The Skyline Gondola offers a quick way to reach Bob's peak where along the way up, you'll see…read morestunning panoramic views of the town and lake below. Once at the top, everything is clearly signposted, with access to the Ben Lomond Track trailhead as well as the luge. We opted for the 3 luge ride package, which was the minimum number of rides that you have to do. The process is well organized, with separate lines for first-timers and returning riders. On our first run, we received a quick safety briefing and after that, we were off! There were two tracks you can choose from for the ride down. Overall, it was a really fun experience, and we had a great time!

The skyline gondola and luge at Queenstown was a great experience. The gondola is the steepest…read moregondola I've ever seen and gives beautiful views of the lake at city below. They do a gondola and 3+ luge pass that was so much fun. One thing I'll caveat though is the clientele and safety is much more reckless and lax than the Rotorua location. There were a few times when customers stopped completely on the track or rear-ended other customers, which was really concerning. My mother-in-law got rear ended pretty hard at the finish by a reckless customer, which was really scary. There's only 2 tracks currently open and you can get some air on the dart track. They're doing a lot of construction on the tracks, so hopefully they add more tracks soon. If I were to do the luge again, I'd do the Rotorua location since the tracks are longer and more scenic and seems safer.

We did the gibbsonton beginner canyoning trip and it was AWESOME! The right mix of adventure for…read moreus. We met the guide at the starting point and got into our wetsuits. It was offseason so the water was quite cold but the wet suits were great. The experience had a bit of hiking, river walking, climbing, repelling, and jumping into waterfalls. Only draw back was that we had to pay for photos - the experience is already pricey and seems old fashioned for the photos not to be included.

Guides were amazing, but they should reconsider their front desk staff - choose another company…read more Today I did the half-day canyoning trip as well as the via ferrata climbing. While the guides were spectacular and the trip itself was fabulous, the front desk staff were the exact opposite and left me with a horrible taste in my mouth about this company. I spent well over $300 on the two tours, and added on a GoPro rental (which was for both tours) to capture amazing video footage of my once in a lifetime adventure. Well, the staff (Eve, or so that's what she told me when I asked her for her name - lighter hair, freckles, American - so am I, so there's no bias when I say that) gave me the rented GoPro for the canyoning trip and I didn't know until we had already left and were at the destination that it had a DEAD battery and none of the guides could get it to turn on so they confirmed that - how did she not check that it was charged? When I returned to the office after the tour I shared my disappoint in the lack of footage, as I do not plan to pay and do the tour again so I will never have those memories on film. Well, Eve gave me a refund for the GoPro (40 NZD) but not the SD card (25 NZD) that had no footage on it... thanks., that's helpful to have. Then, when I went to use it during the climbing tour, not even halfway through it said the SD card was full (even when turning off when I didn't want certain footage) ... when she never told me how much memory or amount of hours available. Again, I didn't even get to capture what I wanted out of the SECOND tour. I went back to the office disappointed once again. This is where things got extremely unprofessional. Eve tells me that the GoPro was set to burst mode (never set it to that) and that I had photos after all - well Eve, none of which I purposely took. I wanted a video, the purpose of my rental. She would not even give me the stills that the guides took for free to fix the situation. Poor customer service - no remorse, no remedy, no responsibility. Too bad so sad is what I got. Not what I deserve after flying halfway around the world and all of the 6 companies and tours I already went on were absolutely fabulous and gave me none of these issues. There are SO many other tours like this all over Queenstown - save yourself the disappointment and the lack of respect they will give you and book with ANYONE else.

