If you’re in Europe (which I believe most of my audience is) and you’re not planning a trip to the other side of the world any time soon, that’s totally fair. But please humour me while I share a little photo diary and mini guide to Queenstown in New Zealand, because it really is one of the most magical places I’ve ever visited.
My trip to Queenstown a few years ago was part of a longer trip around New Zealand’s South Island - and naturally, I came home with 100s of photos, most of which have stayed on my phone or Lightroom. I avoided sharing them for a long time because I know most of my existing audience probably isn’t planning a trip there any time soon… but this little corner on the internet is like my own digital travel magazine. And given it’s the start of spring in the Southern Hemisphere, this felt like a good time to revisit the albums.
So regardless of if New Zealand is on your travel list any time soon, I hope you can stay and appreciate its beauty through my lens.
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Where to stay in Queenstown
I spent most of my time in Queenstown at Kamana Lakehouse and I was also very kindly gifted 2-nights at Rosewood Matakauri.
Kamana Lakehouse is a really great option if you want to be close to Queenstown while still having incredible lake and mountain views. It’s got a lovely boutique feel and has its own hot tubs (similar to the Onsen Hot Pools). When we visited, there was lots of construction work happening nearby so it wasn’t quite as peaceful as we’d hoped.
Rosewood is definitely more of a special occasion option. The room and facilities were luxurious. The setting is pretty hard to beat - it’s literally on the lakeshore, with insane views of the mountains. However, the food and dining wasn’t to my taste. The atmosphere at dinner was really quiet (which I didn’t love). The hotel only has a small number of rooms so it felt like everyone could hear each other’s conversations. Not ideal when you love to yap.
A few more ideas (there are SO many beautiful places to stay so narrowing down to just these 5 was hard):
Getting to Queenstown
If you’re travelling to New Zealand from anywhere other than Australia, getting there is a trek. Flying from London took around 23 hours on the fastest route. I still remember that my first flight from LHR was running half an hour late so it meant I had a very short changeover before the next 16-hour flight. I landed in Auckland at around 4am NZ time, and from there I took another short domestic flight to Queenstown.
This was actually my favourite part of the whole journey because the views from plane were incredible. Flying into Queenstown is a pretty special introduction to the South Island. Also - flying with Air New Zealand is genuinely one of the best aeroplane experiences I’ve had.
Day 1 - Arrive in Queenstown
I wasn’t in New Zealand long enough to waste this first day, so I truly powered through the jet lag from the moment I landed in Auckland to 9pm that evening. I met my sister at around 10am, we picked up a rental car from Queenstown Airport and headed straight to brunch, a 4 minute drive away, at The Boat Shed Cafe (highly recommend).
It’s a lovely cafe on the edge of Lake Wakitipu and means your first impressions of Queenstown are already very high. And it’s also a great place to sit after being on planes for 24 hours.
For the rest of the day, it’s best to keep things relatively relaxed. There are lots of lovely shops in Queenstown, including outdoorsy and independent boutiques, so you can have a little wander. Alternatively, you can go for an easy walk around Queenstown Gardens. You’ll be in awe at the ridiculously beautiful scenery and there are plenty of benches here to take it all in.
If you have more energy, you can head to Arrowtown for more mooching. It feels a bit like walking on to the set of Gilmore Girls, with the architecture and tree-lined streets. There are more lovely shops and the Arrowtown Bakery where you can try their famous pies.
Day 2 - Ben Lomond Hike and Onsen Hot Pools
After a good night’s rest, you’ll be ready to take on a big hike and Ben Lomond is the most popular hikes in Queenstown for good reason. Before starting any hike, you should check the Department of Conservation website for the latest weather updates to make sure it’s safe to visit.
The Ben Lomond Track is a demanding climb and a full day’s hike with an 1,438m elevation gain when completed from Queenstown. You could either start on foot from Queenstown or you can take the Skyline Gondola up to the start point, which takes away about 480m of elevation.
Once you start the hike, you don’t have to climb to the summit as there is a slightly easier alternative which is to climb as far as Ben Lomond Saddle (1,326m elevation). This is what we decided to do as the trail was particularly icy and slippery beyond this point. The views were still insane, even without reaching the actual summit.
Despite Ben Lomond being one of the most popular hikes in Queenstown, we didn’t see many other hikers on the trail so it was incredibly peaceful. It’s definitely a challenging hike, but the views make it worth the effort.
Once you complete the hike, I highly recommend heading to the Onsen Hot Pools to relax your muscles after a long day of hiking. The pools are all private (you can book for up to 4 people) and all offer stunning alpine views. This was one of the highlights of my trip!
Day 3 - Moke Lake walk and Glenorchy
I’m definitely not someone who would describe myself as an experienced hiker, so I like to balance outdoorsy adventures with challenging hikes and more relaxed walks. After Ben Lomond the day before, it felt like the perfect day for something a little more leisurely.
The Moke Lake Loop Track is a gentle, lakeshore walk with incredible mountain views, and it’s just 15 mins drive from Queenstown. The walk takes about 1.5-2 hours depending on your pace (and how many times you stop to take it in). There were a few people camping when we visited, but we spotted less than 10 people on the walk itself, so it was incredibly peaceful.
From Moke Lake, you can drive further north to Glenorchy. The drive there was part of the experience because the road follows Lake Wakatipu for most of the way, with mountains on either side. There were a couple of spots where you could stop to take photos too.
Once you reach Glenorchy, you can do another gentle walk along the Glenorchy Walkway. It’s an easy way to immerse yourself in the landscape without committing to a big hike. Even on a cloudy, rainy day, the views were just ridiculous. There’s not much else to do there but you should try to leave some time to have a coffee and browse at Mrs Woolly’s General Store.
Day 4 - Day Trip to Milford Sound
Urgh, Milford Sound. It’s so difficult to put into words how beautiful this place really is.
I’ve included it in this Queenstown itinerary because there are lots of guided day trips that will pick you up from different spots around Queenstown - and I’d highly recommend booking yourself onto one. That way, you can relax (or even have a snooze…) on the journey because the drive takes about 5-6 hours each way with stops.
We booked the Milford Sound Coach & Cruise Full-Day Trip with GYG - we stopped at a couple of beautiful spots along the way, including Te Anau, a small lakeside town where we had time to get a coffee and stretch our legs. We also stopped at a point where we were able to drink fresh spring water directly from the mountain! The journey itself is definitely part of the experience, as the scenery gets more dramatic along the way.
Spot the tiny boat in the distance near right side of the image for the scale of this landscape.
The trip also includes a cruise, which is definitely worth booking on to (even if you drive yourself). It gives you a completely different perspective of the landscape, waterfalls and gives you the best chance to spot some wildlife.
If you are going to Queenstown, please make time to fit this into your schedule. It’s a very long day, but it’s SO worth it. The downside of the day is that you spend most of the day sat, rather than exploring by foot.
Four days barely scratches the surface of what Queenstown has to offer (I didn’t even include any adventurous activities!) but it was enough to make it one of the places I would definitely return to. I’m very excited to be finally sharing these photos and memories.
You can follow along for more travel inspiration, photos and more on my Instagram and TikTok.
Thanks for reading,
T.
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