r/queenstown

Family of 4 - but only 3 ski. Considering logistics.

Ski bus cost $36/day. So 3 pax for 6 days = NZD648

Driving up is the cheapest I'm assuming, although that means the Mrs will be stuck up there waiting for us. She could drive down again I suppose depending how she feels like it.

Given the cost, we're looking at driving since we will already have a car with us anyway, renting an AWD.

Some questions:

* How difficult is it to drive up & down The Remarkables? Looking at Google Maps it seems .... OK but hard to gauge.

* Snow chain, any special thing I need to look out for? Or the whatever the rental company provided is good enough?

* Anything else I need to consider/think about when using car rental to drive up The Remarkables?

I am trying to find jobs in Queenstown especially housekeeping jobs, but it's very hard to find. can anybody give me any advise? 😂

Visiting South Island NZ in early June with family.

We already booked a Milford Sound cruise departing 12:45 PM.

Trying to decide whether:

1. self-drive from Queenstown
2. stay overnight closer
3. take a coach instead

Main priorities:
- scenery
- photography
- minimizing fatigue
- safest winter option

Would appreciate honest opinions from people who’ve actually done it in winter.

Also:
- how difficult is the drive realistically?
- does bad weather ruin Milford or make it better?
- best stops along the route?

Thanks!

Hey, I’m a kiwi first of all and have been to Queenstown a few times but have never hired a car.

We don’t have any solid plans atm, we’d just like to go skiing, wine tours, possibly bungy jumping and maybe more. I’m pretty sure those attractions have buses from town (where we’re staying), but I’m not certain.

If we had a car we could probs do a cheeky Wanaka trip too, which would be fun - my friend has never been to the South Island.

What do ya reckon?

Does anyone know what's happening with the digger off Wynyard Crescent in Fernhill? Rumour mill says it is Bowen Peak Ltd getting started early on their access road... which they don't have consent for yet.

We are in QT this July and would love some recommendations on child friendly restaurants? Especially ones with play areas!! Thanks😊

We would love to take our 3 and 5 year old up one day to play in the snow in July! Any advice is greatly appreciated! 😊

Just wondering if anyone can recommend which is best if you had to pick between these two for fine dining, in particular they both offer a 10 course with wine pairing for the same price with similar reviews that I can't decide between haha

Hey all, Planning a winter trip to Queenstown for my family (kids are 6 years old). We are from Australia so this is all brand new to us. I’m trying to figure out the best way to handle the logistics, where to stay and which month would be the best to witness the Snowfall as kids are desperate to witness it for the first time.

We don't have a car. Is the shuttle/bus from Queenstown to the snowfields reliable, or is there a better way?

Would you recommend staying in Queenstown or finding a place in the close by? We want to "enjoy the most," but I’m not sure if the commute from Queenstown is too much with young kids.

Snow-wise, does July or August usually have more coverage?

If you have any hotel suggestions that won't break the bank but are decent for a family of four, please let me know.

If there are any "must-knows" for first-timers, I’m all ears.

Cheers.

Hi everyone, Looking for recommendations for a maybe impossible request. A friend and I would like to see Milford sound when travelling in Spring. One of us doesn’t like flying, and the other finds it difficult to sit for a long time in cramped spaces. Are there any other options? 😅

Thank you!

EDIT - Thank you for everyone reaching out 😊 it’s helped a lot.

Hey, I have recently arrived in Queenstown and have really hurt my back, can anyone recommend the cheapest option to see a doctor and possibly get physiotherapy? I have travel insurance but I don’t think it will cover this due to reciprocal Medicare. Back home we can get free doctors and an allied health plan that gives us 5 free physio sessions but I don’t think that’s a thing here.

I will be working in the ski fields this winter. What weekly salary should I look for to not be burning money as I stay here? Also, what is the average cost of housing? Housing is generally paid weekly, to my understanding? As long as I'm not losing money to live here I'm happy. Thanks :)

Related franchise companies that owned stores in the Queenstown CBD, Frankton’s Five Mile and Wānaka were placed in liquidation last week.

According to liquidator Brenton Hunt’s first reports on the Frankton and Wānaka company voluntary liquidations, each company “had been struggling with working capital for some time”.

“Sales were not enough to meet all creditors.

“Director [Anton Geoffrey Cuthbert, of Wānaka] decided to close the business and handed the lease back.”

The estimated shortfall to creditors from the Five Mile closure was $288,000 — $18,000 in staff holiday pay, $200,000 owed to Inland Revenue in GST and PAYE and $70,000 owed to unsecured creditors.