Zip trek ecotours did an excellent job helping us zip line down the mountain in Queenstown…read more Initially, I was very scared as I have never zip lined in my life and harbor a fear of heights. However, I truly had nothing to fear as the adrenaline and awesomeness of zip lining down a mountain quickly overwhelms your senses. Zip lining is fairly safe as the guides equip you with a helmet and harness. One guide zips to the bottom of the run to make sure they are ready to brake you when you reach the bottom. The guides check your harness and straps before sending you down the stairs. And yes, you do initiate the zipping by walking yourself off the steps to no where. The guide also shows you some neat tricks for the more adventurous, such as zipping backwards or upside down. I wasn't quite brave enough to try the upside down trick but the group seemed to have lot of fun doing it. Ziptrek also gives you tidbits of information on increasing conservation efforts of natural resources in between each zip line. Although nothing truly new is learned, it's admirable that the company is trying to be ecologically sound with their business. The six line tour is the best, since your last line is the steepest zip line in the world. You do take a small hike down the mountain inbetween the 5th and 6th lines. This can be a bit hard on your knees. There are also no railings so if you are the cautious type, move to the back of the group. A truly fun and awesome experience that made me realize I am no longer scared of heights. Take a chance and try this sport. You won't regret it!

Well HELLO QUEENSTOWN! Definitely a pretty amazing introduction to this quaint little ski town!…read more The second my friend and I got off the plane, we taxied over to Queenstown and went straight for an information desk (I would review the bitch of a lady at the desk but this isn't the right yelp page for that). We signed up for Zip trek zip linning immediately, but seriously, immediately, we signed up for the 11am trek (4 zips, as opposed to 6) and it was 10:30! Up the gondola (which costs $30- you can get discounted rates if you buy luge tickets too) and to the left in the dense trees (down a little hill, we got lost ha ha) there you'll find the check in for Ziplining! We were harnessed and placed in a group of 5 other people and then we were off! We had two guides taking care of everything, they tightened our harnesses, latched us on the ropes and told us exactly what to do when we were ready to ZIP! I have never been zip lining before in my life... And if you're the type to get a stomach knot when riding a Rollercoaster or a water flume at an amusement park like me, be warned, you'll experience that knot the first 2 or 3 zips! Oh and if you're scared of heights, yaaaaaa just don't go to Queenstown since the biggest tourist attractions in this town are sky diving, bungee jumping, paragliding and ziplining! While I experienced some stomach knots and can remember myself thinking WTF AM I DOING during the first zip, my fears subsided a little bit as we carried on. At each tree house the guides would talk to us a bit about sustainability (you've been warned, if you don't like that kind of stuff) and at the last tree house, we were told that some of our admission $ would be donated to a charity. Zipping through the trees and donating to charity? Can't say that's a bad thing!!! When we were done with our 4 zips, we had to hike back up, not a terrible hike but if you're not In shape.... You may wish that Ziptrek offered mules to ride up on! Whether you do the 4 or 6 zips, you'll get stunning views of Queenstown, a little history, a little sustainability information and loads of funny memories.... They take your picture at some lines and let's just say, my first picture involved a SPREAD EAGLE.... The guides will probably keep that photo and post it on the wall of embarrassing fame, if they have one.... Ha Ha Ha, but I could care less! ;)

"And I snuck in through the garden gate Every night that…read moresummer just to seal my fate " (Taylor Swift) We loved Queenstown, it was one of the highlights of our tour to Australia and New Zealand. Between the village and the gorgeous mountain and waterfront views, it's hard to run out of wondrous sites. But no list of wondrous Queenstown sites is complete without a visit to the Queenstown Gardens. The Queenstown Gardens are spectacular, with beautiful scenery of the lake and mountains on the right and trees, shrubs, and flowers on the right. We followed the lake and walked around the Garden's perimeter then picked up the Queenstown Gardens Trail. It's an easy 1.2 mile (2 km) through the gardens, past the rose garden, and trees. The loop is flat and easy to navigate. We saw a disc golf course, lawn tennis and lawn bowling courts, a playground and a skate park. Beautiful, absolutely beautiful.

FREE parking for 4 hours giving you ample time to wander the grounds. Meander through organized…read morepark lanes past clean tennis courts, into wooded forested areas and to a flat serene lake-side stroll. Breath-taking, profoundly mythical lake views from the shores. Such accessible scenery, a true vision of LOTR, is not to be missed!

