VISIT: end of February 2020 TOUR: Bike the Bridges -…read moreArrowtown to Gibbston Supported Tour VIEWS: 5 stars HELP FROM TOUR GUIDE: 5 stars SUITABLE FOR ALL ENDURANCE LEVELS: 4 stars DEALS: I found them through Chase Ultimate Rewards and several other sites MEETING SPOT: close to Fergburger and Fergbaker This tour was an honest pleasant surprise for us. The videos online looked cool, but mostly we got to experience so much that I don't think we would have seen. I would have never made a special trip to Arrowtown or Gibbston just based on the research I did, but what a beautiful way to view this amazing country! You meet at their meeting spot where the tour guide will drive you to your starting point. The tour guide stayed with everyone until they were comfortable on which path they were following and made sure that bikes and helmets were all sized appropriately. Our tour guide even gave special care to someone in our group that didn't speak English. You can leave items in the van, if you'd like, but my husband and I just had everything in our backpacks as the van is only there during certain check points. After that you are pretty much on your own with the bike tour, which was refreshing that you could go at your own pace. You see your tour guide at regular intervals along your track and that's always refreshing, in case you get tired you can always hop in the van. Along the way, you ride by the AJ Hackett bungee jumpers which was a nice stop to watch and use the restrooms and grab snacks, if you need. Then our tour ended at the Gibbston Winery which was just a nice treat after a good workout. ACTIVITY LEVEL: one of my biggest tenets is that the company dubs the Bike the Bridges tour a relatively easy ride and although it was, I was personally surprised at how much of a workout was. There was a good amount of inclines/declines and I workout regularly and have an active job, so I was relatively surprised. However, I realized after being in New Zealand that many of their residents are so active that I'm sure this would be an easy ride. For those on the fence, they do have electric bikes for rent, so that might be the way to go. NAVIGATION: the navigation is very easy and the trails are clearly marked. As mentioned above, your tour guide also makes sure he's waiting at regular intervals along your trail, so I wouldn't let that deter you I WOULD 100% DO THIS AGAIN: I am not a typical tourist that would return to do things again, but I cannot begin to explain how magical this was. Plus the tour was a half day, so we actually booked this the afternoon of our first full day in New Zealand to give us time to adjust to jet lag and the long tour the day before

As I was planning activities to do while in Queenstown, I stumbled upon this place that offers bike…read moretours that had really positive reviews. However, since I have never really done long distance biking before, I was hesitant to sign up for one of the tours that takes you further in and you bike back to the shop in downtown Queenstown. I decided to just rent an e-bike for half a day which would allow me to go at my own pace and return when I wanted to. Honestly, it was one of the best days of my life-the breathtaking scenery of Queenstown and the comfort of my own solitude exploring the bike paths overlooking Lake Wakatipu, Queenstown trail, Shotover bridge/river, Kawarau River... The person helping me at the shop was really friendly-helped walked me through how to use an e-bike (it was my first time using an e-bike but thought it would be the safest option in case I tired myself out later) and helped to adjust the seat as well when I had some trouble. The e-bike had different levels of support (eco, medium, and high)-I used eco mode for most of the time but used medium and high on my way back and it hardly used any of the battery life at all (there is a level usage on the screen). They provide you with a map which I used along with my phone to ensure I was on the right path but there are also many signs along the way, so I would say it would be hard to get lost. I would totally recommend this bike shop if you want a little adventure during your stay in Queenstown -something not as crazy as bungee jumping but will give you a thrill and some amazing views.

Ruined our day!…read more Booked 5 electric bikes for the day, one of which was the wrong size, it ruined the whole day! Two bike locks were offered, when we told them we would not pay if a bike was stolen they managed to find some more! Totally disorganised and the mistake with the bikes was their fault as we had given them the sizes needed!

We love this place! Super friendly staff, easy to book, great prices, and FUN! This is our second…read moretime to New Zealand and renting E-bikes is always on our list of our favorite things to do! In fact both trips we've done it twice during our stay! The trails are amazing around the area and you can easily get to queenstown, arrowtown, and so many good wineries. I highly recommend renting from here on your next trip!!

Came in to look at shoes, has a lot of brands, reasonably priced (similar to US prices). Many on…read moresale, bought a pair of Salomons on sale because the ones I had were breaking. Staff was fine, didn't interact much with them. Has a lot of outdoor gear if you're in a pinch. Appreciated that they don't charge a fee on the credit card machine (the staff told me the shop does well enough that they don't need to charge the fee, hah).

