Why You Should Visit Queenstown

Sitting above me on my wall is currently a map of New Zealand with small thumb tacks marking the places I wanted to visit. There are only about eleven places I had on my bucket list, even though I could probably pick fifty spots if I really searched and traveled far enough. But it’s hard to make your way around the mountainous South Island when you’re not a big hiker and have a fear of heights, so I chose eleven places where I thought might work for me. Unfortunately, by the end of my time here, only eight of those places or towns will have been marked off, but I think I’m still satisfied.

It’s hard to pick a favorite place out of everywhere I’ve been, but one of my most surreal trips came during my time in Queenstown. If you’re thinking about visiting New Zealand, you need to make it down to this small town in the south. The hills in Christchurch are nothing compared to the giant mountains towering above Queenstown. As soon as I stepped off the plane, the view was magical. As someone who’s lived in suburban Pennsylvania all my life, I had never seen mountains this big and this magnificent. Then, when you head over into the actual town, you’re met with a beautiful lakeside view and a cozy town ready to welcome any excited tourist.

Queenstown specializes in having lots of thrill-seeking activities, meaning it’s the perfect place for adrenaline junkies. I’ve learned there’s different types of adrenaline junkies after visiting Queenstown because some of the activities they advertise are not for the faint-hearted. Others, like the Queenstown luge, are a quick gondola ride up the mountain. For someone with a fear of heights, I found the luge a lot more exciting and enjoyable. You get in a small cart and let gravity do its thing, speeding down paved raceways while (hypothetically) ignoring the rules about bumping into your friends. 

The town is very walkable, and I found there were tons of cute places to eat. My friends and I had two highlights. There’s a chain of places along one street–Fergbaker, Fergburger, Mrs. Ferg Gelateria–that are all owned by the same people, and everything you get from them is delicious. They’re known for their famous burgers, and I have to say the reviews were right. It was one of, if not the, best burgers I had in New Zealand. Since Fergburger is always popular and busy, I decided to do some searching and found another restaurant for the next day called “The Cow”. This is Queenstown’s oldest restaurant, and they served us delicious stone-oven pizza. 

You’ll find everything from farmers markets to gondolas to gelato to ice bumper cars in Queenstown, which is why it’s the perfect place to visit for any kind of New Zealand tourist. It has great views, adrenaline thrills, mountains to hike, and lots to eat. Since I leave in less than a week, I wanted to make sure I included it as a recommendation for any future abroad students!