June 18, 2025

Autumn weekender in Queenstown

Chiara Di AUSTRALIA & PACIFIC, TRAVEL Central Otago, Luge, New Zealand, Queenstown, Shotover Jet, Skyline Gondola 0 Comments

I recently wandered to New Zealand’s picturesque South Island for an autumn weekend filled with the beauty of Queenstown.

It was a very scenic flight path to the South Island overlooking mountains and lakes, bringing back Canada memories. And it was just as pretty on the ground with the mountainous backdrop and beautiful autumn colours.

I arrived mid-afternoon and it was a fairly smooth process to get out of the airport and Uber (most are branded as taxi) to the mi-pad hotel at the top of town. I spent the rest of the afternoon orientating myself which was easy to do in a town of few main streets. It’s beauty and ease reminded me so much of Banff.

And, what better way to acquaint myself with Queenstown than a first stop at the renowned Fergburger for a late lunch. The line-up gave me a chance to decide on which burger to try, settling for the signature as I so regularly do. Once I was inside, it was clear to see the reach the brand has had with an Ed Sheeran photo hanging in front of me. The gourmet burgers are not only huge, but famous for their locally sourced ingredients and that was apparent with my experience. It tasted more like a homemade burger with a lot of tomato relish, than your typical American type.

The rest of my time in Queenstown involved enjoying sunset pinot noirs, wining around the cellar doors of Central Otago, adventuring on a Shotover Jetboat, soaking up the spectacular views from the Skyline and putting my solo dining and nightlife hat back on. I was very spoilt with some stunning autumn weather.

I wandered the wine region on a Boutique Wine Tour with Appellation Wine Tours. Visiting during shoulder season meant it was almost a private experience with only two other travellers booked on my tour. We had a brilliant driver guide John (thank you for the photos) who took us the scenic route to Gibbston Valley, past Shotover Canyon and Arthur’s Point.

Our first stop was Rockburn Stables for Pinot Grigio, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir tastings. It was a nice start to the day, though they are in the process of relocating the cellar door to their Winery to make way for Monte Christo winery at the site we visited.

We continued onto Bannockburn through the Kawarau Gorge to Carrick Winery & Restaurant for lunch and a wine tasting flight. Bannockburn is warmer than Gibbston Valley and the driest wine area of Central Otago, making harvest earlier. We indulged on a tasting platter of chicken and chickpea tagine, baked brie, triple cooked potatoes and salmon mousse. It was a bit of a random mix, complemented by a flight of Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Rosé and Pinot Noir tastings.

It was then onto Misha’s Vineyard in Cromwell for a tasting of five wines from a list of ten. We were all very much red wine drinkers, but I included a Gewürztraminer and a Riesling as I hadn’t tasted either that day. This tasting room was based in town as the vineyard is quite steep.

Then it was back to Gibbston Valley for our final tasting at Brennan Wines, offering another beautiful backdrop. Following this tasting, it was the road home with a stop by Queenstown Hill Summit for sunset, which you can also hike up. Our tour went an hour over, but it was well worth it with the additional scenic touches by our guide and an all-round leisurely feeling day.

I hadn’t had it on my must-do list, but I booked a last minute Shotover Jet boat ride, which included transfers to their base at Shotover Canyon by a friendly driver.

Once on site, we were kitted up in life jackets and had our valuables locked away. The thrill ride took us through the canyon, with 360-degree spins along the way right up against the rocks for extra effects. There were no seatbelts which felt a little risky. We stopped a couple of times for photos and there was the opportunity to purchase photos and videos at the end – it would be a nice touch to have these inclusive like wildlife swims so often do. It was definitely a great way to wake up on a Sunday morning, but I don’t think I need to do it again.

It was a more leisurely afternoon with a gondola ride up the Skyline to admire the views and experience the Luge track on a luge cart – part go-kart, part toboggan. The gondola and luge tickets were packaged with three or more rides. The Skyline felt quite touristy with a buffet restaurant, food hall, souvenir store and a zip and bungee jump, but the views sure were breathtaking over Queenstown, Coronet Peak and The Remarkables.

I enjoyed some great meals including beef pho at Saigon Kingdom, drunken noodles at White + Wong’s, house made spaghetti with New Zealand clams at Bella Cucina, oysters from the Bay of Islands Oysters pop-up stall by the lake, breakfast treats from Fergbaker and Mrs Ferg (gelato too), as well as some great coffee from Mackenzie Coffee Co.

I embraced solo nightlife, once again coming across many boy’s trips like Canada. The band was great at The Ballarat, karaoke was fun at Birdy, and the sunset views were stunning at Sundeck rooftop and The Bathhouse.

As I had to be at the airport for a 7am flight departure, I pre-booked an airport shuttle with Z-QTN Shuttles on my return as I wasn’t sure if there would be Ubers available. It was seamless and a good idea as my driver agreed Ubers would have been difficult to find at 5am during shoulder season.

It was such a beautiful time in Queenstown. I definitely left a piece of my heart there, but I came out with the memories, new friendships and a kiwi Christmas decoration (of course).

I backed up my Queenstown weekend with my annual girl’s weekend – this year to Bali – and have another trip there next month for my workmate’s birthday celebrations so I will wrap those two together.

Until then…

LWL xxx