Great Experience! Cruise ride, buffet, show and farm animals! We did they evening bbq dinner (not Texas bbq, don't expect bbq sauce, they mean grilled meats) Cruise: the was relaxing, they had a bar areas with snacks, drinks and food options to buy Dinner: There are a wide variety of food (salads, bread cheese, appetizers, meats and desserts) you'll find something you'll like. It was a buffet style, the meats were lamb, chicken and venison Show: they sheer a sheep in front you and give you background knowledge Animals: once the show is done you can head to the gift shop or see the animals Overall great evening dinner experience HIGHLY RECOMMENDED read more

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Taking a leisurely cruise on the TSS Earnslaw along the majestic Lake Wakatipu is something not to miss while visiting Queenstown. The TSS Earnslaw is a 120+ year old coal steamship that is maintained almost exactly to how it was at that time. It's quite a large vessel at 48 meters long with two levels. You can access almost the entire ship. There's a top view the engine room to see the coals being shoveled into the furnace while also feeling the heat! There's a cafe where you can purchase food, coffee, and drinks with a good amount of tables to sit, a small museum/photo gallery of its history, and just where ever you are on the ship, you will always have amazing views of the pristine Lake Wakatipu and the mountain range. It can be windy, and the stairs can be steep and slippery, so be careful. You can purchase tickets on their website, or at the RealNZ Visitor Centre ticket counter located at the wharf along Beach Street. There are other activities you can add on with your cruise, such as the Walter Peak Farm Tour (with afternoon tea), a Gourmet BBQ Dinner at Walter Peak's Homestead Restaurant, or an Eco Experience where you tour the farm's gardens and grounds. In other words, the TSS Earnslaw's destination is Walter Peak High Country Farms, which you can partake in activities, or walk around yourself and catch the next ride. Overall, this was a very fun and enjoyable experience, and a must do while visiting Queenstown. The whole cruise was 90 minutes. It was a smooth ride, and the food and coffee is more than acceptable. The staff were friendly. read more

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There are several options available. I went on the cruise to the Colonel's homestead with the BBQ lunch and sheep show. The cruise is accessible. The gangway at both ports was a wide ramp with minimal movement. You enter onto the main deck and don't have to go outside or downstairs unless you want to. There's a cafe on board with mostly drinks (alcoholic and non-alcoholic) and some snacks. At the back of the main deck, a man played a grand piano. Not loudly, though, so you could still converse. Before the cruise, a truck dumped its load of coal onto the lower deck. Fuel for the trip. Onboard, you can look down into the engine room. The trip is slow, steady, and level - at least on this day, when the lake was calm. I found it pretty easy to walk around. At the homestead, we headed first to the buffet. There's a little bit of a steep hill in front of the main building. Larger parties are assigned a table. I was told to pick any table in a certain room. You can't eat outside. There's water on the tables, but you can order drinks at a cost (a diet Coke was NZ$6). You will be invited to go to the buffet. Salads, vegetables, and desserts are in one room. Meats are around the grill. There are two lines for everything. It gets crowded but things still move fast. The meats were chicken, crispy-skin pork, pork sausages, lamb, and Wagyu beef. It was all good, it really was, and all you can eat. There was plenty for vegetarians and carnivores alike. I was so pleased I chose this option. There's a gift shop, and an accessible amphitheater just beyond where there's a short sheep show. You can choose to walk around the gardens or trails instead. The steamer is ready to leave soon after the sheep show. It had warmed up enough to sit outside on the way back. This is nice because the view while seated inside is good, but not great. Good trip. It was be great fun to do this for a celebration. read more

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Completely enjoyed the trip on the TSS Earnslaw. Here are some things to note if you decide to voyage with them: 1) The bar is on the upper deck. 2) There is a small museum/photo gallery forward on the lower deck. 3) There is a catwalk over the engine room that is open to guests to watch them operate the machinery. 4) The views outside as you run down the lake are spectacular. Bring a camera! 5) There is a piano player on the upper deck. On the return trip they do a singalong. 6) Before you head out, check out some of the photos and stories of the ship on the wall outside where you get tickets. Very interesting. 7) Don't be last in line! There's no reserved seating. Make a plan for where you want to sit, get in line early and go grab your seat. It fills up fast! You will definitely feel like you went back in time. She's a beautiful ship with a great maritime past. This one of many highlights to an amazing trip to Queenstown. Make it one of yours! read more

