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Queenstown, or 'QT' and 'Queenie' to the locals, is famous for plenty of excitement inducing reasons. So here are not one or two excuses to check it out, but four.....
Lindauer Queenstown Winter Festival: running currently (June 22 to July 1), this is the most exciting time to check out the Queenstown scene. Check out www.winterfestival.co.nz to see what I mean.
The adventure capital: Birthplace of the bungy, click here to organise throwing yourself off the highest bungy platform in the world.
Snow season: Queenstown boasts two spectacular ski fields on wither side of the township. The Remarkables are just that and Coronet Peak is famous for its late night skiing and boarding.
Night skiing and boarding: What better way to spend a chilly winter's evening plus the mulled wine is a tasty bonus.
Best Places to Stay Lots of Dosh? Millbrook Resort: Set in breathtaking countryside, Millbrook Resort is Queenstown’s longstanding luxury venue. Ph: 0800 800 604. www.millbrook.co.nz
Millenium: Central, classy palace, a favourite for local balls where you will feel like a winter princess. Ph: 03 441 8888. www.milleniumhotels.com
Blanket Bay: Rated in the Top Ten Luxury Getaways in the world! Blanket Bay is hidden away at the head of the lake a 30 minute drive from Queenstown. With past guests like comedian Robin Williams, Tom Cruise and Penelope Cruz, you’re guaranteed the star treatment. Ph: 03 442 9441. www.blanketbay.com
Skrimping and Saving YHA Queenstown Central: Hostel, double and multi share rooms. Lake Whakatipu at your fingertips. $26 – 90.
Hippo Lodge: Close to town yet positioned on the hillside, offering a variety of views. $21 – 65.
Bumbles Backpackers: Located on the waterfront in central Queenstown, 300 metres from the city centre. $27 – 30.
Hitched a ride? Queenstown is known for its colourful backpacker lifestyle. The locals are generally laid back and willing to help travellers enjoy the Queenstown experience. But because of the influx of travellers in this part of NZ over winter you may be wondering where the locals are...don't fret, keep your eyes and ears open for local jam sessions, music and snowboarding events and you may just find a couch to crash on. If not, most el cheapo backpackers will exchange room rates in return for helping out around the backpackers.
Bungy Backpackers and Scallywags Travellers Guestrooms both have accommodation starting at $10 a night. Check out www.newzealand.com and www.backpackersboard.co.nz to find out more about these places.
Working Holiday in Queenstown Best places to find a flat Plenty of cafes have noticeboards which advertise for flatmates. These places are the best to start with as you walk around checking out the winter bustle of Queenstown. Try Vudu cafe on Beach St. There is also a community noticeboard downstairs in the O'Connolls Mall. Fresh Choice supermarket, just out of town next to the high school, also has a community noticeboard. Lastly, the local paper is called The Mountain Scene and comes out every Thursday.
Best places to find a job The busiest places over the winter season are Winnie Bagos, Hard Rock Cafe, the popular cafes and restaurants listed below in Best Eats, and all snow industry related businesses - from snow shops to shuttle bus businesses. These are the best places to hit up early, as they always recruit each season. The best thing about working for a snow clothing store, a booking agency or a ski field is the free season pass every employee gets. Definetly worth hunting that job down. NZSki.com are in charge of both Coronet Peak and Remarkables staff hiring. Check out www.nzski.com under employment for your slice of the snow action. Be prepared to work hard, meet heaps of people and party the cool nights away.
Best ways to have some fun If you've made it down with a car, explore. Just around the corner from Queenstown are places of unimaginable beauty. Glenorchy is 40 minutes away, at the head of the lake. A small town of around 350 people, Glenorchy is surrounded by mountain glaciers, famed walking tracks and supreme lake views. Ask the locals how to get to Paradise which is pretty much the end of the tracks before hitting the wild west coast.
Arrowtown, another 40 minutes in the opposite direction is famous for its old style stone village look. It is also well-known from the gold mining days and has lost none of its historic charm. Arrowtown in Autumn is a photographer’s picturesque dream. The pretty lake Hayes also edges the village and is a favourite summer spot. Queenstown is surrounded by rich vineyard lands. Not more then half an hour out of town lies plenty of successful wineries and the simple beauty of the flat lands and vertical mountains makes for an amazing wine and food tour.
For fun on the town, keep an eye out on The Source, Queenstown’s guide to the nightlife and many acts that play all over town.
Best Eats
Avantis, 20 The Mall, 03 442 8503. Divine Italian dining, inside and out, with great service and atmosphere.
