The Skyline Queenstown gondola is one of Queenstown’s longest established attractions. The gondola ride rises 450m to Bob’s Peak where you can find a restaurant, AJ Hackett’s Ledge bungee and swing and the Skyline luge track. There are two 800m-long luge tracks, a fast track and a slower, scenic track.
Skyline Queenstown (gondola and luge)
Skydiving in Queenstown
If a 134m bungee jump isn’t high enough you can always jump out of a plane and freefall at 200km/h. Nzone operates tandem skydives where you have the option of jumping at 9000ft (25 seconds freefall), 12000ft (45 seconds freefall) or 15000ft (60 seconds freefall).
Skiing and snowboarding in Queenstown
With all the activities on offer, it’s easy to forget that Queenstown started out as a ski resort. The two main ski areas are Coronet Peak and the Remarkables, although Queenstown can also be used as a base for Cardrona and Wanaka’s Treble Cone.
Coronet Peak
People have been skiing at Coronet Peak since 1947, making it New Zealand’s oldest ski area. It is the closest resort to Queenstown, has a long season and gets very busy on weekends during the season. A full day lift pass costs $119.
The Remarkables
The Remarkables is also a popular ski area but it is less crowded than Coronet Peak. A full day lift pass costs $119.
Multi-Day Passes
The same company runs both Coronet Peak and the Remarkables and multi-day lift passes work at both resorts. A three-day pass valid at both ski areas costs $297.
Scenic helicopter flights from Queenstown
There are several companies operating scenic helicopter flights from Queenstown. A lot of backpackers take a helicopter flight as part of a combo package or heli-rafting trip.
Glacier Southern Lakes Helicopters
Glacier Southern Lakes Helicopters are a highly recommended company that operates several scenic flights departing from Queenstown, including a 20-minute flight over the Remarkables ($245), a 50-minute flight into Mount Aspiring National Park with a glacier landing ($570) and a 70-minute flight that combines a flight into Mount Aspiring National Park (complete with glacier landing) with many of the locations from the Lord of the Rings films ($755). If you’re going to take a scenic flight to the Lord of the Rings locations then who better to do it with than the same company that completed the aerial film work for the Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings trilogies.
The Helicopter Line
The Helicopter Line run scenic flights that include a 20-minute flight over the Remarkables ($245), a 50-minute flight over the Southern Alps with a snow landing on Jura Glacier ($585) and a 1½ hour flight to Milford Sound that includes three landings in the mountains ($925).
Jet boating in Queenstown
While every little town and village in New Zealand seems to have a jet boat operator, it’s important to realise that Queenstown played a pioneering role in the jet boating industry and it is still regarded by many as THE place to go for a spin on a river.
There are four jet boating companies operating in Queenstown: KJet, Shotover Jet, Skippers Canyon Jet and Thunder Jet.
KJet
KJet (formerly known as Kawarau Jet) is the world’s first commercial jet boat operation and it offers a 60-minute experience that gives you a 43km ride that combines both the Kawarau and Shotover Rivers and features plenty of 360º spins.
Trips on the yellow KJet boats depart from Queenstown’s waterfront and a ride includes entry to Queenstown’s underwater observatory.
Shotover Jet
The Shotover Jet operates exclusively on the Shotover River. It is a shorter and more expensive ride than the other Queenstown-based jet boat operators, but it is a more exciting ride taking you deep into the Shotover River Canyon.
Trips on the red Shotover Jet depart from the Shotover Jet base, 7km from Queenstown’s town centre but they also run a complimentary shuttle bus every 15 minutes from The Station tour booking centre (on the corner of Camp and Shotover Streets).
Skippers Canyon Jet
Skippers Canyon Jet takes you right into Skippers Canyon on the narrowest canyons on the Shotover River. Like the Shotover Jet, the Skippers Canyon Jet focuses on the Shotover River with a 30-minute jet boating experience; but unlike the other jet boat operators the trip includes a bus transfer that takes on the infamous Skippers Canyon Road. Some people claim that it is worth it for the bus transfer alone (particularly since you may not be able to do this yourself as many rental car companies prohibit you from driving on this road).
