Queenstown Transportation

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Queenstown is served by direct domestic flights to and from Christchurch, Wellington and Auckland.

There are also direct international flights to and from Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane.

Our original flight path with Qantas was Perth to Sudney and onto Queenstown. We were unable to land in Sydney due to a dust storm so the flight was redirected to Melbourne.

As there were no immediate connections to Queenstown from Melbourne we were forced to spend the bight there before flying to Auckland the following morning for a connecting flight to Queenstown.

Other than the inconvenience, Qantas looked after us by arranging meals and accommodation in Melbourne and organising a new flight path to Queenstown.

The Crown Range Road is the most direct route between Wanaka and over to Arrowtown or Queenstown. It is a very high road and susceptible to ice and snow during winter months, but the views are stunning.

Its only 56kms long with Cardrona skifield and town at the mid point. The other way round (SH 6) takes about 20-30 minutes longer through the gorge.

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Flying into Queenstown can be exciting in two ways. First, on a sunny day: You can admire the spectacular alpine scenery and get an idea how wonderful your time in Queenstown will be if the weather stays nice. Second, on a cloudy, foggy or grotty weather day, you get a strange feeling in the stomach region because you know, although you do not see, that the steep mountain range of the Remarkables is right beside you, and that somehow you fly right into the Remarkables, and on the other side you could crash into Deer Park Heights… The flight path is like a narrow hallway. Should I not have told you this? ;-)

Queenstown Airport is an international airport but you should not take this title too seriously. They get direct flights from Australia (Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane) in winter, and that’s it. The big rest is domestic, and the airport is serviced by Air New Zealand and Qantas. (And later this year by JetStar.)

Direct domestic service is from Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin.



... and flying out can be impossible ;-)

Update 21 Feb 2009

After not being able to fly out of Queenstown due to heavy rain my husband asked me to give you the advice to rather book with Air New Zealand and not with Qantas if you feel the need to fly to Queenstown. I was told the problem is that Qantas obviously do have the necessary equipment to start and land at this difficult airport in adverse weather conditions - but the pilots are not licenced to operate it in New Zealand. So Qantas cancels flights much faster than Air NZ - and you have to look and pay for accommodation while they wait for good weather, and this can take up several days if you are unlucky.

My advice is not to put Queenstown at the end of your itinerary before your international flight out of New Zealand from Christchurch or - especially - Auckland. If you depart from Auckland you should always have a reserve day in the North Island for driving to the airport and not depending on a domestic flight. So best you get down to Queenstown at an early stage of your trip and work your way up north. Put activities in Auckland, the Coromandel, Northland or Rotorua at the end of your holiday, from there you can easily drive to Auckland Airport. If you fly out of Christchurch it is an 7 hour drive from Queenstown, so no real problem. There is only one bus company (Atomic Travel) that leaves Q'town in the afternoon, and it is rather a fast service. There is also a good chance of getting a relocation car for little money. That BTW is what my husband did to get back to Christchurch. It cost him NZ$ 10 plus the petrol.



Photo 2 shows an impression with Lake Hayes, shortly before landing.

Photo 3 shows the take-off near the Remarkables.

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Queenstown is situated in the Southern Alps mountain range of the South Island of New Zealand. The location is amazingly picturesque and beautiful. To fly in and out of Queenstown is the best way to appreciate the wonderful location.
Air New Zealand and Qantas are the main airlines servicing Queenstown with a few small companies taking you to smaller locations.
Flights take you to and from Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane in Australia, as well as Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin in New Zealand.
To fly in you soar over the main alpine range which forms the backbone of the South Island and gives you stunning views of the land, especially on the figure 8 flight plan on the way out.
The airport is well serviced for a destination of it's size, and caters for the traveller very well. You can collect your rental car here or catch a shuttle into town.

Queenstown Airport is located in Frankton, about 10 kilometres from the town centre.

A taxi ride would take you about 10 minutes and set you back just under NZ$ 20.

Also several shuttle bus companies operate between the airport and the town centre. Cost is about NZ$ 8 for the 15 minute ride.

You pay only NZ$ 6 for the public bus (ConnectaBus) to the Town Centre. It operates between 6.30am and 11pm. It services all major hotels and goes as far as Sunshine Bay and Fernhill on the road to Glenorchy, and to Arrowtown. It takes about 20 minutes to get into town. Departure about every 20 minutes.

Several car rental companies have offices at the airport (Apex, Avis, Budget, Hertz, National, Maui, Britz, Thrifty).

If your plans only include Queenstown, then you will likely just pay the money to fly here directly. If you are planning to venture out and see a little bit more of the South Island, than I would recommend renting a car in Christchurch and making a circle tour of the island from there. This will save you the extra fee to fly into Queenstown (a regional airport) and will allow you to see some of the wonderful sites like Wanaka and Mount Cook on your way in.

We chose to rent from Budget on this particular trip, because it offered the best deal on a full sized 4 door vehicle for the 4 people on the trip. On our particular journey they were offering a deal where you paid for 3 days and received 4. We doubled this for an 8 day rental at the price of 6!

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A unique way to explore Lake Wakatipu and other Queenstown sites is by DUCK!! The Queenstown duck is an amphibious vehicle that can go on both land and lake. This 90 minute tour is fun for the whole family and the guides are very knowledgeable and also funny! Don't forget to bring a camera there lots of beautiful scenery along the way.

The easiest and best way to get around Queenstown is to walk. Yes, walking is not only healthier it also gives you a pleasant look around the area.

If you stay a little too off the main town area, you can hire a taxi. Or rent a car for a day or so. Agencies like Avis, Budget and National have their offices in Queenstown.

Also a car is useful if you want to visit the quaint little town of Arrowtown and Glenorchy. Otherwise go with tours, but frankly speaking it is not cheap.