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My wife and I took an early morning cruise on the Earnslaw and absolutely enjoyed it.  As a history and steam engine buff, it was great to see a lake steamer of her age still afloat and being used.  The Earnslaw is in excellent condition, all impeccably preserved and serviced. Cruising on her is like stepping back to a gentler time.  Weather on the morning we cruised was clear with air temperature around 45°F.  Lake Wakatipu was smooth as glass outbound and slightly choppy returning.  The aroma on deck of coal burning in her original 1912 boilers added to my enjoyment.  As a bonus, when we returned to Queenstown, I waited and watched as she took on a tonne of coal. read more

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We just got home from a trip to NZ. Of all the different activities available we did over our 2.5 weeks the Earnslaw dinner/sunset cruise is the only one we did twice. Everyone in our group had a great time. Amazing mountain, lake and star views, awesome experience seeing the engines and boilers for the gear heads as well. Our expectations for the food were low as it was a buffet. But the food quality and service were great. Really enjoyed the sheep dog show after dinner as well. Really can't say enough. read more

Wow, what a treat! I'm so glad we did this. The steamboat ride was lovely. The buffet was incredible - lots of choices, and every meat item was cooked perfectly. So tender and juicy, with lots of sauce options. Many other choices, from salads to potatoes to cheese and meats. Excellent dessert options too - don't miss the sticky date pudding. The sheep shearing demonstration was lots of fun. All in all a wonderful experience read more

Our tour included the boat ride and the dinner at Colonels Homestead Restaurant. We had amazing weather for our event. The boat is beautiful and historical. It's a smooth ride. We sat inside the rear of the boat and loved the live piano music. We had wonderful Sauvignon Blanc from the bar on the boat. Drinks onboard were not included in the package. Be forewarned that it's very expensive to purchase drinks on the boat. Each glass of wine was $14.50 NZD. Upon arrival at the homestead on the other side of the lake we were greeted by friendly staff to guide our tour group to the reserved table. The gardens and dining areas are incredible. Everything is clean and gorgeous. The buffet was enormous with a variety of food including meats, seafood, vegetables and gluten free food. Desserts were delicious. After dinner the price included the dog show where a demonstration was done to showcase the border collie skills for sheep herding. It was fun and we loved the friendly dogs. The return trip to downtown Queenstown was lovely with the piano man playing sing along music. Songbooks were already distributed all over the boat and everyone sang along and we had a great time and made new friends with fellow passengers from all over the globe. I highly recommend this package of boat ride and dinner. It's expensive but worth it. Be sure to plan on doing this excursion during good weather. Bad weather would lessen the value and enjoyment. read more

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I was looking forward to getting on this cool boat. There are a few trips each day. The lunch tour was sold out so I went on the 10ish one. There were SO many people rushing onto the boat. Of course there was the obligatory professional photographer on the ramp. It then became a free-for-all grab for the seats. I admit I was a bit stunned by the chaos. Through the whole journey there were kids running through the ship. I wanted to check out the snack bar towards the back but was intimidated by the hoards of people. Eventually I did venture out onto the deck to enjoy the fresh air. It was a pretty smooth ride for those who might suffer from motion sickness. Once it docked, we were led to a barn where the sheep shearing demonstration was hosted. That poor sheep. It freaked out the moment it heard the gate latch. And it seemed so embarrassed when it was left bare. The sheepdog herding technique in the field was also very cool. Afterwards folks were taken to one of two rooms depending on whether you signed up for the high tea or lunch. I opted for the former and enjoyed their biscuits and tea. The journey back seemed calmer, which was nice as I was dreading it. read more

TSS Earnslaw - Tours Near Me

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Looking to a way to get out on Lake Wakapitu? Well look no further than the grand ole lady of the lake, the TSS Earnslaw! While you can sign up for the whole production, including a sheep shearing demonstration and tea over at the Walter Peak Country Farm, to go along with your boat ride, you can also just opt for, as I did, the boat rife itself for about $55. This boat ride is no ordinary ride, for the ship is no ordinary ship! The Earnslaw was,built in 1912 and is an original coal burning steam ship. You can watch the guys shovel coal throughout your cruise as well as see the demonstration on how the turbines work. Need a snack? There is a small snack shop on board for drinks and sandwiches. And if you are really looking for a throwback, be sure to join around the piano and sing old songs as the ship pulls into port (auld Lang syne seemed to be a fav on my trip!) There is some local history given as the ship pulls out of port and any crew member will be happy to share the story of the beautiful Earnslaw! But the real beauty here (sorry Earnslaw) is the scenery. The views are stunning ( best viewed from the right hand side of the boat when heading out). So grab your cameras and phones and just keep clicking as there are no bad pics to be had. A day on the lake is always a good day, but when you can spend it on a little slice d history as well, you know you have a winner! read more

