Are you wondering whether Queenstown should be part of your travel itinerary?
At the very least, anyone who doesn’t want to blow ridiculous amounts of money on adrenaline attractions should sample a completely different kind of atmosphere here – through full-day or few-hour hikes and walks.
Today’s article focuses on our pick of the most popular hikes around town, which we hope will save you time choosing activities and at the same time make an already much-loved Queenstown even better. Given how long we spent there (3 months), it would have been a disgrace not to have walked at least one of them ourselves. During the week work won out, with afternoons spent in the local Queenstown Gardens or at home on the sofa; weekends were the turn of full-day hikes.
Fresh air, flora and fauna all around us and several hours of walking made us stop thinking about nonsense – about anything, really.
Let’s take a look – or rather, let’s get going!
Ben Lomond (11 km, 6 hours return)
A few friends reckon it’s one of the best on the South Island. We partly agree. The way up is uphill, that much is true – practically every route you have expectations of, or that looks gorgeous in a photo, hides a hefty climb behind it.
Ben Lomond should be on your list because a) the trailhead is within walking distance of the centre and b) you can cut out part of the route with the local gondola.
The first option is to take the Skyline gondola, which carries you up to Bob’s Peak; from there it’s all on foot, just under 4 hours return either to the saddle or all the way to the summit, known to us as Ben Lomond. The second option is the full climb from the bottom, starting on the Tiki Trail up to Bob’s Peak (45 minutes) and then the same as option 1.
A 360-degree view as far as the eye can see, a Kea parrot, or the feeling that you’ve done something for yourself. We personally didn’t walk it once but several times, because the views never get old and it’s a solid workout at the same time. Bob’s Peak, at minimum, is within everyone’s reach.
Queenstown Hill (3 km, 2 hours)
This one even makes it into the printed guidebooks, and they know why. An even easier walk is Queenstown Hill, also a short hop from the centre, yet it lays everything out in front of you.
There’s a car park by the trailhead that you can drive or walk to. The route that follows, just under three kilometres and mostly through forest, takes you all the way to the top of the hill. Not all views are created equal, so any assumption that you’ll get the same outlook here as from the nearby gondola is wrong.
For us this hike is beautiful and mildly demanding, but if you’ve set aside more time for Queenstown, go up Ben Lomond.
The Remarkables
The stunning mountains called the Remarkables made an impression on us the moment we drove into Queenstown, and again when flying into the local airport. They instantly became our goal – one we put off for far too long.
The route starts at the foot of the range, where you have to tackle roughly 10 km of sealed road and then 11 km of gravel by car. Semik handled it brilliantly, but after rain or heading into winter, be prepared. You arrive at the ski field, and from there you have several options.
1. Walk up to Lake Alta (45 minutes)
2. Queen’s Drive hike (6 hours)
3. The Single and Double Cone summits – Grand Traverse (4-8 hours)
Lake Alta is the shortest walk, with a gentle hour-long climb. Once you reach the lake you can carry on to the individual summits or to the Queen’s Drive hike mentioned above, though that one is a bit confusing and you rather have to hunt for the route on the western side of the range.
The way up Single Cone is steep and in the final section you have to put some climbing skill to work; there are climbing anchors there just in case, but we didn’t use them and scrambled to the top in an hour and a half without any trouble. The dangerous part is the traverse between the two summits.
Our goal was Queen’s Drive, but we changed plans on the move: from the lake we climbed up to the summit of Single Cone, then came back down and got halfway along Queen’s Drive before the route disappeared on us, so we turned back.
Do not underestimate the weather and come prepared. Remember you only have one body, and if you’re not feeling it or the conditions aren’t right, it won’t be the first or the last experience you miss out on.
Moke Lake (5 km, 1.5 hours)
Impressive and friendly – that’s how you’d describe the two-hour loop around Moke Lake. The slight elevation gain isn’t even worth mentioning. In New Zealand it’s normal for tracks to cross private land; don’t be alarmed by cows blocking your path, they’re more scared of you! The track is pleasant, well surfaced and ideal for anyone who wants to make their day nicer or simply rest.
Besides walking, it also offers horse riding, swimming and the option of staying overnight at the adjacent campsite, suitable for any type of vehicle.
Sawpit Gully with the Big Hill detour, Arrowtown (8 km, 3 hours)
On our first visit we got caught out and picked the rather dull loop along the local river. Our second visit was devoted purely to gastronomy – food and coffee – and on our last visit we discovered the Sawpit Gully track with the detour up Big Hill, behind which stretches the almost terrifying Skippers Canyon with one of the most dangerous roads in the world.
The track is a loop, so you come back a different way, and it doesn’t much matter which direction you pick, because at the start you have to get over a climb that’s identical on both sides. The Big Hill detour itself is mildly demanding and steep, but it reveals the whole of Arrowtown, the Remarkables and Lake Wakatipu.
With its history and its size, Arrowtown still feels like an old gold-mining village, with one exception: the cars on the streets. For its size it offers a wide spectrum of activities – gold panning, tours of the preserved miners’ settlements, an adrenaline ride through the canyon and so on.
Cecil Peak + Walter Peak
The only two summits we sadly didn’t conquer, and probably never will now that winter is coming. From Queenstown you can see one of them beautifully; from the Remarkables you can see both – and believe us, it’s no joke.
The following information comes from our own research or from talking to friends.
Getting across to the far shore of the lake is pricier than it looks. A private water taxi will charge around $350 one way for a group of five. The second option is sailing with Real Journeys on the Earnslaw, which works out at around $35 one way, or you can arrange something on Facebook groups (Queenstown Trading) with locals who own a boat.
Plenty of people go for the option of taking camping gear with them and spending sunset – or rather sunrise – on one of the summits, then either heading back the next day or carrying on to the next peak. Don’t be fooled, though: the routes aren’t easy and you often have to find your own way. On top of that you have to overcome almost a kilometre of elevation gain over three kilometres of track.
