Queenstown
Located in the heart of New Zealand’s South Island, by the shores of Lake Wakatipu, and surrounded all around by mountains, Queenstown is the most popular tourist location of South Island. Over 1.3 million tourists and visitors visited Queenstown in the year 2018.
Remarkedly Queenstown is really just a small town. The Queenstown urban area has only around 20,000 long-term residents, and many of the residents are young people on working holiday visas. Therefore, during the peak holiday seasons, there may be more tourists and visitors than local residents in Queenstown.
Well-known internationally as the adventure capital of New Zealand, Queenstown has a wide variety of adventure things to do – Bungee jumping, jet boating, white water rafting, paragliding, rock climbing, mountain biking, skiing, hiking, kayaking, etc.
Many visitors use Queenstown as the base to visit nearby attractions such as Milford Sound and Doubtful Sound in the Fiordland National Park.
Visit the Queenstown website to learn more about Queenstown.
Lake Wakatipu
The third largest lake in New Zealand after Lake Taupo and Lake Te Anau, the glacier-carved 293 km2 elongated Lake Wakatipu has a distinctive mirror-z-shaped, which makes it the longest lake in New Zealand.
Dart River and Rees River feed into Lake Wakatipu at the northern end of the lake, and Kawarau River flows out of Lake Wakatipu near Queenstown, which is located on the eastern shore and in the middle of Lake Wakatipu.
Surrounded by mountains on all sides, Lake Wakatipu is beautiful and distinctly different in the 4 seasons of the year.
A good way to enjoy the magnificent scenery of the lake and the surrounding mountains is to take a cruise on TSS Earnslaw, which is a 1912 vintage steamship, or the Spirit of Queenstown cruise ship.
Saint Omar Park – Queenstown Gardens Walk
Another way to enjoy the beautiful Lake Wakatipu is to walk by the shoreline near Queenstown town centre, which is small and very walkable. It is an awesome free thing to do in Queenstown.
If you drive, you may park your car (and parking is free) along Lake Esplanade which extends out from Queenstown town centre in the southwest direction. From Saint Omar Park just next to Lake Esplanade, you will walk by the bank of Lake Wakatipu towards Queenstown town centre. You will walk on flat walking paths and boardwalks at Queenstown Wharf, and walk past Main Town Pier, Queenstown town centre, Queenstown Bay Beach, Harbour View Walk, before reaching Queenstown Gardens.
The one-way distance between Saint Omar Park and Queenstown Gardens is approximately 1.5km.
Energised and want to walk further? You may walk in the well-landscaped Queenstown Gardens which features a small lake with water plants and water-loving birds, a wide variety of flowering plants and trees, and a rose garden, and has plenty of seating area to sit and rest.
The sunset reflection on Lake Wakatipu with mountains as the backdrop is just magical. Therefore, you may walk in the late afternoon to enjoy the magical sunset of Queenstown. Queenstown Bay Beach, Main Town Pier, and Queenstown Wharf are the best places to see the sunset.
Want to discover more great walking locations? Check out the “By the Waters” blogs.
From Saint Omar Park just next to Lake Esplanade, you will walk by the bank of Lake Wakatipu towards Queenstown town centre. You will walk on flat walking paths and boardwalks at Queenstown Wharf, and walk past Main Town Pier, Queenstown town centre, Queenstown Bay Beach, Harbour View Walk, before reaching Queenstown Gardens.