12 of the best things to do in Queenstown

THIS IS THE PLACE TO EMBRACE THE GREAT OUTDOORS, TO FILL YOUR LUNGS WITH CRISP ALPINE AIR, MAX OUT ON ADVENTURE AND ROUND OFF THE DAY WITH DINNER AND WINE. TRY ONE (OR ALL!) OF THESE:

1. Tee off

Play golf at one of the three Marquee courses (the superstars of New Zealand golf). Jack’s Pt fronts the shores of Lake Wakatipu, while Millbrook Resort in nearby Arrowtown has been voted the best golf resort in Australasia. For something extra special, Over the Top Helicopters deposit golfers 1372 metres above sea level on a

2. Take a hike

The 2km Queenstown Hill Time Walk features the famed Basket of Dreams: dreamy at sunset. Ben Lomond is an eight-hour leg burner and the Frankton Arm Walk takes in Lake Wakatipu over three beautiful hours. You can also access Bob’s Peak on the hour-long walk via the Tiki Trail.

3. Stay indoors

State-of-the-art complexes such as Thrillzone boast the latest in 3D gaming. You can now see and move in total 360º virtual reality, with multi-player functionality. You can even take to the slopes with VR skiing, or escape reality entirely and wage a war against zombies. Experience all the exhilaration of skydiving without the 12,000 feet drop at Queenstown’s indoor skydiving centre, iFLY. Get lost in the funky Sensory Maze or bundle up and hit the ice rink.

4. Discover Bob’s Cove

This pretty inlet lies just 20 minutes out of town on the road to Glenorchy and is reached via a lake-fringing walkway. Along the way, the bush walk reveals several heavenly beach spots and an empty stretch of Lake Wakatipu with a jetty you’ll immediately want to jump off.

5. Say ‘Kia Ora’ to a kiwi

Kiwi Birdlife Park is located at the bottom of Queenstown’s Skyline gondola. A five-acre oasis in the heart of town, visitors can meet parakeets, kea and weka; listen to an informative conservation show; learn about the park’s history with a 45-minute audio tour, and observe kiwi feeding at the Kiwi Encounter show. Held indoors, once your eyes have adjusted, look out for scurrying kiwi.

Rainbow lorikeet © Kiwi Birdlife Park

6. Be daring

From facing theinevitable free fall of a bungy jump to rocket-enabled flyboarding over Lake Esplanade to skydiving and mechanical G-Force sharks that jump out of Lake Wakatipu, you can paraglide off a cliff edge, jet boat at hair-raising speeds or swoop out on the world’s biggest swing 160 metres above the ground.

7. Find the water

Enjoy sedate kayaking down the crystal waters of Dart River, or slide off crashingwaterfalls with a canyoning group. Riverboard the unruly rapids of Kawarau River, jet boat, cruise across Lake Wakatipu with Southern Discoveries or commandeer a threewheeled aqua bike and pedal across the lake.

8. Make it to happy hour

From the largest ice bar in the southern hemisphere to Perky’s, a bar on a boat permanently moored on Queenstown Bay, happy hour is more of an all-day affair. Find dainty laneway bars and well-known favourites such as Stratosphere, glistening at the top of Skyline Queenstown.

9. Get cosy

Enjoy exclusive use of an outdoor cedar-lined hot tub at Onsen, or relax at The Spa at Nugget Pt which is perched high above Shotover River and features soothing alpine views. Don’t miss the Pinot Pit either, a sunken outdoor fireplace at The Hilton’s Wakatipu Grill.

10. Hop on two wheels

Cycle the 120km Queenstown Cycle trail that meanders through Gibbston’s wineries, quaint Arrowtown, thedramatic Kawarau River, Lake Hayes,Frankton and Queenstown.

11. Ascend Bob’s Peak

Climb to the top on a one-hour hike or take the Skyline Gondola. The views are stunning and there are hikes, walks and mountain biking up here, too. Skyline Queenstown has everything from restaurants to cafés, buffet dining and Queenstown’s veryown go-kart style ride, the luge – straddling the summit and egging you on.

Red Shed, Glenorchy © Getty Images

12. Jump for joy at the birthplace of Bungy

Even the most hardened of daredevils are at risk of breaking a sweat in Queenstown. For traditionalists, Kawarau Bridge is where the hair-raising bungy jump first began, while The Nevis, at 134 metres, is New Zealand’s highest. Nevis Catapult propels daring types 150 metres up and across the valley in a Superman-like pose, while the Ledge Swing at Skyline Queenstown is the most extreme seated fall you can experience.

Nevis Catapult, AJ Hackett, Queenstown © AJ Hackett