InterCity Coachlines operate coach services connecting Queenstown with Christchurch, Dunedin, Franz Josef, Te Anau and Wanaka.
Coaches depart from the car park in Athol Street, although some InterCity coach services also stop at the Queenstown Lake Esplanade YHA hostel and the Frankton bus interchange (near the airport).
Queenstown Airport (ZQN) is New Zealand’s fourth-busiest airport. It is located in Frankton, around 8km outside Queenstown’s town centre.
Air New Zealand has direct flights to Auckland, Christchurch and Wellington as well as international services to Melbourne and Sydney; Jetstar has domestic flights to Auckland and Wellington and international flights to Gold Coast, Melbourne and Sydney; Qantas fly to Sydney and Virgin Australia fly to Brisbane and Sydney.
The airport is easily accessible by local bus (route 1) which runs every 15 minutes 6am–7pm and every half hour outside these times. The cash fare is $10, but the bus fare is only $2 if you buy a GoCard (for $5, plus a minimum $10 top-up).
Queenstown’s DOC Visitor Centre is where you need to go for information about New Zealand’s national parks. You can book accommodation on hiking tracks (and buy hut passes) here.
The yellow-eyed penguin (world’s rarest) can be seen at this conservation reserve on the ocean side of the peninsula. Penguin Place (Yellow-Eyed Penguin Conservation Reserve) is a private conservation reserve that features a system of trenches and observation hides that allow you to see these unique animals at close range.
This military post was developed in 1885 as part of Dunedin’s harbour defences. It is now open to the public and features a lighthouse, tunnels and a working Armstrong disappearing gun. The fort is also home to seals, a Stewart Island shag colony and the world’s only mainland albatross colony.
The Royal Albatross Centre has displays that provide insight into these enormous sea birds, which have a wingspan of 3m, and it also leads guided tours of the albatross colony between late November and mid-September.
By the time you get to Dunedin you will probably be very familiar with Speight’s and the Speight’s brewery tour is one of the most popular attractions in the city. The 1½-hour tour takes you through the working brewery and adjoining heritage centre and finishes off with beer tasting.
The Toitū Otago Settlers Museum focuses on the people of Otago, with an emphasis on its early settlers. There are displays on Māori life, the important role of Chinese immigrants during the gold rush and more recent European migrants that have made Otago their home. The museum also features a transport gallery with an old Cobb & Co stagecoach and a collection of old cars, bicycles and steam trains.
The excellent Otago Museum features well presented displays in three major categories: culture, science and natural history. The cultural displays include Maori and Pacific Island artefacts plus a maritime gallery and archaeological treasures from around the world. The natural history section features an animal attic with a huge collection of specimens plus unique displays about extinct birds such as the laughing owl and the massive moa. Discovery World, as the science area is known, has lots of hands-on exhibits such as a water wheel and an indoor waterfall.
This opulent 35-room mansion is home to an astounding array of treasures from around the world that were collected during the extensive travels of its former owners. A visit includes a one-hour guided tour of the property.