Golden days off the slopes in Queenstown

Queenstown offers as much pleasure to non-skiers as it does to powderhounds. Wakatipu is fast gaining a reputation as a wine-lovers' mecca, with boutique wineries creating international award-winners.

Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Riesling are the area's signature wines, with the climate bringing out the grapes' true European flavours.

The delicate touch of winter sun can be enjoyed with a glass of fine wine and good company in the welcoming courtyard of a Central Otago vineyard.

You can start at Taramea Winemakers Centre, a cooperative near Lake Hayes, before heading to Gibbston for Chard Farm, Peregrine and Gibbston Valley's superb restaurant.

Though they are all within an hour of Queenstown, you can easily relish a whole day of tastings, a long lunch and a stop at Kawarau Bungi Bridge.

More serious connoisseurs can spend days searching out the delights of Central Otago vineyards, also within easy reach of Queenstown. Cromwell, Clyde and Alexandra have Springvale, Olssen's, Black Ridge, Quartz Reef and William Hill, or you can visit Rippon at Wanaka.

If you don't want to drive you can take a commercial vineyard tour.

But you do have to drive yourself for the Wakatipu Arts Trail. This links artists, several of international acclaim, who live around Queenstown, mainly in the beautiful Dalefield area beneath Coronet Peak.

Among them are Gus Watson, Thomas Brown, Graham Brinsley, Ping Wang, Glenn Brickell and Ivan Clarke.

Visiting artists' galleries, which are mostly beside their homes, adds a special dimension to your understanding of their work. As well, the Queenstown Dried Flowers barn craft is worth a look and Queenstown has shops and galleries specialising in art and craft.

Maori travelled through Queenstown's hinterland for centuries on seasonal harvesting trips and had several lakeside settlements.

For the Europeans who began arriving in the 1860s, gold was the driving force. Around Wakatipu you can see the legacy of their harsh history. At Arrowtown is the Chinese Gold Mining Village, restored by the Department of Conservation. And the Lakes District Museum, also in Arrowtown, has fascinating displays.

Arrowtown exudes a historic air, thanks to planning controls and the retention of many historic buildings, including the jail.

Further afield, the Goldfields Mining Centre in the Kawarau Gorge reveals the spartan conditions in which many miners lived, their stone and canvas shanties built into cliffside rock above the roaring river.

At the mining centre you can try your hand at gold-panning, see how sluicing works, and enjoy horse-riding and jetboat trips.

If you feel like a back-country historic meander, Old Cromwell, Bannockburn, Clyde and Ophir are some of the gems. You could even bike, walk or run part of the historic Otago Central Rail Trail that starts in Clyde and heads to Middlemarch.

Back in Queenstown Bay, the 1864 Williams Cottage is the resort's oldest house. It has been restored and now houses a museum and Victoriana shop.

If you are keen on natural history, Glenorchy is the a perfect day destination. The road is now sealed and the views on the way are stupendous, especially at Rat Point, where the vista stretches from Mt Earnslaw to the lake's two islands.

Glenorchy also specialises in possum products.

If you don't mind driving on gravel, you could continue to Paradise and the start of the Routeburn Track. You could walk as far as the Routeburn Flats or Falls huts (four to six hours return). Before starting out, check conditions with the Department of Conservation.

Other walks include Moonlight Track, Sam Summer's Hut, Ben Lomond, Queenstown Hill, the Botanic Gardens, Arrow River, Kelvin Heights and Frankton walkways.

These walks vary from half an hour to all day, flat to steep, and are all easily accessible. Brochures and booklets are available from information centres or the DoC.

Four golf courses are within easy reach of Queenstown. Frankton is the cheapest at $10 for 18 holes, Arrowtown's narrow rocky fairways are a challenge, Millbrook is luxurious and Kelvin Heights has the best views.

When the kids feel like a day away from skiing, try the Olympic-size ice-skating rink in Queenstown's Fun Centre at the Botanic Gardens. There's a disco on Friday nights and ice hockey to watch most other nights. Before leaving the gardens, make sure the children try the challenging frisbee golf course.

On the opposite side of Queenstown Bay is Skyline with its gondola, luge, cafe and restaurant. Here you'll find parapenting and bungi-jumping.

Near the bottom of the gondola is a mini-golf course and the Kiwi and Birdlife Park, which now also has tuatara.

When it comes to good coffee, Arrowtown has several new cafes and restaurants. With only two streets to search, they're easy to find.

At Queenstown there are plenty of cafes, including those by the wharf and at the historic Bath House.

You need time to choose from the many commercial ventures. They vary from a lake trip to Walter Peak Station on the sedate Earnslaw to the adrenaline-pumpers like bungi-jumping, jetboat trips, hang-gliding and rafting.

There's also everything from horse-riding and tandem parapenting to the gym, movies, nightclubs, pubs, day trips to Milford Sound and acrobatic flights.

Who needs to ski?


CASENOTES

CORONET PEAK

Elevation 1649m, vertical 420m, skiable area 230ha, longest run 1.8km.

Lifts: Express quad, triple chair, double chair, T-bar, platter and two beginners' tows.

Terrain: Beginners 20 per cent, intermediate 45 per cent, advanced 35 per cent.

Season: June-October.

Snowmaking: Extensive coverage from top to bottom.

Ski shuttle: Daily service to and from Queenstown.

Operating hours: 9 am-4 pm; plus night skiing mid-July to mid-September, Fridays and Saturdays 4 pm-10 pm.

REMARKABLES

Elevation 1935m, vertical 357m, skiable area 220ha, longest run 1.5km.

Lifts: 2 quads, double chair, 2 beginner tows.

Terrain: Beginners 30 per cent, intermediate 40 per cent, advanced 30 per cent.

Season: Late June-October.

Snowmaking: Beginners' area and Alta Green.

Ski shuttle: Daily service to and from Queenstown.

Operating hours: 9 am-4 pm.

COSTS

Passes: Coronet $62 adult, $31 child, six and under free; Remarkables $58/$28, 10 and under free. Season, afternoon, novice, sightseeing, multi-day passes and frequent-skier discount cards available. Full rental $32/$22 daily or $25/$19 multi-day for skis, $48/$38 and $37/$27 for snowboards. There are also several rental shops in Queenstown.

Lesson fees: Vary from $40/$28 for a single group lesson to $365 for a full- day private lesson. Specialised packages, workshops and school students' ski camps available.

Contact airlines and travel agents for flight and accommodation options. Flight-accommodation-skiing packages are available from Auckland through Ski Express, ph 0800 650 333.

MORE INFO: Queenstown's Downtown Snow Centre, 7 am-6 pm daily, ph (03) 442 4620, fax (03) 442 4659.

E-mail: snowcentre@coronetpeak.co.nz

Links

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