By Travel Editor EMMA WILSON
IT’S just across the ditch and you’ve completely forgotten it exists, but Queenstown is an easy family holiday for every age group. For an overseas destination it truly is Sydney’s easiest destination. It’s not just an adrenalin-mecca for active young people, there are activities to suit every age group – active, less active or disabled travelers. The scenery is stunning, the shopping is great, dining options are plentiful, the water is safe to drink, and the locals are very friendly. Why not reconsider your next family holiday here?
Getting to Queenstown
Just a three-hour flight from Sydney, Queenstown airport is a wow-factor entry into New Zealand with its backdrop of rugged snowcapped mountains towering over you on the airport tarmac. With this clean, efficient and smallish airport, you are out in the fresh air with your luggage surprisingly quickly. Transport options into town are plentiful and there are wheelchair options for transport as well. To get into the downtown area the route one public bus runs every 15 minutes and stops regularly along Lake Whakatipu. The Stanley Street will deliver you to the centre of the downtown action. Or to maximise sightseeing time take a ferry into the downtown area, ferries leave every 30 minutes and depart from the Hilton Hotel, which is a short taxi ride from the airport. Alternatively, there are shuttle buses that also accommodate wheelchairs upon request. Head to www.queenstownairport.co.nz/transport for all your options.
Where to Stay
If your trip is short or you prefer the buzz of nightlife and vibe of staying within a busy downtown area, many hotels, restaurants, shops and activities radiate from Lake Whakatipu’s Tahuna area harbour, the ‘Queenstown Beach’ area. If you’re staying in town, you won’t need a car and can do a lot on foot, including many of Queenstown’s iconic activities and there are options to be picked up from your hotel by activity providers if you book something fun to do. You may need a car if you prefer to stay further away, like in rural accommodation, otherwise local buses can take you downtown or along Wakatipu’s length.
Like any major city there are new hotels and older hotels so it will depend on your preference, but newer buildings have building codes that are wheelchair friendly so take this into consideration when booking.
Skyline Gondola
A great ‘first day’ thing to do to get a good orientation of Queenstown is to head to the Skyline Gondola in Brecon Street. This is a spacious state-of-the-art new gondola that will bring you up to a restaurant and activity precinct at the top of the hill. Here you can sit and enjoy the views of the Remarkables and have a bite to eat. There’s also a lolly shop for kids or take a turn riding the luge if you’re feeling adventurous. Views look out over the lake, mountains parks and town as far as the eye can see and it is spectacular. There is a wheelchair entry here as well, it’s very accessible. www.queenstown.skyline.co.nz
Ziptrek Ecotours
Explore the forest above Queenstown on a zipline for something different. For ages 7 to 85, depending on your level of adventure, you can choose from a few different zipline options, 2 to 6 zipline rides that gradually deliver you gracefully to the base of the mountain.
The 6-line zip includes a 20-minute hike through the forest down to the final zipline section, which is the ‘steepest tree-to-tree zipline in the world. What makes this eco-friendly is that tourists can explore the area ‘in the air’ without leaving an impact and at each stage of the zipline tour guides teach you about the local area, the flora, fauna and Mauri culture and the history of the area. It’s fun and informative and the zipline travel is extremely safe and utterly exhilarating. This is not a wheelchair friendly activity due to the uneven surfaces everywhere. Head to www.ziptrek.co.nz to buy tickets online.
Indoor Skydiving
This is an all-ages and all abilities activity that suits people even people who are NOT tempted to try outdoor skydiving (that’s me). The iFLY centre is run by the very incredible Matt Wong who has gone out of his way to make this experience accessible to all, including people who experience terrible anxiety, young kids right up to elderly people and it is a wheelchair friendly activity (and great fun to sit and watch).
The trainers for this experience are extremely experienced and reassuring. Sessions start with just one minute with the trainer physically holding you 100% of the time and you are just in a very safe and contained wind tunnel and ‘fly’ just a metre or two from the ‘ground’ in a flying suit with earplugs and helmet. It is impossible to ‘fly away’ but if you enjoy that one minute you can progress to a longer session or a session where you and the trainer can utilise stronger winds (upon request) and ‘fly’ higher up the wind tunnel and even begin learning to move and turn in the wind. The feeling you have ‘flying’ is utter freedom and really a once in a life experience and you can choose add ons such as VR goggles. Head to www.flynz.co.nz for more info.
SHERWOOD HOTEL
Queenstown is leading the way in sustainable tourism and thanks to Destination Queenstown this will get even better over the next few years. This is terrific news in an industry where everyone wants to visit popular sites and sights but can often ‘love places to death’. This is sad for our kids and grandkids who may never experience the very thing we all love about a place.
The Sherwood is an excellent example of a hotel reno in the right direction, they took an 80s Motor Inn and transformed it into a sustainable tourism icon, with food sourced from the kitchen garden, local growers and producers. From the garden eat fresh beetroot, butternut squash, rhubarb, lettuce among other yummy ingredients.
Hotel rooms are decorated with local artworks and wall hangings, blankets woven with New Zealand wool, interiors utilising recycled materials and locally sourced manuka and myrtle ingredients for shampoo and body wash. www.sherwoodqueenstown.nz
For more information about what is the best time of year to visit Queenstown and what tours are on offer and suggested itineraries, visit Destination Queenstown. www.queenstownnz.co.nz
Image: The Sherwood Hotel.
