The trail is beautiful and left me an unforgettable experience. I got the trail information from…read morethe tourist office at downtown, I was told the trail was pretty flat and no hiking shoes and trekking poles needed. So we went. It was a steep uphill approaching the trailhead. The trail is very wonderful and well maintained, I left my contribution at Fairy Meeting Place:), the overlook from the top was unbelievable, at brief moment a beam of sunlight shooting through clouds shines on Queenstown, it's like a dream. Later it started raining when we reached the top, and unfortunately my wife broke her ankle just 100 ft before back to trailhead. Queenstown's firefighters were super nice, they were right behind us, and helped us all the way to the hospital. The lesson: put on your hiking shoes or boots and bring your trekking poles if you can, be careful on rainy days. The rain makes the sand and gravel trail more slippery.

I think the most beautiful view of my life was on top of this hill…read more The vista is spectacular. There was even a FLIPPING RAINBOW in the distance. You might have to blink a couple times as you decide if you're already in heaven yet. It's a fantastic hike. It took us about two hours to get to the top. There was a basket-looking chair at the top that about four friends can load in and enjoy the view. Such a fun perk. It's a steep hike, so bring water. It's definitely doable for anyone though - the trail is very clear and obvious.

Beautiful lake. Beautiful blue, clear water…read more While we did not do a boat tour around the lake, we did walk around and really enjoyed the serenity of this lake. Beautiful mountains sit flush to the mountain and you really feel like you're living in a postcard.

Lake Wakatipu (try saying that 5 times fast) is a beautiful lake where Queenstown and other…read moresettlements sit. It's a glacial lake and the water is in pristine condition. New Zealand is the only place that I have ever seen water so clear you can see straight to the bottom. I highly recommend a visit to see it for yourself!

FREE parking for 4 hours giving you ample time to wander the grounds. Meander through organized…read morepark lanes past clean tennis courts, into wooded forested areas and to a flat serene lake-side stroll. Breath-taking, profoundly mythical lake views from the shores. Such accessible scenery, a true vision of LOTR, is not to be missed!

There is only so much beer and meat pies one can devour…read more.. So check out this charming Gardens. Really pretty area to just hang. Cool unique indigenous plants, trees, etc... They even have a redwood type of tree....thought that was only in Calif.

My husband and I were wandering along the shoreline since bad weather canceled our Fiordland trip…read morefor the day. We stumbled upon this trail, which immediately makes you feel miles and miles away from the city. There is a little history lesson when you reach the Power House. We kept going up the trail and saw where Ben Lomond picks up ( we were not really prepared to hike and it was closed due to fallen trees). We walked up until and wooden bridge, and then it started sleeting out of nowhere. We decided to turn around because of the weather and because we weren't dressed or prepared to hike. We came out another trail head into a neighborhood and navigated the streets back to town. That was fun. You can take your kids up the the Power House, but any further, be prepared for some steep hiking (oh! and watch out for the wild mountain bikers all over the trails going super fast- scary!). Wish we were dressed to hike and had water to explore more.

This organisation is excellent. I did the Milford Track hike (tramp) with them recently and found…read moretheir service and guidance to be outstanding. As a person new to NZ tramping, I was reliant on them to help me prepare then experience the walk. At every stage, they provided helpful and sensible advice. The booking and preparation information was good, with useful checklists and background. The pre-tour briefing was great - presented by an obviously well experienced tramper, with access to a pack, raincoat and walking poles to borrow or hire if required. During the tramp itself the Guides were marvellous - approachable, friendly, helpful and sensible - without judgement - which for me, as a novice multi-day tramper, was very important to my level of comfort and my experience. I admit to some apprehension prior to the walk, being unsure that I had prepared well enough, but the guides put me at ease often. The Lodges are all good, with clean facilities, secure accommodation and nice food. I can't fault the way Ultimate Hikes present themselves and provide their services, everything was great. I wouldn't hesitate to go on another of their hikes. Thanks to everyone involved.

My wife and I planned our entire honeymoon around our time on the Milford Track with Ultimate…read moreHikes. It's a bit of a family tradition (my grandparents and uncle all did the Track on their respective honeymoons). Ultimate Hikes did NOT disappoint. It was everything it was cracked up to be and more! The beauty of the hike aside (because of course it was amazing), the staff in Queenstown, the staff at the huts, and our guides were all phenomenal. Everyone on the trip felt comfortable going at their speed, and the guides were all knowledgeable.

