Queenstown

Description

Famously much used as the backdrop for the Lord of the Rings trilogy, the city is also renowned for its adventure sports. This is the birth place of bungee jumping – it all started at the Kawarau Gorge Suspension Bridge. Right from the town centre you can get a steep cable car, the Skyline Gondola, straight up to the top of Bob’s Peak. At the top there are lots of activities including a luge and paragliding, there’s also white water rafting nearby on the Shotover and Dart Rivers, so it’s no wonder that Queenstown has become such a mecca for extreme sports lovers!

Slightly less adrenaline-fuelled but no less as dramatic is hiking in the fresh alpine air, horse riding through the stunning locations used for ‘Middle Earth’ and skiing in winter on the slopes of The Remarkables and Coronet Peak.

There’s also plenty on offer for those wanting a more relaxing stay, with plenty of spa treatments available as well great restaurants, shops, an underwater observatory and wine tasting in the surrounding vineyards.