Welcome to a world of fun
Queenstown has long been hailed the country’s adventure playground, but the city has a lot more to offer, including monsters, wolves and an Orc, writes Brook Sabin.
Queenstown is much more than fancy hotels, bungy jumps and magical mountains. Here are the best things to see and do that most of us have never heard of.
Wolves of Queenstown
Sir Michael Hill’s world-renowned golf course, The Hills, has a pack of 110 giant bronze wolves circling a three-tonne warrior.
The sculptures are only viewable to members of the exclusive Hills Golf Course and visitors to the Lodge at The Hills. If you’re lucky enough to be one of them, you also get to explore a growing collection of other pieces, such as five iron-cast Clydesdale horses, scattered around the golf course.
If you can’t get a reservation, try your luck spotting them from a hot-air balloon. While pilots can’t control the balloon’s direction (it’s at the mercy of the wind), Sunrise Balloons often swoops in over the course.
Chief pilot Carrick McLellan says he flies over the sculptures ‘‘truckloads’’ as the course is near his lift-off point at Lake Hayes.
If you’re not lucky enough to see the sculptures, you will still see the Southern Alps from a vantage point few have experienced: gliding silently at more than 6000 feet (1800 metres).
Ice Bumper Cars
This crazy new ride can be found at the Queenstown Ice Arena. Kids will love them: they are controlled by two joysticks and steering on ice is as hard as it sounds.
You will spend a lot of time spinning out and bumping into each other as you learn to control the slippery machines.
Ride the Orc Chasm
On the lower slopes of a mountain near Glenorchy is possibly New Zealand’s most beautiful zipline course.
It crisscrosses the deep valley that’s home to the Oxburn Stream, with views of Mt Aspiring National Park. The course will get your heart pumping. It starts with a zipline over an enormous cliff, then the course descends into the valley to the Orc Chasm.
The wire is in the centre of a fastflowing river encased in native bush. It’s as if you’ve entered a tree tunnel and will zoom down the rapids just a few metres above the water. The trees, boulders and riverbank are so close it feels like a rollercoaster.
NZ’s most beautiful seat
While in Glenorchy, one of the top-rated things to do is the Glenorchy Walkway. Few realise the easy hour-long stroll is also home to what could be the country’s most beautiful seat.
Along the boardwalk portion of the track is a seat perfectly framed by the trees with a view of the mountains. Don’t miss a photo – in years ahead it could be like Roy’s Peak, filled with Instagrammers. For now, you will likely have the place blissfully to yourself.
Monster trucks
It’s a thing of childhood dreams: a giant monster truck track, and it’s recently opened in Queenstown at the Oxbow Adventure Company. The hilly, desert-like landscape in Gibbston Valley is almost reminiscent of Utah, and is the perfect place to throw around a large four-wheel-drive.
The custom-made buggies, known as Oxbow, were designed by national off-road champion Dan Cowper, and have an impressive front- and rear-wheel driving system, which means the buggies can manoeuvre at great speed and with remarkable agility.
They also have a very low centre of gravity, so they can be pushed to the limit on hills without flipping over.
A 15-minute ride includes huge drops, highspeed skids, and even an attempt to climb a vertical wall.
The business was started in Wa¯ naka, but after its popularity took off, the owners decided they needed to be closer to New Zealand’s home of adventure, and embarked on a multi-year project to build their dream course just outside Queenstown.
The facility also includes a jet sprint boat, which can accelerate to 100kmh in just two seconds, and weaves around islands on a lake at high speed.
Cheese, please
You don’t really need an excuse to visit the historic village of Arrowtown, but if you are looking for one – let it be cheese.
The beautiful town is home to the Gibbston Valley Cheese cafe, which offers a delicious selection of cheese dishes.
Don’t go past the fresh baguette, warmed and stuffed with cheese, chorizo and local chutney. And the double cream brie, oven-baked with caramelised onion and served with fresh bread is a must.
Afterwards, head to The Winery just down the road, where you can taste more than 80 wines.