Things to Do in Queenstown, New Zealand

Quick facts: The steepest gondola lift in the Southern Hemisphere takes you 450 meters above the lake level in just 4 to 5 minutes. Up at the top, the panoramic restaurant serves more than 3,500 meals per day with views of three lakes and snowy peaks.

Highlights: On board the gondola, you climb at a 37.1 degree incline, almost as if you are lying back in the cabin. Up at the top, the floor slowly rotates in the restaurant, so your view shifts from the mountains to the lake and back while you savor a coffee.

Quick facts: With an impressive 1.2 million visitors per year, this fjord was carved by glaciers during the Ice Age. Its rock walls rise more than 1,200 meters high, and Stirling Falls plunges 155 meters straight into the sea.

Highlights: When it rains, hundreds of temporary waterfalls spring from the rock walls, creating a spectacle that lasts only a few hours. On sunny days, seals bask on the rocks while dolphins play in the dark green waters of the fjord.

Quick facts: More than 30 native species live in this 30-acre urban sanctuary, including the rare kiwi that visitors can see in the nocturnal enclosure. The park has treated and rehabilitated more than 1,500 native birds since its founding.

Highlights: The kiwi nocturnal enclosure uses special lighting that reverses day and night, allowing you to observe these curious birds actively foraging instead of sleeping like in common zoos. You stand centimeters from the glass while the kiwis use their long beaks to dig for insects on the simulated forest floor.

Quick facts: With an impressive 84 kilometers in length, it is the longest lake in New Zealand and reaches depths of up to 420 meters. Its Maori name, Whakatipu Waimāori, hides a fascinating legend about a sleeping monster that makes the water level rise and fall rhythmically every few minutes.

Highlights: The lake breathes. Literally: its level rises and falls about 12 centimeters every 5 minutes, a phenomenon known as "seiche" that the Maori attributed to the heartbeat of a giant sleeping at the bottom of the waters. The surrounding mountains create a natural amphitheater that captures winds coming from the Tasman Sea, generating this hypnotic tide effect in freshwater.

Quick facts: "Lake Glenorchy washes the oldest mountains in New Zealand, over 500 million years old. It was the setting for films like The Lord of the Rings and The Beast Hunters, attracting movie fans from around the world."

Highlights: "The landscape changes completely with the wind: in minutes, the lake goes from a perfect mirror to silver waves that dance against the snow-capped peaks. Few places offer such a deep silence that you can hear the sound of pebbles rolling in the water."

Quick facts: The gardens cover 14 hectares on the shores of Lake Wakatipu, with over 100 species of trees planted since 1872. Lawn bowls matches have been held here since 1900, and you can rent clubs and try your luck for a few dollars.

Highlights: The Japanese cherry trees form a pink tunnel during spring, but the real secret is the microclimate that allows the cultivation of palm trees and subtropical plants in the middle of New Zealand. In the autumn months, the contrast between the golden leaves of the oaks and the deep blue of the lake creates a color palette that locals call "orange nostalgia."

Quick facts: At 11 km round trip, the trail gains 1,438 meters in altitude to the top, the equivalent of climbing a 480-story building. From up there, you see Lake Wakatipu, The Remarkables peaks, and the entire city down below.

Highlights: What few people know is that in the 1860s, gold was so abundant in the region that miners climbed this hill in search of the precious metal. Today, instead of nuggets, you find 360-degree panoramas with that hypnotic blue of the lake contrasting with the intense green of the mountains.

Quick facts: Over 30,000 sheep have already passed through this idyllic setting on the shores of Lake Wakatipu. The TSS Earnslaw paddle steamer, in operation since 1912, is the only means of access to the site, transporting visitors on a 45-minute crossing.

Highlights: Afternoon tea served on the veranda of the historic house includes fresh scones made with the family's original recipe, accompanied by homemade raspberry jam. During the sheep shearing demonstration, the local shearer can remove a sheep's entire fleece in less than two minutes, a spectacle of skill that impresses children and adults.