The Cow, Cow Lane, 03 442 8588. Long standing local favourite The Cow makes the best pizza in town and is worth a visit just to see what its like to drink and dine the night away in a stone cowshed! With a huge open fire and delicious spicy scents, you will never want to come out...
Minami Jujisei, 45 Beach Street, 03 442 9854. Minami is Queenstown’s renowned Japanese restaurant. Very elegant with a supreme menu of fresh Japanese fare as well as mean sake, Minami is perfect for a special night out.
Fergburger, 42 Shotover Street, 03 441 1232. These burgers have got to be tasted to be believed! Ferg is the best late night fix and they have a reputation in town for the funkiest fast food. The chips and aioli are more famed then the place itself! Get the Cockadoodle Oink – I’m telling you, paradise in a mouthful.
Habebe's, Wakatipu Arcade, Rees St, 03 442 986. Yummy vegetarian and exotic fare.A favourite for lunch time wraps and tasty fresh salads.
Jo's Garage, Camp Street, 03 442 5282. Voted as the best cafe in Queenstown, Jo's is the place to go to recover some lost memories of the night before. You'll probably find lost friends here gulping down espresso and Jo's famed big brekkies.
Vudu, 23 Beach Street, 03 442 5357. Vudu is another local haunt to relax in the winter sun and get some good-for-you kai down past your sandpaper tongue.
Best Clubs and Pubs
Bar Up, Upstairs corner of Searle Lane and Eureka Arcade, 03 442 7707. Yummiest cocktails and great staff. This is the best place to fire up or wind down, and definitely one of the warmest.
Debajo, Cow Lane, 03 442 6094. This is the underground club that is for all the bass freaks out there. Dedicated to house and electro trance, Debajo has you dancing in their underground grotto all night long.
Minibar, Eureka Arcade, The Mall. A chilled bar which is snug and cozy with occassional live DJs.
Surreal, 7 Rees St, 03 441 8492. This is the place to party! With a weekly line up of everything from hip hop to house and live jam sessions, Surreal is especially packed all weekend. They have great drink specials, an upstairs bar and pool table area and downstairs bar and dancefloor. What more could you want? A roof that opens up? Well head around the corner to Winnie's then....
Winnie Bagos, The Mall. A fine restaurant and bar that goes crazy after 10! And did I mention they have a roof that opens up? Especially when it snows...now that’s gotta cool you down!
Tardis, Cowlane, 03 441 8397. A personal favourite of mine, Tardis is a place where you'll walk in and hear music that you've never heard before and you'll never here again...DJ heaven, with a local hero always on the decks. Queenstown's winter fun with great competitions such as the Sugar Daddy annual comp and various other events like the racous MC battles.
Subculture, 13-14 Church St, 03 442 7865. Hosting at least 16 international acts per year, Subculture is a respectable club mecca if ever there was one. And it's also underground.....many have emerged bleary eyed from the depths only to be greeted by early morning joggers on the lakefront. You must experience it.
Best Shopping Spots The Mall is an open air cobbled area which has many upmarket stores with one-off designer pieces as well as plenty of cafes and tourist shops. O'Connolls Mall also offers a food court, snowboard clothing shops, internet places, toyshops and exotic wares stores. Beach Street and Shotover Street are also the main shopping areas.
Designer Pieces: Goddess, The Mall, 03 442 6696 Angel Divine, 01 The Mall, 03 442 8988
Funky Op-shops and Boutiques: Solo Clothing, Plaza Arcade, Beach Street, QT 441 3075 Craft Boutique, 65 Beach Street, 03 442 7054
Whatever the reason you have come to Queenstown, whether to snowboard, bungy or party, you’re guaranteed never to forget it. Many people form a life time love affair with Queenstown and the area around it, with some travellers settling and becoming locals. Some locals have never left. A lot of us always return.
The thing about Queenstown is its unique vibe. The feeling that’s in the air when you’re walking down Shotover Street on your way to a jib and rail festival, your mulled wine in one hand while fireworks set the lake on fire. Then it begins to snow....mountains, lakes and flowing seas of long grass give Queenstown one of the prettiest and breathtaking reputations New Zealand has to offer. As a visitor, it’s a must. As a kiwi it’s an experience you've got to have. Enjoy!
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for plenty of excitement inducing reasons. So here are not one or two excuses to check it out, but four.....
Plenty of cafes have noticeboards which advertise 
Habebe's, Wakatipu Arcade, Rees St, 03 442 986. Yummy vegetarian and exotic fare.A favourite for lunch time wraps and tasty fresh salads.