New Zealand · City Guide

Queenstown With Kids

Start Here

Queenstown is one of those places where even the drive from the airport makes you pull out your phone. The mountains just sit there, right on top of the lake, and your kids go quiet for about thirty seconds. Which, if you have kids, you know is significant.

This is the adventure capital of New Zealand. Bungee jumping, jet boats, luge rides, and a gondola that takes you straight up the side of a mountain. But it is also the kind of place where you can spend a whole afternoon walking around the lakefront eating ice cream and never do a single adrenaline thing.

That is what makes it work for families. The big kids and the thrill seekers have plenty. The little ones and the parents who just want to sit somewhere beautiful with a coffee have plenty too.

Getting Around

Queenstown Airport (ZQN) has direct flights from Auckland, Wellington, and Christchurch. Air New Zealand and Jetstar run multiple flights daily. The airport is about 15 minutes from the town center.

You will want a rental car. The town itself is walkable, but everything worth seeing outside of it requires wheels. Milford Sound is a full day drive. Arrowtown is 20 minutes. Glenorchy is 45 minutes along one of the most beautiful roads in the country. Pick up a car at the airport and you are set.

If you prefer not to drive, the Orbus public bus runs between Queenstown, Frankton, and Arrowtown for NZ$2 per ride. Taxis and ride shares are available but add up fast. Tour operators pick up from most hotels for the bigger day trips.

Where to Stay

Most families base in Queenstown town center or Frankton, which is closer to the airport and has more space and newer apartment style options. Town center puts you walking distance to the waterfront, the gondola, and restaurants. Frankton puts you closer to the Remarkables ski field and gives you bigger rooms for the money.

What to See

Skyline Gondola and Luge

This is the thing every family does in Queenstown, and for good reason. The gondola takes you 450 meters up Bob’s Peak and the views at the top are ridiculous. Lake Wakatipu, the Remarkables, Cecil Peak. You can see all of it.

Then the kids do the luge. There are two tracks, a scenic one and an advanced one, and they will want to ride both multiple times. The gondola plus three luge rides runs about NZ$204 for a family of four. Budget more if your kids are anything like mine, because three rides will not be enough.

There is also a restaurant, a gift shop, and walking trails at the top. You could spend a whole morning or afternoon up there easily.

Milford Sound

Milford Sound is a two hour drive from Queenstown through some of the most dramatic scenery in the Southern Hemisphere. Waterfalls, mirror lakes, rainforest, and then the fjord itself. The drive alone is worth it.

Most families book a cruise. They run about two hours and take you past waterfalls, seal colonies, and cliff faces that go straight up out of the water. A family of four will spend around NZ$250 to NZ$400 depending on the operator. Bring jackets. It rains in Milford Sound about 200 days a year. That is not an exaggeration.

It is a long day. Leave early, bring snacks, and plan for the kids to sleep on the drive back. Totally worth it.

Arrowtown

Arrowtown is a former gold mining village about 20 minutes from Queenstown. The main street looks like a film set. Old stone buildings, autumn trees (if you go in April or May), and a handful of great cafes and restaurants.

The kids can pan for gold in the Arrow River. It costs almost nothing and they will be at it for an hour. The Chinese Settlement is a short walk and tells the story of the Chinese miners who came during the gold rush. It is one of those moments where history becomes real for kids because they are standing where it happened.

Fork and Tap in Arrowtown has a beer garden with a play area. That is the kind of detail that matters when you are traveling with small children.

TSS Earnslaw

The TSS Earnslaw is a vintage steamship that has been running on Lake Wakatipu since 1912. It is one of the last coal fired steamships still operating anywhere. The cruise takes about 90 minutes and goes across the lake to Walter Peak station.

Kids can go below deck and watch the engine room in action. That alone is worth the ticket. At Walter Peak there is a farm show with sheep shearing and dog demonstrations. Lunch or dinner cruises are available too. Tickets run about NZ$119 per adult. Kids are discounted.

Queenstown Gardens

Free, flat, and right on the lake. The Queenstown Gardens are perfect for burning off energy between bigger activities. There is a disc golf course, a skate park, and wide grassy areas for running around. In summer you can swim off the beach next to the gardens. Pack a picnic and let the kids loose for an hour.

What to Eat

Queenstown is a small town with a food scene that punches way above its weight. There are serious restaurants here alongside the burger joints and pizza places, and both are good. The one thing to know is that eating out in New Zealand is expensive compared to most of the places families travel. Budget NZ$30 to NZ$50 per person for a sit down dinner.

Nicole’s Perspective

Queenstown is one of my favorite places to plan for families. It is the rare destination where the parents and the kids are equally excited, and for completely different reasons.

The thing I tell every client: do not try to do everything. I know the list looks incredible. Bungee, jet boat, Milford Sound, Wanaka, gondola, luge. But if you pack every day with activities your kids will melt down by day three and you will spend more time in the car than on the mountain.

Pick two or three big things. Leave the rest open. Queenstown rewards slow days as much as adventure days. An afternoon walking the lakefront and eating Fergburger is as much a part of the trip as Milford Sound.

I send most families for four to five nights. That gives you Milford Sound as a day trip, a gondola and luge morning, a day in Arrowtown, and a couple of afternoons with nothing on the schedule. If your kids are under six, you can skip the jet boat and bungee and still have one of the best family trips in the Southern Hemisphere.

Day Trips

Practical Tips

How Many Days

Common Questions

Explore More

Oceania Travel Guide