Sights in Queenstown & Wanaka
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Underwater Observatory
Underwater Observatory has six giant windows showcasing life under the lake. Brown trout abound, and based on their generous size, look to be impossibly well fed. Keep a keen eye out for freshwater eels and the favourite of the kiddies – the scaup (diving ducks), which dive down and swim right past the windows.
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Skyline Gondola
Hop on the Skyline Gondola for fantastic views of Queenstown, the lake and the mountains. At the top are a cafe, a restaurant with regular Maori cultural shows, and souvenir shops. Walking trails include the loop track (30 minutes return) or you can try the Luge. The energetic can forgo the gondola and hike to the top – take the upper, left-hand gravel track from the trailhead on Lomond Cres for an hour’s uphill hike.
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Kiwi Birdlife Park
The Kiwi Birdlife Park is your best bet to spy a kiwi. There are also 10,000 native plants and scores of birds, including the rare black stilt, kea, morepork and parakeets. Stroll around the sanctuary, watch the conservation show and tiptoe quietly into the darkened kiwi houses. The conservation shows also incorporate a cultural show by the Te Maori performers. Kids under 15 get in free with a paying adult.
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Chinese Settlement
Arrowtown has NZ’s best example of a gold-era Chinese settlement. Interpretive signs explain the lives of Chinese ‘diggers’ during and after the gold rush, while restored huts and shops make the story more tangible. Subjected to significant racism, the Chinese often had little choice but to rework old tailings rather than seek new claims. The Chinese settlement is off Buckingham St.
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New Zealand Fighter Pilots Museum
The poignant and interesting New Zealand Fighter Pilots Museum is dedicated to NZ combat pilots, the aircraft they flew and the sacrifices they made. There is a well-preserved collection of Hawker Hurricanes, de Havilland Vampires and vintage Soviet fighter planes, and at the time of research plans were under way for a major expansion of the collection and facilities.
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The Skyline Gondola
Hop on the Skyline Gondola for fantastic views of Queenstown, the lake and mountains. At the top there’s a café, restaurant with regular Maori cultural shows, and souvenir shops. Several walking tracks, of various grades, can be found around the summit and thrillseekers will enjoy the fast descent via the luge.
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Wanaka Transport & Toy Museum
Wanaka Transport & Toy Museum is the end result of one man’s obsessive collecting. Among the 40,000 items, watch for a Cadillac Coupe de Ville, a mysteriously acquired MiG jet fighter, and toys that you’re guaranteed to remember with a wry smile from rainy childhood afternoons.
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Williams Cottage
Williams Cottage is Queenstown’s oldest home. An annexe of Arrowtown’s Lake District Museum and Gallery, it was built in 1864 and remains close to its original condition, including 1930s wallpaper. The cottage and its 1920s garden are now home to the very cool Vesta shop and cafe.
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Church of St Peter
The Church of St Peter is an oasis of calm. The gift of a faithful parishioner, this pretty wood-beamed building has a beautiful organ and colourful stained glass. Take a look at the cedar-wood lectern, which was carved by Ah Tong, a Chinese immigrant, in the 1870s.
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Lake District Museum and Gallery
The Lake District Museum and Gallery has exhibits on the gold-rush era. Younger travellers will enjoy the Museum Fun Pack ($5), which includes activity sheets, museum treasure hunts, stickers and a few flecks of gold.
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The Maori Concert & Hangi
The Maori Concert & Hangi involving a show and a hangi-style feast is something of a rarity on the South Island, but this Queenstown version does its best to cater to throngs of tourists. Bookings are essential.
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Puzzling World
Puzzling World has a 3-D Great Maze and lots of ‘now-you-see-it, now-you-don’t’ visual tomfoolery to keep kids of all ages bemused, bothered and bewildered. It’s en route to Cromwell, 2km from town.
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Skippers Canyon
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Mt Nicholas Station
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Maori Point
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Kawarau Dam
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Chard Farm
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