TSS Earnslaw - The grand lady herself! - Tours Near Me

We did the steamship, BBQ Dinner and Sheep shearing combo with real journeys! Steamship - it was cool walking around inside the coal fire engine room and watching them work. At the front of the ship there is a museum to check out. It was super relaxing sitting inside with a live piano player and choir. They also serve drinks while on board. BBQ Dinner - Walter Peak Farm is so charming. There are beautiful flowers and it is right on the water. My wife said that this would be her dream wedding venue. It was my favorite dinner in Queenstown. The brisket was insanely good! Sheep shearing - First time watching a sheep shearing demonstration. Really fun to watch the dogs herd the sheep on the mountain as well! Just remember to bring a warm jacket because it got cold at night even in the summer. Would highly recommend doing this! read more

Two tips before you book this excursion: 1) Don't bother with the cruise-only itinerary. You can't disembark so you're basically sitting on a boat for 1.5 hours. 2) Expedia runs activity coupons pretty regularly and TSS Earnslaw is a listed activity. I only had a 20% coupon but even then it was $66 USD instead of $83 USD for the lunch, boat, and sheep tour. I've seen anywhere from 25% coupons to $50 off $50 coupons during Black Friday, which makes this activity a steal. It also applies for the gondola as well as other NZ tourist attractions, if you were wondering. The whole trip runs about 3.5 hours and consists of a roundtrip boat ride across Lake Wakatipu, a sheep shearing and herding demonstration, and BBQ lunch (or dinner). The first part is exactly what you'd expect if you've ever been on a boat. The history, the smoke stack, and the whole boat is pretty neat but once you're inside it's basically any other boat. Except for the visible engine room - you can see workers shoveling coal to keep the boat moving. The real charm in the journey is the lake view with mountains and pretty NZ glacier-blue water. Food and drinks are also available in the main dining area though prices were on the higher end, but I didn't partake. 45 minutes later, you'll see Walter Peak in the distance and within 10 minutes you disembark. If you're in the front of the queue you follow the employee wearing a flannel and his three sheep dogs. If you're in the back, you follow the crowd and eventually find yourself in the amphitheater. As with most tourist activities, everything's polished and rehearsed down to a t. The guy goes over the basics of the farm and the sheep that they raise. A cute, but helpless sheep is then dragged onto stage and shaved before being lead back into the holding pen. He then releases them and calls on his dogs to herd them into another holding pen. Once this demonstration ends, you're lead back the way you came to enjoy the BBQ lunch buffet. This is likely the most impressive part, because most tours bundle in barely passable food to make a quick buck. Your tour leader makes a note of your name (you can't just sneak in), lets you choose your table if you're a small enough party, asks if you'd like to order any drinks (for a fee), then lets you loose to grab food. The buffet area is split into four areas, with one area for vegetables/salads and cheese/bread. There's another area with more vegetables and some carbs such as gnocchi. You have another area right behind that has all the desserts and an area closer to the front with the BBQ meat items. The vegetables were surprisingly varied, cooked in different ways with different accompaniments and sauces. They weren't just steamed or tossed together with salad dressing and dumped onto a plate. Most every vegetable dish was solid with a couple standouts. The meats varied between brisket, sausage, lamb, shredded pork, and beef filets. Though not the most tender pieces of meat I've eaten, they were well seasoned and even the chicken was juicy and not dried out. But the real winner here are the desserts. The sticky toffee pudding was the best one I've eaten on the whole trip. I don't distinctly remember the others, but I remember enjoying the fruit tart, sorbet, and the panna cotta. I'd probably pay for the buffet by itself if I didn't have to bundle in the cost of the whole boat ride. Depending on how long it takes you to stuff yourself, you have around 30 minutes after to wander around the rest of the farm. There's a gift shop, though it doesn't appear that any products are sourced directly from the farm. And the next boat soon appears to disembark, and pick you up for another ride back to Queenstown. read more

The location is simply magnificent! The boat is adorable so cute in its original / restored form! You can visit the steam engine and witness the coal going into the fire! ( I found that very cool ) Bar onboard that sells food, dessert and alcohol! Will definitely say a NZ must! read more