Bungee jumping has been on my bucket list but I wanted to do it at a place that would make it…read morememorable. Seeing that AJ Hackett has the first commercial bungee jumping site it was a no-brainer for me to want to experience it there. Plus, the views were immaculate. The price was even fair as well. Pro tip for those who are in school, if you bring your ID, you get a student discount. Included in this experience you are gifted a shirt at the end, along with photo and video. Even transportation to and from this site! I would highly recommend doing it in the morning or a day where the sun will not glare and mess up your video. Whenever you are visiting New Zealand, it is a mess that you do this experience. It is well worth it.

I figured that while I'm in Queenstown I might as well do something adventurous. Honestly I saw…read morethat they give you a free shirt when you complete the jump here so I booked for the next day. Since it's my first time I went with the smaller jump at the Kawarau Bridge. First you check in at the front desk and they you go to the next counter where they weigh you. They write your weight and bungee number for the camera on your hands and then you just wait for the bus. The bus ride to the site was about half an hour and then you can basically take as much time as you need to prepare yourself for the jump. They hand you a slip of paper with your info on it that you would hand over to the people at the jump site where they coordinate you with your photos. The jump itself basically feels like going down on a roller coaster, except you're not seated. You bounce upside down a couple times and there's a team waiting on a raft at the bottom that will help you get untied. For me the worst part was actually the walk up the stairs because that was way more exhausting going up the entire hill. Once you come back up you can view your photos on the screens and pick up your free shirt. I believe the buses come by every 45 minutes so really if you do the jump pretty quickly after getting dropped off you'll be able to make it to the next bus. All the workers there were great and really helped to calm my nerves. They reassured me every step of the way and double and triple checked everything before sending me off the bridge. For anyone who is a first timer I highly recommend AJ Hackett Bungy. The scenery at the bridge was gorgeous as well so it was a great first bungy experience and next time maybe I'll do the Nevis.

What. Fantastic course nestled on a peninsula in Queenstown. Greeted with professional…read moreknowledgeable staff. They had women's and men's clubs to rent. Our clubs were set and ready when we arrived. The course was beautiful. Rolling hills with beautiful views of the lake, the gondola, surrounded by mountains and even saw a rainbow. There is also a trail that winds around with artwork. The restaurant had lots of choices and fresh! What a great experience!

We had a super fun day with our guide Ben from the Trips and Tramp travel company. He picked us up…read morein a small van in Te Anau and drove us to Milford Sound. From there we started our day with a 5.5 km walk along the famous Milford Track to Giant Gate Falls, then back (11km total walking). Ben is very knowledgeable about the surrounding landscape, different plants and the birds. We highly recommend Trips and Tramp travel company, and Ben as a guide.

Wonderful tour company. We saw so many beautiful places and even had a Kea jump on our van at one…read moreof the viewing areas! Cheeky little fellow he was. There were dolphins and seals on the boat ride, as well as some of the most beautiful nature I've ever seen. Highly recommend this tour.

My wife and I planned our entire honeymoon around our time on the Milford Track with Ultimate…read moreHikes. It's a bit of a family tradition (my grandparents and uncle all did the Track on their respective honeymoons). Ultimate Hikes did NOT disappoint. It was everything it was cracked up to be and more! The beauty of the hike aside (because of course it was amazing), the staff in Queenstown, the staff at the huts, and our guides were all phenomenal. Everyone on the trip felt comfortable going at their speed, and the guides were all knowledgeable.

This organisation is excellent. I did the Milford Track hike (tramp) with them recently and found…read moretheir service and guidance to be outstanding. As a person new to NZ tramping, I was reliant on them to help me prepare then experience the walk. At every stage, they provided helpful and sensible advice. The booking and preparation information was good, with useful checklists and background. The pre-tour briefing was great - presented by an obviously well experienced tramper, with access to a pack, raincoat and walking poles to borrow or hire if required. During the tramp itself the Guides were marvellous - approachable, friendly, helpful and sensible - without judgement - which for me, as a novice multi-day tramper, was very important to my level of comfort and my experience. I admit to some apprehension prior to the walk, being unsure that I had prepared well enough, but the guides put me at ease often. The Lodges are all good, with clean facilities, secure accommodation and nice food. I can't fault the way Ultimate Hikes present themselves and provide their services, everything was great. I wouldn't hesitate to go on another of their hikes. Thanks to everyone involved.