What to do in Queenstown this autumn, from scenic flights to wine tasting with a twist

Autumn is a great time to visit Queenstown. Photo / Sophie Piearcy / Glenorchy Air

Forget the depths of winter when skiers hit the slopes, or late spring when runners descend on Queenstown for its annual marathon; the turn of the season from summer to autumn is the best time to visit this holiday town, writes Bethany Haverland.

Arriving in Tāhuna in mid-March, I’m welcomed with clear skies, sunshine, falling leaves and a chill in the air. It’s famed for its food and wine, adventurous pursuits and breathtaking views – you may think that if you’ve been to Queenstown before, you’ve already seen all it has to offer.

But I quickly find it’s impossible to run out of things to do in this rapidly expanding town and the wider region, from new places to stay and dine to recently developed or upgraded adventures to pursue.

Scaffolding on Queenstown Hill, building sites in Gibbston and Ayrburn and newly-gravelled cycle trails are just some of the positive signs of things to come.

If you’re planning to visit in 2025, here are a few things to pop on your itinerary – from wine tastings with a twist to uphill adventures.

The view from the Wet Jacket Wines tasting room. Photo / Emma Jones

Wine tasting at Wet Jacket Wines

The location of Wet Jacket Wines’ tasting room is as unique as its curious name, after the Fiordland marine reserve Wet Jacket Arm (Moana Uta).

Visiting the floating Queenstown Marina in Frankton for a tasting, I hear the unique history behind each label on Wet Jacket’s wines from owner Greg Hay. The naming of Wet Jacket Arm is attributed to Captain Cook on his second voyage to New Zealand in 1773.

Wet Jacket Wines also does virtual wine tastings, which started during the Covid-19 pandemic. If you can’t get together with mates for a winery tour, you can book online for a guided tasting from the comfort of your own home.

Fly to Milford Sound with Air Milford

Next, I board a 14-seater Cessna Caravan with Air Milford and fly to the breathtaking Milford Sound.

I’m in the capable hands of pilot Emma, and lucky enough to have a front-row seat as we soar out of Queenstown over the Southern Alps towards Fiordland, flying over beautifully clear lakes, between glaciers and out towards the Tasman Sea.

As we fly over Glenorchy, I try to spot Brad Pitt, known to be filming Heart of the Beast near Kinloch. The locals are tight-lipped as to his location, though they acknowledge the hype over the Hollywood star has brought excitement to the region.

Air Milford operates scenic flights from Queenstown to Milford Sound. Photo / Air Milford

I spot New Zealand’s tallest waterfall, the 580m Sutherland Falls, and learn that Milford Sound isn’t strictly a “sound” – it’s a fiord, with the towering Mitre Peak as a backdrop.

Once we land, my fellow passengers head off on a cruise into the sound itself, while I explore Milford before boarding a return flight. Air Milford’s flights back to Queenstown chart a different path to show off another side of the region.

Afterwards, it’s off to Queenstown’s newest pub The Irishman for a drink.

It opened in December 2024 in the Steamer Wharf building, replacing the OK Gift Shop. The location and decor, featuring stained glass, dark wood and muted furnishings, give the impression you’ve travelled back in time. It’s a great spot to park up and enjoy a pint, pool or live music with mates.

Stay at Driftaway Queenstown Holiday Park

Driftaway is akin to a Top 10 holiday park but with modern decor and amenities, a few more home comforts and private hot pools to (almost) rival Onsen.

It’s as close to camping as I usually get. Opened in March 2022, Driftaway is relatively new on the Queenstown accommodation scene.

Here you can book a campsite for tents, park your motor home, or stay in cabins or self-contained villas sized for couples and families on different budgets.

It’s fully accessible and built with sustainability in mind, using solar panels, heating recovered from the laundry and showers, linen made from recycled plastic bottles and renewable energy.