This was one of the most fun things I've done. The premise is that you're in this boat with a big…read moreengine. The driver speeds along the river and does spins at full speed. Everyone gets wet and a good time is had by all.

We did the Dart River Wilderness Jet trip this morning and had an excellent experience! This is…read morewell worth the money! We did the 9:00am tour and enjoyed the 3 hour trip, which included a 4WD bus ride, pleasant nature walk, and most importantly, a jet boat journey up the Dart River with amazing views! The mountains, waterfalls, trees, and waters all made for incredible sights along our boat ride. Our boat driver, Ethan, shared useful information about the area and took us on a fun and memorable tour. And the boat is unique in that it can operate in 4 inch water depth - very cool! This is a fantastic trip that came recommended to us by a local - we are so glad we did it! Skip anything on the lake right near Queenstown and do this instead for a more unique experience and spectacular views.

I had an amazing time (I thought this was more fun than skydiving)! There is a free shuttle that…read morecan take you to the river from Queenstown. Our jet boat driver Maddie (not sure if spelled correctly) was so much fun and also taught us a little bit about the history and mechanics of jet boating. These guys are the only people allowed in this part of the river so you don't have to share space with anyone else. The scenery is beautiful and the boat ride is thrilling. A must do in Queenstown!

Absolutely loved our Shotover Jet ride! Even more fun and exciting than I expected, with awesome…read more360 spins and zipping past rocks and the sides of the canyon. Scenery was beautiful. I don't remember our driver's name but she was an awesome Japanese lady who was an amazing driver and kept up a comedic dialogue with us the entire time. Highly recommend doing this!

Must visit for us…read more Traveled North and South Island and never spotted a Kiwi Could not pass this up Remember that our ticket was part of a package w Tram and restaurant Also Remember that Fee includes conservation Solid 4 stars

We loved the kiwi encounter experience. The speaker seemed truly knowledgeable about the kiwis that…read morelive there and was able to provide visitors with interesting insights that go beyond things you can just google. We asked about their conservation and breeding programs and how they are actually involved in the entire process of helping these kiwis. We were able to ask questions and follow up questions since our kids are very curious and knowledgeable about animals. The guy at the front for conservation talk really sucked though. He gave a talk about various native animals that sounded very amateurish and ad hoc. We don't have a problem that he's not good at speaking but it felt like a waste of time gathering people on a stage and sucked like that while we sat in the wet and cold wintery wind of NZ weather. We were not impressed, what saved the show was they brought out some animals that we were able to see up close. There were also kids playing sport to our right and constructions going on in our left. The set up was very noisy. They could totally improve the set up. Didn't feel all that naturey. We also enjoyed seeing some native birds on the premise. The gift shop was nice and reasonably priced.

There are several competing Jet Boat companies in Queenstown, but Lord of the Rings fans will want…read moreto go with Skippers. $159NZ isn't the cheapest, but this includes a very scenic, and scary, 4WD bus tour of Skippers Canyon and Shotover river where you'll see some LOTR shooting locations for Mordor and the part where Arwen uses river magic to kill the ring wraiths. If you're really scared of heights, you might want to skip this, no pun intended. Skippers Canyon Road is a narrow gravel road that goes alongside dangerously steep cliffs...thank goodness for our expert driver!. But the entire one hour drive there and back is very scenic with stops for gorgeous photo opportunities of Mordor. The jet boat ride itself is thrilling fun, be prepared to get wet! Midway through you'll see the location where Arwen fought off the ring wraiths. There is an opportunity to use the toilet after the boat ride, but I'd highly recommend going wee wee before you hop on the bus.

This was a great jet boat tour. We picked it to get the tour and history with the jet boating, and…read moreit didn't disappoint. They stopped a few times for pictures, the first time at a beautiful overlook. They told us lots of lord of the rings trivia if that's your thing, and there are lots of lots of the rings backdrops along the way. The drive took maybe an hour in, less time out. The jet boat time is about 25 minutes, faster down than up. The driver is very good but the ride wasn't as white knuckly as I expected. We stopped by a house with bathrooms afterwards. We'd paid for a longer tour with museum stop and gold panning but it was a cold drizzly day so they nicely offered us the chance to switch to the shorter tour, which we did. They take a typical amusement park photo at the beginning. They pick up the the station bus stop on camp street, which is labeled as such, and which is a tourism store, not a city bus stop or anything like that. It's at the end of camp street closer to arrowtown. We were able to book on very short notice, but it was low season.