Travel to Queenstown with essential travel insurance from Essential Travel

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Information on Queenstown with annaul travel insurance from Essential Travel

Travel to Queenstown

Thought by many to be the adventure capital of the world, This beautiful city is sandwiched between Lake Wakitipu and several mountain ranges and is popular in both winter and summer, attracting over one million visitors annually.

Getting there

Queenstown receives an assortment of domestic and international flights. Transfers into the city are made by Super Shuttle, the Airport Bus and taxis. By bus, InterCity has services from Christchurch, Dunedin, Fox Glacier, Franz Josef, Invercargill, Milford Sound, Mount Cook, Te Anau and Wanaka.

Driving in New Zealand is a pleasurable experience simply because of the scenery, but also because traffic is light and the roads are well maintained. The drive from Christchurch takes six hours; from Dunedin, 3 hours, 30 minutes; from Invercargill, 2 hours, 30 minutes.

Key attractions

Queenstown is best known for its outdoor activities, including: bungee jumping, jet boating, parachuting, white-water rafting, skiing, downhill mountain biking, sledding, canyoning, summer luging, paragliding, kayak surfing, off road biking, zorbing, snowboarding, rock climbing and tramping (hiking) to name a few. The Kawarau suspension bridge in Skippers Canyon is the birthplace of bungee jumping and today still boasts the worlds highest freefall (140m).

The region is also known for its winemaking. Chard Farm Vineyard splits a narrow ledge between rugged mountains and the Kawarau River Gorge, and offers chardonnay, pinot noir, riesling, sauvignon blanc, pinot gris, and gewürztraminer. Meanwhile, GVW Winery is the most visited in Australasia, and offers spectacular food in an even more impressive setting. Peregrine is another noteworthy winery offering sampling at its small tasting shed.

Out and about

Just 40 minutes from Queenstown, Glenorchy is the tiny village where much of the filming was done for the movie Lord of the Rings. It has a magnificent landscape surrounded by rugged high country, mountains, glacier-fed lakes, and ancient beech forests. Another good daytrip choice is the historic village of Arrowtown, 20kms northeast of Queenstown – a preserved gold mining town from the 19th century. Wanaka is an artists’ community located on a lake, several hours’ drive from Queenstown, with a much quieter atmosphere. Perhaps the most popular day trip from Queenstown is to the breathtakingly beautiful sceery of the Milford Sound in Fjordland.

Leisure options

the waterfront area offers beautiful walks and many of Queenstown’s streets are pedestrianised and full of restaurants, bars and upmarket souvenir shops. Additionally, Queenstown has two casinos: Sky Alpine, with over 70 gaming machines and the usual table games such as roulette, blackjack and baccarat, as well as Wharf Casino. A cable car also spirits people up to the small hill above the town where there is a restaurant offering excellent views of the entire area.

Safety

participation in strenuous or even dangerous outdoor activities can put you at risk of accident or injury. Driving is also a potential hazard and travellers should remain vigilant. We strongly recommend you take out travel insurance for you and your family when visiting this adventurous city.

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