Queenstown is New Zealand's self-styled "Adventure Capital" — a lakeside town ringed by the jagged Remarkables range, built almost entirely around the idea that a view this good deserves to be seen at speed. This is literally where bungy jumping was born: the Kawarau Bridge's original 43m jump still runs daily, alongside the newer 134m Nevis Bungy reached by cable car over the gorge.
Summer (December–February) brings long, 20–30°C days for hiking, jet-boating and watersports; winter (June–August) turns the surrounding peaks into one of the Southern Hemisphere's best ski regions, with the Queenstown Winter Festival in June drawing crowds for skiing and snowboarding alike.
What to do there
- Kawarau Bridge — the original bungy jump site, plus the 134m Nevis Bungy
- Tandem skydiving above Lake Wakatipu, at the foot of the Remarkables
- Jet-boating the Shotover and Dart Rivers
- Queenstown Winter Festival (June) for skiing and snowboarding
Best time to visit
Dec–Feb for long summer days; Jun–Aug for ski season. Skydiving runs year-round.
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