Queenstown Region
This region is blessed with stunning mountains, beautiful lakes and a good Climate. Many people, including many famous ones (e.g Michael Douglas) adore this area. Queenstown region is famous for its abundance of (extreme) Outdoor activities.
Many of the below described activities can be undertaken as a daytrip from Queenstown (the bulk of the tour operators are situated in Queenstown). For information about this town please go to "Urban Settlements of Interest" "Queenstown".
Outdoor
Aerial sight seeing
You can for example make a paraflight above Lake Wakatipu. You can also make a short high speed flight in a plane. Another option is to go by a regular plain or helicopter and to make sightseeing's in the area of Queenstown and even up to the Fiordland National Park and Mount Cook. There are lots of choices concerning this in Queenstown Region.
Caving
There are some excellent caves in Queenstown Region you can canyoning in. Canyoning should be done with a guide. During a canyoning trip you will for example make a rock jump, abseil and undergo waterslides.
Extreme(r) sports
There are many opportunities to make a bungy jump in Queenstown Region. There are choices between companies you can make the jump with. There is also a wide variety in location, the height and the kind of jump. The highest jump in this region is above Lake Wakatipu and is approximately 170 meter high; it is a parabungy. There are also options to undertake a shotover canyon swing, ledge sky swing or bungee rocket. All these variations include bungling on an elastic rope above land or water.
River Surfing and white water sledging are other extreme(r) sports offered in Queenstown Region. You can choose of the different companies to go with.
Fishing
There are also some tour operators offering Fishing tours. Of course you can fish on your own as well. But do not forget for inland Fishing you need to have a license which can be obtained at DOC. For more information please visit "Things to Do", then go to "Outdoor" and finally look at "Fishing".
Horse riding
There are options to make horse ride trips in Queenstown Region . Tours are offered for experienced and inexperienced. You can choose a short trip of for example 2 hours or an overnight horse ride trip.
Jetboating
There are various rivers in Queenstown Region on which Jetboating takes place by various companies. Examples of rivers are: Dart River and Shotover River.
Mountainbiking and cycling
There are some excellent trails around Queenstown to mountainbike. You can go off on your own or go with a tour operator. There are several options when going with a tour operator, one option is to do downhill only. In Queenstown itself you can hire a mountainbike.
Skiing and snowboarding
The Remarkables and Coronet Peak are Queenstown Region's main ski and snowboard areas. You can "just" ski in Queenstown Region but it is also possible to heli ski. Skiing and Snowboarding can only be done in wintertime.
Tramping
In Glenorchy, a town 47 kilometer from Queenstown, you can make a nice and easy walk near Lake Wakatipu. The walk is named Glenorchy Walkway.
Furthermore there are some excellent tramps in the area just above Lake Wakatipu. This is the lake where Queenstown is situated at.
There are more nice walks in Queenstown Region; from difficult to easy and from short to long. For more information about this please visit the DOC of Queenstown or another town in the area.
White water rafting and canoeing
The Shotover River and the Kawarau River are excellent for white water rafting. There are many companies you can make the raft with. The rivers differ in extremity, the companies will be able to advice you which river will suit you best. It is also possible to combine white water rafting with canoeing.
Culture and Entertainment
Vineyards
There are several companies (based in Queenstown) offering Wine Tours in the Queenstown region. You can visit vineyards yourself as well. You should keep in mind not all vineyards will welcome visitors visiting them without a tour.