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Queenstown & Wanaka

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Milford Sound/Piopiotahi is a fiord in the south west of New Zealand's South Island

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Overview

Few people come to Queenstown to wind down. The self-styled 'adventure capital of the world' is a place where visitors come to throw their inhibitions out the window…and throw themselves out of planes and off mountain tops and bridges.

Attractions

Must-see attractions

  • Tourists relax at the shore of Lake Wakatipu in Queenstown.

    Lake Wakatipu

    Queenstown

    Shaped like a cartoon lightning bolt, Lake Wakatipu is NZ's third-largest lake. It reaches a depth of 372m, meaning the lake bed actually sits below sea…

  • The Cardrona Distillery and Museum sign board with hundreds of bras hanging on the fence known as Bradrona.

    Cardrona Distillery

    Queenstown & Wanaka

    Enter past the fence of bras (Bra-drona!) and you'll find the beautiful cellar door of this fledgling single-malt distillery inside a building made of…

  • Skyline gondola and bungy platform.

    Skyline Gondola

    Queenstown

    Hop aboard for fantastic views as the gondola squeezes through pine forest to its grandstand location 400m above Queenstown. At the top there's the…

  • Bridge in Queenstown Gardens.

    Queenstown Gardens

    Queenstown

    Set on its own tongue of land framing Queenstown Bay, this pretty park is the perfect city escape right within the city. Laid out in 1876, it features an…

  • Wānaka Station Park

    Wānaka Station Park

    Wanaka

    Wānaka Station Park is a piece of Wānaka that existed before Wānaka did. This remnant of the sheep station that once covered the entire south side of the…

  • St Patrick's Catholic Church

    St Patrick's Catholic Church

    Queenstown & Wanaka

    Apart from its impressive Star of David–shaped rose window, this 1874 stone Gothic Revival church, built from local schist rock, wouldn't be worth noting…

  • Arrowtown Chinese Settlement

    Arrowtown Chinese Settlement

    Queenstown & Wanaka

    Strung along the creek, near the site of Arrowtown's first gold find, is NZ’s best example of an early Chinese settlement. Interpretive signs explain the…

  • Wanaka Beerworks

    Wanaka Beerworks

    Wanaka

    Push past the Barbies to get to the beer – the tasting room for the Wanaka Beerworks is rather incongruously at the rear of the toy museum gift shop. Get…

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