With kids · Queenstown · New Zealand
Queenstown with kids
Family-tested sights, a calm base and the practical details that make travelling with children easier.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: Bgabel, CC BY-SA 3.0
Quick answer
Queenstown suits active families: the gondola and luge, the Earnslaw steamship, kiwi at the bird park, easy lakeside trails and beginner ski slopes. Many adventure activities have minimum ages or heights, so check before booking. Top picks: Skyline Gondola and Luge, TSS Earnslaw cruise and Queenstown Gardens. Families usually base themselves in Frankton.
Key facts
- Family picks
- 8
- Best area for families
- Frankton
- Rainy-day options
- 1
- Busiest months
- January and July
Best things to do with kids
Viewpoint · Queenstown Town Centre
1.Skyline Gondola and Luge
Gondolas climb from Brecon Street up Bob's Peak to a viewing deck about 450 metres above the town, looking over Lake Wakatipu, Cecil Peak and the Remarkables. At the top, a chairlift serves several luge tracks, and a restaurant and stargazing tours operate in the evenings.
Buy a gondola-and-luge combination and ride at least three luge runs; the first one is a slower practice run.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Iconic
- Views
- Kids
- Couples
- After dark
Experience · Lake Wakatipu
2.TSS Earnslaw cruise
The coal-fired twin-screw steamship, launched in 1912, still crosses Lake Wakatipu from Steamer Wharf to Walter Peak High Country Farm. You can watch the stokers in the engine room and join a sing-along at the piano, then add a farm tour with sheep-shearing and a barbecue lunch or dinner at Walter Peak.
Stand on the stern deck on the way out for the best views back to town and the Remarkables.
- Time needed
- 1.5–4 hours with a farm visit
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Iconic
- History
- Kids
- Views
Garden · Queenstown Town Centre
3.Queenstown Gardens
The peninsula park beside the town centre has a rose garden, mature trees, a disc-golf course, the Queenstown Ice Arena, a playground and a lakeside path with views of the Remarkables and Kelvin Heights.
Walk the shoreline loop around the peninsula at sunset, then continue along the lakefront to Frankton on the Queenstown Trail.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Kids
- Outdoors
- Couples
- Views
Zoo · Queenstown Town Centre
4.Kiwi Birdlife Park
A small conservation park at the base of the gondola with kiwi in nocturnal houses, tuatara and native birds such as kea and kākā. Conservation talks and feeding sessions run through the day.
Time your visit with a kiwi talk; the birds are hard to spot in the dark houses without a keeper's guidance.
- Time needed
- 1–1.5 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Kids
- Nature
- Rainy day
Historic site · Arrowtown
5.Arrowtown and the Chinese Settlement
Arrowtown's gold-rush main street of 1860s buildings leads to the Arrow River, where restored huts and stores of the Chinese miners' settlement recall the Cantonese workers who came to the Otago goldfields. The Lakes District Museum on Buckingham Street tells the wider story and lends gold pans for the river.
Visit in late April for the gold and red autumn trees, and borrow a gold pan to try your luck in the Arrow River.
- Time needed
- Half a day
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- History
- Couples
- Photo spot
- Kids
Experience · Arthurs Point
6.Shotover Jet
Jetboats skim through the narrow rock canyons of the Shotover River at high speed, passing within metres of the cliffs and spinning 360 degrees. The operator has run trips on the river since the 1960s, and the ride is suitable for older children.
Expect to get splashed; wear quick-drying clothes and a warm layer outside summer.
- Time needed
- 1 hour including transfers
- Cost
- Expensive
- Active
- Kids
- Iconic
Nature · Arrowtown
7.Lake Hayes walk
An 8-km flat loop circles Lake Hayes between Frankton and Arrowtown, famous for mirror reflections of the surrounding hills on calm mornings and for its autumn colours. The Lake Hayes Pavilion has a café at the northern end.
Go early on a windless morning for the reflections photographers come for.
- Time needed
- 2–2.5 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Outdoors
- Photo spot
- Nature
- Kids
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Nature · Frankton
8.The Remarkables
The serrated range that forms Queenstown's backdrop rises to over 2,300 metres. Its ski area, about 45 minutes from town, has beginner-friendly slopes and terrain parks, and in summer the access road leads to the alpine Lake Alta walk.
Even without skiing, drive to the ski-area car park on a clear day for views back across the Wakatipu Basin.
- Time needed
- Half to full day
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Active
- Views
- Nature
- Iconic
- Kids
Rainy-day ideas
- Kiwi Birdlife Park — Time your visit with a kiwi talk; the birds are hard to spot in the dark houses without a keeper's guidance.
Where families should stay
$$ · Best for families, budget and shopping
Frankton
Frankton lies at the head of the Frankton Arm next to the airport, with shopping centres, supermarkets and a lakeside beach and marina. It is the most practical base for families and skiers heading to The Remarkables, and the Queenstown Trail cycle path runs along the shore. The town centre is about 15 minutes away by bus.
- Good
- Supermarkets and family-friendly facilities; Close to The Remarkables ski area; Lower prices than town
- Watch out
- Little character; Aircraft and traffic noise in places
- Nearby
- Queenstown Airport, Remarkables Park, Frankton Beach, Kelvin Heights
Family travel tips
- Check minimum ages and heights for jetboats, luge and bungy before you promise anything.
- The Remarkables has gentle learner areas and is popular with families for first ski lessons.
- Pack warm layers even in summer; temperatures drop quickly on the lake and the gondola summit.
- Panning for gold in the Arrow River is a cheap hit with children.
Day trips for families
- Milford Sound (About 4 hours each way by road) — Fiordland's most famous fiord has sheer walls rising from the sea, Mitre Peak and waterfalls that multiply after rain.
- Wānaka (About 1 hour by car via the Crown Range) — A quieter lakeside town on Lake Wānaka known for the lone willow in the lake, Roys Peak's ridge-line views and Puzzling World.
- Te Anau (About 2 hours by car) — The gateway to Fiordland on Lake Te Anau, with boat trips to the Te Anau glowworm caves and short walks on the Kepler Track.
- Cromwell and Bannockburn (About 50 minutes by car) — Through the Kawarau Gorge past the bungy bridge, Cromwell has a restored heritage precinct on Lake Dunstan, summer fruit stalls and the Bannockburn wineries.
When to go with children
The best months overall are July–August and December–March. January and July are the busiest, so book the big sights early. Weather by month.
Questions travellers ask
+Is Queenstown good for kids?
Queenstown suits active families: the gondola and luge, the Earnslaw steamship, kiwi at the bird park, easy lakeside trails and beginner ski slopes. Many adventure activities have minimum ages or heights, so check before booking.
+What can kids do in Queenstown?
Skyline Gondola and Luge, TSS Earnslaw cruise, Queenstown Gardens, Kiwi Birdlife Park and Arrowtown and the Chinese Settlement.
+Where should families stay in Queenstown?
Frankton: Airport suburb with supermarkets, Remarkables Park shopping and a lakeside beach.