The Skippers Canyon Jet departs from their base inside Skippers Canyon with bus transfers departing from The Station tour booking centre (on the corner of Camp and Shotover Streets).
Thunder Jet
Thunder Jet is a one-hour jet boat ride that takes you 47km down the Kawarau River. It is relatively good value considering that it’s a one-hour ride, but it misses out on the narrow canyons of the Shotover River that you get with the Shotover Jet and Skippers Canyon Jet. The Thunder Jet departs from the Queenstown waterfront and includes more time on the lake than the other jet boat operators.
Hang gliding and paragliding near Queenstown
Several companies, including Skytrek, operate tandem hang gliding trips departing from Queenstown.
Skytrek’s hang gliding and paragliding excursions operate from Coronet Peak, a 20-minute drive outside Queenstown. Coronet Peak is New Zealand’s highest commercial paragliding and hang gliding launch site, which means that you get better views and a longer flight.
In both instances you get a tandem flight with an experienced pilot so you don’t need any experience to try this exhilarating sport, although it is also possible to have instructional hang glider flights if you’re interested in the techniques involved in hang gliding.
Although both hang gliding and paragliding offer a similar experience, hang gliding is generally thought to be more fun. Hang gliders can handle stronger wind and they can also fly in more turbulent conditions. While hang gliders can fly almost as slow as paragliders, they are able to fly much faster and much further. Although hang gliding is thought of as a more exhilarating sport than paragliding, it is also considered safer.
Canyoning near Queenstown
Canyoning New Zealand operate several canyoning trips that depart from Queenstown. These include half- and full-day trips from Queenstown and they also run full-day trips departing from Wanaka.
The Kawarau half-day canyoning trip in the Gibbston Valley is a good introduction to canyoning and it gives you the opportunity to participate in everything that is great about canyoning including climbing, hiking, sliding down natural water slides and abseiling through waterfalls.
The Black Spur full-day canyoning trip starts with a water taxi ride across Lake Wakatipu (it is accessible only by boat) followed by a 45-minute walk and offers a full day experience including abseiling, climbing and a jump into water. This is a more scenic option with stunning views of the Remarkables. If you prefer not to start this excursion with the 45-minute walk, there is the option to helicopter in right to the start of the canyoning experience.
In either case you will get wet so it is best to wear shorts and definitely avoid wearing anything that doesn’t dry quickly (no denim).
Nevis Highwire Bungy
AJ Hackett’s Nevis Highwire Bungy is New Zealand’s highest bungee jumping platform.
Bungee jumpers jump from the 134m-high platform suspended over the Nevis River valley by high-tension cables. It is equivalent to a 34-storey building and jumpers get around eight seconds of freefall at speeds of over 128 km/h before the bungee cord kicks in to slow your fall and bring you back up.
The Nevis bungee platform features a glass floor making it an even scarier experience while giving spectators a unique vantage point.
The return trip from Queenstown is four hours making this a good half-day excursion.
It is a must-do if you really want to jump from New Zealand’s highest bungee site.
The Ledge Bungy
AJ Hackett’s Ledge Bungy is the closest bungee site to Queenstown’s town centre. It is accessible by the Skyline gondola ride and its more central location means that you get a scenic view over Queenstown while taking the plunge.
The Ledge is a 47m-high jump, which is equivalent to jumping from a 12-storey building.
Kawarau Bridge Bungy
Queenstown is considered the world centre for bungee jumping and the Kawarau Bridge Suspension Bridge is the world’s first commercial bungee jump site, which started operating in 1988.
The Kawarau Bridge bungee jump site lets you jump 43m to the Kawarau River, which is equivalent to the height of an 11-storey building.
AJ Hackett, who developed the bungee jump site at Kawarau Bridge now operate three bungee sites around Queenstown, but the original is the only Queenstown bungee site that allows a water touch.