Flying to Piopiotahi/Milford Sound from Queenstown comes highly recommended. Flights only operate in decent weather, so you’re guaranteed good conditions for the spectacular flight through the mountains out to the west coast and the cruise on the fiord. Allow some flexibility in your schedule; if flights aren’t operating one day due to weather conditions, you’ll need to shift your plans and go a different day. 

How to get to Piopiotahi/Milford Sound from Queenstown:

A number of companies have a Fly/Cruise/Fly option from Queenstown Airport that includes airport transfers from Queenstown accommodation. Companies such as Air Milford, True South Scenic Flights and Over the Top Helicopters have departures on a daily basis, dependent on weather conditions. Operators advise clients on the best day to book based on weather forecasts.   

7. Ski down the spectacular Tasman Glacier

Travel time: 40 minutes each way to Mt Cook Airport
How to travel: light aircraft

Most winter visitors to Queenstown tend to stay in the resort township and head up to the region’s ski areas by car or bus each day. During the June to September season, an almost unbelievable day trip is to ski on the Tasman Glacier at Aoraki/Mt Cook.

On fine weather days, Ski the Tasman operates a full day trip from Queenstown that includes airport transfers from your accommodation to Queenstown Airport, return 40-minute flights to Mt Cook Airport, and two 8-10km (5 to 6mi) ski runs on the country’s longest glacier, the Tasman. Rental ski gear at Mt Cook or bring your own. 

Flights from Mt Cook Airport are by ski plane, which land high up near the head of the glacier. Views of Aoraki/Mt Cook, New Zealand’s highest mountain, the Southern Alps and Aoraki/Mt Cook National Park are unparalleled while skiing down this truly spectacular glacier in a once-in-a-lifetime experience.