£517+ Cheap flights to Queenstown

Queenstown is New Zealand’s number 1 holiday destination for international visitors, and it is easy to see why. Queenstown is jaw-droppingly beautiful. It sits beside Lake Wakatipu with clear, turquoise and calm waters and above the town and lake rise the Remarkables, the majestic, snow-capped moutains.

It’s the hub for adventure tourism- the first commercial bungy jump was based at the Kawarau Bridge. There is so much to do from aerobatic flight to parapenting via jet boating, to whitewater rafting and mountain biking to fly fishing and much, much more.

It’s also a major centre for skiing and snowboarding. Its four main mountain skifields are Cardrona Alpine Resort, Coronet Peak, The Remarkables and Treble Cone. Cross-country is available at the Waiorau Snow Farm, near Cardrona village. And after a day in the snow, the après ski is hot. There are more than 200 bars and eateries, one for every 75 people, it is said.

An hour west of Queenstown is Fiordland, New Zealand’s largest national park. Milford Sound is the best known of all of the fiords, because it is unspeakably gorgeous.

Queenstown climate

Queenstown has an Alpine climate. Summer (December to February) temperatures range between 10 and 22 C (50 and 72 F), winter (June to August) temperatures between 0 and 8 C (32 and 46 F). The average number of rainy days per month is eight.

Getting around Queenstown

There are lots of rental-car companies at the airport. The Kiwi Shuttle will deliver you to any address in Queenstown and there’s also Super Shuttle, a door-to-door shared ride service. Taxis and limousines are readily available as well.

Public transport – the Connectabus runs between 6am and 11pm, every 20 minutes.

The Central Business District is compact and ideal for walking. Connectabus offers an extensive route network around the area, up to Sunshine Bay and down to Arrowtown.

Several activity providers offer free shuttles to/from the town centre.

During ski season, several shuttle buses run to Coronet Peak, The Remarkables and Cardrona Alpine Resort.

What is good to know if travelling to Queenstown?

• The Winter Festival takes place at the end of June/start of July each year. It’s a week of music and fun, fireworks and a Big Air Invitational.
• Sam Neill’s vineyard highly sought out. If you want a tour we recommend scheduling way in advance. The vineyard is about 3km (2 miles) from Clyde and 12km (7 miles) from Alexandra. The Pinot Noir is the specialty.
• There are several world-class golf courses within 40km (20 miles) of each other including Kelvin Heights, Millbrook and Jacks Point.

Queenstown airport overview

The resort town of Queenstown, located in Otago on New Zealand’s South Island, is a massively popular holiday destination, particularly famous for adventure and ski tourism. Queenstown Airport is a suitably attractive, convenient transport hub – befitting a town that was once described by an enthusiastic gold-digger as “Fit for Queen Victoria”.

Flights to and from Queenstown Airport are mainly domestic – though there are a few weekly international flights to Australia. In winter, peak tourist season, more international flights are offered. Note that the terminal building opens an hour before the first scheduled flight, and closes an hour after the last scheduled flight, every day.

There is plenty to see and do at Queenstown airport – from shopping for ski equipment, to enjoying handmade chocolate – and easy connections into town ensure that the alpine serenity of your time in Queenstown won’t be tainted by the time you spend in transit.