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Wonderful. Relaxing. Great service. Smiling faces. It starts with an easy boat ride across the lake featuring live piano music. This is followed by a brief (30 minute) presentation on sheep shearing. The border and English collies put on a show of their herding abilities. Next you enjoy a buffet feast including veggies, cheeses, breads and wonderful meats. After lunch you don't have much time, but you can wlak the beautiful gardens and farm. Great value for the money. read more

This is probably one of the least expensive activities you can find in Queenstown. But with that said, it is nothing but fun. It might be overwhelming at first because there were so many people going on board. But it seemed like everyone had found their "spot" where they could sit down, relax and take photos of the picturesque lake. Food/ drinks are served on board (but ready to pay prices like $5 for a scoop of ice cream!?). Toilets on the lower deck are clean as well. Highly recommended! read more

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We did the 1.5 hour lake cruise on the TSS Earnslaw and found it reasonably enjoyable, but not really worth the $114 that we paid for the two of us. The Titanic era steam boat is neat to explore (don't miss the salon room downstairs!), and the lake views are lovely. The first half of our 4:00pm tour was quite pleasant, with a reasonable amount of fellow passengers. Then, halfway in, we stopped at Walter Peak farm to pick up a slew of passengers. The second half of our cruise was far too crowded - there were people everywhere, and the ride wasn't very enjoyable. The live music performed by the pianist in the bar / lounge area was beautiful, and a very nice touch. Overall, a decent experience but if you just want views, you're better off driving around the lake and stopping at vista points. read more

Once you've had your fill of thrill, consider an outing aboard this vintage steamboat. The crew is friendly and accommodating. Be sure to walk about the ship to fully appreciate the 100+ years of history, including the manual labor required to shovel coal into the fire to produce the steam. Someone buy those guys a cold beer! read more

TSS Earnslaw - Docking in Queenstown - Tours Near Me

Amazing lunch at peak station - BBq lunch that is out of this world Desserts and buffet salads that are delicious - lovely steam boat ride out to the station - would highly recommend read more

Queenstowns 'Lady of the Lake' ...the TSS Earnslaw is lovely vintage steamship dating from 1912 that is on Lake Wakatipu and used for pleasure cruises across to Walter Peak High Country Farm on the west side of the lake. There a few different trips you can do in the daytime or evening. We opted for an evening cruise with dinner at Walter Peak High Country Farm. This is a really realaxing cruise and full of nostalgia and you have plenty of times to explore the decks, the bridge and say hi to the Captain and the engine room too. There is a pianist onboard and you can join in a sing song, have a snack or a drink too (these are extra costs) We sat relaxing enjoying the scenery with a drink watching the world sail by. We arrived at the Walter Peak High Country Farm and shown to the Colonel's Homestead for a carvery meal. This included a selection of meat, seafood, vegetables and salad and there were a choice of desserts including of course Pavlova. The meal wasnt fantastic, its not gourmet dining, but it was enjoyable and made for a lovely evening as we ate watching the sunset. The food was included in our cost but we ordered wine and after dinner drinks as an extra. After dinner there was a farm show that was fun and then back on the TSS Earnslaw for the return sailing and another on board drink and singalong. The whole thing lasted around 4 hours and was a different way to spend an evening in the fun capital of New Zealand. read more

This gorgeous old boat is truly Queen of the Lake in Queenstown. With passengers able to freely walk around the vessel, you can see how the steam engine works, or you can sit around the piano and join in with the sing-song as the Queenstown area slips past the window. I love going on the Earnslaw, and believe it's something everyone should experience! Even just to get out on Lake Wakatipu is worth it! read more

This gorgeous old boat is truly Queen of the Lake in Queenstown as it moves along Lake Wakapitu. Passengers are able to freely walk around the 1912 steamboat, you can see how the steam engine works, go up on front for a grand view or you can sit around the piano and join in with the sing-song as the Queenstown area slips past the window. I love going on the Earnslaw, and believe it's something everyone should experience! Even just to get out on Lake Wakatipu is worth it! read more

An exceptional day we recently had on the TSS Earnslaw! This 112 year old vessel will take you on a pleasant voyage to a delightful visit to a Sheep Station where you will be treated to demonstrations of sheep shearing and sheep dogs responding to commands to herd sheep. Following and included is an excellent and extravagant BBQ! If you're in Queenstown or planning to go, and you have a day available, we would highly recommend this experience. read more