If you are in Waneka and want a bike to tool around this is the place. There are lots of outdoor…read moreshops in town but these folks know their bikes. They are a Specialized reseller so that is mainly what they have around for rent. They fit the bikes, supply you with helmets and will help you deal with flats. The cool thing to try is the new specialized e-bikes if you are not super well acquainted with mountain hiking. It's a little bit pricey but it's available all day which is great and the shop is literally two blocks from the main path. They also have a wide range of outdoor apparel and are well stocked for whatever you need. Most of these are international brands. If you want local try BaseNZ or Glowing Sky.

What an adventure (Heli Biking)! We do not have a lot of mountain biking experience, so we…read moreappreciated the pointers and encouragement that our guide Dave provided. Our group included a person who had more skill than the rest of us, so Dave allowed him to go ahead for short distances. The track down took us through some beautiful areas with great views. The track varied between dirt ruts, grass, and gravel. With my lack of experience, it was somewhat intimidating in a few sections but I made it with no issues. I'm so glad we did this - an accomplishment! After the tour we stopped at a small café and enjoyed lunch while Dave picked up a truck to transport us back.

Beautiful scenery and very friendly staff. Still, I am giving only two stars because we were told…read moreit was a nice leisurely ride from Lake Hawea to Lake Wanaka. We are four from 50s to 60s in relatively good shape but this ride was much more strenuous and difficult than we were told to believe / sold to believe. Part of the journey (first half) was pretty enjoyable but the second 15 km was very difficult, better for an experienced mountain bike rider than we four. I think the staff should have surmised that and suggested a different course or even suggested it would be best to select an alternate activity for the day. As it was, we struggled to get back by the 6 pm return time which seemed no problem at the 1 pm start time. One of us even called for a pickup after about 20 of the 30 km and that was a difficult negotiation but the company did come out and take her back. All in all, quite a memorable day but one that could have been better if we weeks properly prepared from the start by the company. I should have thought the company would have offered something like a refund or even a partial refund but that didn't happen. Perhaps even a text message to inquire about one of us injured in the to ride.

You can walk for 10 km or more along the east side of Lake Wanaka. We went to Eely Point and…read morefurther on to Beacon Point. The views continue to change throughout the walk with beach areas, rocky areas, grassy areas along the various bays. There are also seating areas in local parks which you pass through. You will share the path with cyclists, but you can also walk along the waterfront for more solitude. We ended up spending about 3 hours walking and checking out the sights.

Hands down, the most fun i've had on a family holiday!…read more The Central Otago rail trail takes you from Clyde to Middlemarch (or vice versa) through Central Otago (Lord Of The Rings country). It follows the old rail trail that they built during the gold rush and the scenery is beautiful! Away from the road and with the trail not overly busy, the trip was a constant reminder of beautiful rural New Zealand is. The trip takes 3-4 days and along the way you stop in tiny towns and stay at old school hotels or B&B's. Everyone we came across was incredibly hospitable and let me tell you, there is nothing like a cold brew after 6 hours in the saddle in 30 degree heat. We organised our trip through cycle surgery and there were an absolute treat to deal with. They picked our bags up from each location and dropped them at the next so they were ready when we arrived. On the last leg when we were running behind schedule and battling into the wind they even offered to pick us up! In my opinion, the Central Otago Rail Trail is a MUST if you're a New Zealander and if you've got time as a tourist, i'd definitely recommend doing it too!

Booking online was super easy! As I was a first time rider, they were very patient with the 1000X…read morequestions I had prior to making the reservation. Do not be late (if you are being picked up from downtown Queenstown) as they do not wait more than 10 mins, which is fair! As a first time rider, I was a little nervous but everyone who worked there was very encouraging. Before I knew it, I was exploring the beautiful area on a horse. We paid a little more ($30) for a private session and it was worth every penny ! We ride at our own pace, stopped to take pictures whenever we wanted to , and with a personal guide, we could ask heaps of questions. Our tour guide was a young lady on her vacation-work visa here in NZ but she was very knowledgeable about horses and explained a lot about the area. This is no adrenaline rush activity like 90% of activities offered by Queenstown but this is a good fun for all age groups. Highly recommended!

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! ;)