Queenstown is a lively resort town beautifully situated on the shores of exquisite Lake Wakatipu surrounded by snow-capped mountains on the South Island. Scenically, Queenstown can hold its own with any place in the world. Adventure tourism, skiing, wineries in spectacular settings, mountain scenery, and a beautiful lakeside location make Queenstown a must-see destination.

Over the years the town has redefined itself several times from an old gold-mining settlement through to ski resort and, in more recent times, New Zealand's Adventure Capital.

Queenstown has become a well-known magnet for those who enjoy activity vacations: acrobatic flights, paragliding, quad biking, kayaking, mountain biking, abseiling, parapenting, horse trekking, white-water rafting, jet boating, snowboarding, heli-skiing, gravity swinging, river surfing, rock climbing, off-road touring, canyon swinging, high-wire flying, skydiving, bungee jumping...

The main attraction in Queenstown is the Skyline Gondola that takes visitors up to 446 metres high for a unique view over the town, Lake Wakatipu, and the mountains.

The Queenstown lake is another city wonder called a 'breathing' lake: every five minutes or so, the water surface rises and falls by up to 7 centimetres.

Queenstown is definitely the place to be in winter. It has some of the best skiing and boarding in New Zealand with two excellent ski fields right on its doorstep.

It is also the base for many excursions into mountainous country, in the Fiordland National Park and to picturesque wineries in the gorgeous Gibbston Valley.

Many resort towns in the world are called paradise, but spectacular Queenstown has a deserved reputation for varied, high-quality holidays in every season, from the calm and contemplative to the extreme. Its setting on the mirror-like Lake Wakatipu, surrounded by high mountains with dazzling white peaks, creates a special microclimate and an otherworldly atmosphere.

The fantastic landscapes around Queenstown were the real-life sets for the films The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit, and fans of the films and of Tolkien's books can visit many of the intriguing locations from the trilogies.

Queenstown won the title of Adventure Capital with lovers of thrills: bungee jumping was invented here, and every visitor has the chance to leap headfirst from a great height. Golfers can play on world-class courses nearby, such as Millbrook Resort, Kelvin Heights, Arrowtown and Frankton, and the area is also known for trout fishing and for hunting.

Connoisseurs of dry wines will be impressed by tastings in the Gibbston Valley, 25 km from Queenstown, home to the largest wine cave in New Zealand and the famous Pinot Noir. In winter the ski season runs from June to September, and the town becomes a world-class ski resort with slopes for every level.

Wild New Zealand - its unique flora and fauna, thundering waterfalls, deep fiords and the highest mountains in the country - can be seen in the surroundings of Queenstown. The national parks of Aspiring, Fiordland (with the famous Milford Sound) and Mount Cook are World Heritage areas and a main attraction for eco-tourism in New Zealand.