New Zealand · The Adventure Capital
Queenstown & the Lakes
Go beyond the obvious, and the whole region comes alive.
The Region
Queenstown is the self-proclaimed adventure capital of the world — vibrant, beautiful, and yes, a little busy. It is also one of our top three destinations, because the town is merely the front desk: around it spread Glenorchy’s head-of-the-lake wilderness, Wānaka’s quieter valleys, and high country that swallows helicopters whole.
Accommodation exists at every level in every direction, so where we send you depends entirely on who you are: lakefront suites for some, a sheep station’s homestead for others. Go beyond the obvious and the whole region comes alive.
01
A Moment We Design
The waterfall only helicopters know
Twenty minutes from the town’s bustle, a helicopter sets down beside a beech-forest waterfall that has no track, no sign and no other visitors. A walk, a swim for the brave, and the particular pleasure of a place with no name to drop.
02
A Moment We Design
Glenorchy, head of the lake
Forty-five minutes up the lake, the road ends at Glenorchy and the mountains take over — Blanket Bay’s timbered halls, horses on the river flats, and a private guide for the Routeburn’s finest day. Middle-earth was filmed here for the sensible reason that it looks like this.
03
A Moment We Design
Wānaka in winter
Over the Crown Range, Wānaka does the lakes-and-alps thing with half the audience. In winter we add helicopters and snowshoes: an hour’s flight, a ridgeline walk in untouched snow, and hot chocolate somewhere no piste map has ever reached.
The Region, In Pictures
A jetboat on the braided Dart River below snow-capped peaks
When To Come
The season is part of the design
Queenstown runs four genuine seasons: winter for the snow (June to September, helicopters included), summer for the lake and the trails, and February–March for the most settled weather of the year.
Autumn (April into May) is the photographer’s season, when the poplars turn and the crowds thin. The region never closes; it just changes costume.
The Glenorchy flight/ship/flight to Milford Sound was a highlight, as was Skippers Canyon with Beau…
George & Bev Blitz · United States
A Journey That Lingers Here
South Island In Depth
Twenty-five days through the south that give the lakes their due: The Headwaters at Glenorchy, a private Routeburn day hike, and three final nights at The Spire in town.
Explore South Island In DepthWhere You Might Stay
The lodges that live here
A handful of the places we place guests in Queenstown & the Lakes. Each carries a dossier: who it suits, the nights it deserves, how we set it inside a journey.
Design your journey
Tell us what pulled at you here. We'll design the journey around it, with the right people waiting when the helicopter lands.
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