Self-contained villas at Driftaway Holiday Park in Frankton. Photo / Roady NZ

I stay in a one-bedroom villa complete with TV, fully equipped kitchen complete with Nespresso machine, and bathroom stocked with toiletries and a hair dryer. You’d never know the silky soft bedsheets are made from recycled plastic. The stunning lake and night sky views from the balcony were also a bonus.

Ride the new 10-seater gondola up Queenstown Hill

It’s an iconic tourist attraction in Queenstown, but the gondola has a fresh new look.

Each gondola can now carry up to 10 people, or five people and five bikes if you’re heading up to the Queenstown Bike Park.

Taking the new gondola up, I find it’s spacious and smooth, with more room to admire the hill dropping away beneath you. During a few laps of the luge, I try not to get distracted by the views of the Remarkables and glassy lake Wakatipu.

The gondola upgrade is just one phase of Project Skyline, with the Skyline Queenstown Top Complex extension under construction, and the demolition and rebuild of the existing complex still to come.

The new-look skyline gondolas can carry 10 people, or five people and five bikes. Photo / Will Nelson

Cycle the new Shotover Gorge trail, opening soon

Queenstown and its surrounding towns are known as destinations for cyclists. Soon, there’ll be a new trail to add to the itinerary.

Guided by Queenstown Trails Trust chief executive Mark “Willy” Williams, I got the chance to preview the new Shotover Gorge trail before it opens to the public – due at the time of writing to take place by the end of March 2025.

Following the opening of the Wharehuanui Trail, the Shotover Gorge Trail is in the final stages of construction, with one key piece, the historic Hugo Tunnel, recently unveiled in a naming ceremony.

Inside the Hugo Tunnel on the Shotover Gorge cycle trail. Photo / Geoff Marks

The 108m-long tunnel has been carefully restored more than a century after it was first carved out of the schist, intended to divert the Shotover/Kimi-ākau River to mine gold. Now thanks to a $735,000 donation from the Hugo Charitable Trust, it’s a unique feature of the new cycle track complete with strengthening, a new surface and lighting to guide cyclists through to the other side.

Once through the tunnel, you’ll look out over the Shotover River. Pause and watch a jetboat or two fly past, then continue uphill.

Wine tasting at Gibbston Valley Winery

It’s not a Queenstown visit without a stop at Gibbston Valley Winery, whether it’s at the cellar door or inside the iconic wine cave – the largest in the country.

As I’m staying at the Gibbston Valley Lodge & Spa next door, I join a complimentary wine tasting in the lodge’s cellar. Sips of blanc de blanc, chardonnay and pinot noir make for a warm welcome.

Guests at Gibbston Valley Lodge can enjoy a complimentary wine tasting in the lodge cellar.

Here, too, change is afoot. I’m shown a 3D model of what’s to come for Gibbston Valley Resort, a development across the road from the winery and lodge, before heading across the road to see it for myself.

There’s a nine-hole golf course designed by Greg Turner, with an exclusive clubhouse, gym, swimming pool and amenities to come, as well as sections and villas for sale.

Visit Country Lane in Frankton

The last stop on my Queenstown itinerary is Country Lane – a retail village that looks nothing like a retail village, just five minutes from the airport.

Here, boutiques, cafes, hairdressers and even a tattoo studio are housed in farm sheds and heritage buildings, surrounded by gardens, play areas for kids, goats, sheep and horses.

Retail village Country Lane is located five minutes from Queenstown Airport. Photo / Neat Places

The most recent addition is School House Studios, home to artists’ tenancies, in the historic Queenstown Arts Centre building. Built in 1941 as part of Queenstown’s first high school, it was restored and relocated to Frankton and opened on March 7.

I find it’s a great spot to wind down after a busy few days of sightseeing. Before my flight, I watch local artists at work and browse for gifts you won’t see in an airport souvenir shop: native honey from Buzzstop Honey Centre, jewellery from Studio 42 or fresh beans from Black Lab Coffee Roasters.

Details

For more information and inspiration about what to do in Queenstown, visit queenstownnz.co.nz.