Finally. After four jam-packed nights in four different places, we were ready to relax in Queenstown for our next four days. We arrived in town on Christmas Eve, so we’d be spending Christmas, Boxing Day, and another day-and-a-half in the “Adventure Capital of New Zealand” before continuing onward to Sydney, Australia to celebrate New Year’s Eve. While we didn’t plan to take advantage of Queenstown’s legendary sky diving and bungee jumping offerings, we looked forward to enjoying more beautiful hikes, delicious wine, stunning scenery… and some time to just chill the eff out.

Our Accommodations

One of New Zealand’s most popular tourist towns, Queenstown offers a broad array of accommodation options, ranging from hostels to high-end hotels (personally, I would love to check out Matakauri Lodge on a future visit). As a group of friends (er, a couple and a singleton) traveling together over the holidays, we opted to stay in an Airbnb so we could have access to our own kitchen and common areas when we weren’t out and about.

I loved everything about our 3BR/2BA Airbnb and would highly recommend it for a group visiting Queenstown. (Also, get ready for a bunch of pictures detailing our Christmas celebration because that was when we spent the most time in the house).

Activities in Queenstown

Queenstown is a great base for numerous activities and day trips in New Zealand. Aside from hanging out and exploring the city, our favorite activities included:

Queenstown Hill Walk

This relatively short (4.3 miles out and back), albeit steep (1,305 foot elevation climb) trail starts in a residential neighborhood (not far from where we were staying), climbs through a forest of pine trees, and ultimately rewards hikers with panoramic views of Lake Wakatipu and the surrounding mountain ranges. The peak is known as Te Tapu-nui in Maori, which means “mountain of intense sacredness.” Coincidentally, we happened to hike this intensely sacred mountain on Christmas, a holiday that none of the three of us considered to hold particular importance… but we would take advantage of the opportunity to trek through a naturally beautiful location any day.

Queenstown Gardens Walk

The other “hike” that we could find within Queenstown was simply a walk around the outer edge of Queenstown Gardens. While not particularly challenging or adventurous, the path along the water afforded unparalleled views of the lake and surrounding mountains.

Shotover Jet

I wasn’t sure what to expect from this experience; it was quite touristic, but still very fun. While not nearly as thrilling as a bungee jump or sky dive, we felt like we were still able to get a taste of adventure on this jet boat ride that propelled us through the narrow canyons of the Shotover River at speeds of up to 90 km/hr. Sadly, we weren’t able to take any pictures, but we all agreed that the experience was worth it. Plus, it only took a couple hours of our morning, so we were able to continue our fun in the afternoon with…

Central Otago Wine Tour

Of course, we had to get another wine tour in while we were in Queenstown (and before we left New Zealand). Fun fact: Central Otago is the southernmost commercial wine growing region in the world, and is best known for its Pinot Noir, but also produces a number of whites. The wineries are a relatively quick drive from Queenstown, so it’s easy to fit in a a few tastings as a half day activity in the area.

Queenstown Food & Beverage Scene

While we enjoyed the kitchen and dining room in our Airbnb, we of course wanted to explore Queenstown’s F&B scene. While the resort town offers its share of casual bars and pubs, it also features a number of trendy restaurants and cocktail bars. We tried:

• Botswana Butchery (Christmas Eve set menu) – OK, but we didn’t love. May have been related to the limited menu for the holiday.
• Nest Bar + Kitchen – Cocktails were great, food was eh, views were phenomenal. Go for drinks and Insta photo opps.
• Rata – Decent, but I felt like it was overrated. The fact that I can’t remember anything else isn’t a strong sign of approval.
• The Boatshed Cafe (brunch) – Hard-to-beat location on the lake
• The Lodge Bar (cocktails) – High-end, nice views, small bar
• Upstairs @ The Bunker (cocktails) – Probably my favorite place in Queenstown. Excellent cocktails, authentic and unique character. Not particularly fancy.

Scenic Flight & Milford Sound Cruise

Inadvertently, the Milford Sound cruise ended up being our last activity in Queenstown (and New Zealand, for that matter). We had originally booked the cruise and scenic flight for the day after Christmas, but the low-lying clouds in the area thwarted that plan. Not one to take no for an answer (or to miss out on a travel adventure), Lindsay hounded Glenorchy Air to ensure that we’d be able to reschedule for the next possible clear day.

Fortunately, the weather gods cooperated with us– the next safe day happened to be our last morning in town. Logistically, all worked out because we had to be back at the airport to catch our early afternoon flight to Sydney after our Milford Sound adventure.

My advice: The Milford Sound is stunning, and worth the cruise, but you MUST spring for the scenic flight. It’s a little bumpy, but the views of the craggy snow-capped peaks and pristine mountain lakes were the highlight of the day. It was also quite fun to fly in and out of Queenstown and the Milford Sound in such a tiny plane. Going forward, anytime I see a scenic flight as a travel option, I will be inclined to take it.

The exhilarating flight wrapped up our Queenstown Christmas visit. Even with four days, there was so much that we didn’t get to do or see in the region. I hoped to return sooner rather than later, but now it was time to bid New Zealand farewell and head to Australia. Despite raging wildfires around the country, we were optimistic about our plans to ring in the new year in one of the world’s first and biggest celebrations. We couldn’t wait to be some of the first people to celebrate the beginning of 2020, and all that the promising new year had to offer.