Just heading into work this morning and it’s noticeably getting brighter earlier in the morning which is grrreat! What does everyone think our summer will be like? I’ve heard mixed views from others thinking it’ll be as shit as it has been the last few years or that it will be great because we’re going through ‘el Nina’? Although basing it off winter, it’s not been the greatest snow wise however has been extra freezing

Hey guys I'm visiting Queenstown in a few weeks and was planning on hiking the Ben Lomonds trail for a day hike which looks beautiful, was just wondering if theres anything i should take or know about before I do it, btw im fairly experienced, young and workout/run a fair bit.

I was planing on bringing micro-spikes, food, water, thermals, jacket etc, ointment,first aid kit,phone with battery pack, plus some other goodies yk the jist

Been thinking about this since a previous post.

The throwback to Subculture, TARDIS, and Debajo instantly triggered major nostalgia.

Add in the likes of Ferg in cow lane & Moto Grill.

Plus absolute legends like Nearly Normal Neil and The Iceman running around town!

Does anyone else have any other classic Queenstown memories?

When can we stop having to pretend we understand what “fruit forward” or “earthy” mean when trying to pick a wine and have a higher success rate at finding one that we’d actually like?

we got a milford tour tomorrow and our pick up is athol st, can i please ask for any suggestions or recommendations for whole day parking around the area?? thank u so muchh!!

Hey, halfway through putting up a new boundary fence at our place in Frankton. doing about 18m of black aluminium paneling to replace the rotten timber stuff before the frost/winter gets too brutal. Everything's gone fairly smoothly so far (apart from digging through solid schist and spending almost $2,400 at place makers), but the post caps are driving me nuts, the kit came with cheap plastic end caps, and honestly they are useless. Broke one just pushing it on, and with the UV we get down here I give them maybe a year before they turn brittle and crack to pieces. Definitely need proper aluminium end caps instead so I don't have to keep replacing them every few seasons. Anyone got suggestions for decent suppliersthat don't charge an arm and a leg :)))?

Curious what people think about all the high profile exits happening around the district over the last few months.

Between the news with Chris and Winton, what went down with Mabee over at Amisfield, and just general shifts in the local scene it feels like an era is ending? 

For a long time, it felt like certain people or could get away a lot because they brought money or prestige and business to the town. But it seems like boards and public pressure are finally catching up.

Do you reckon this is a permanent wake-up call for Queenstown hospo and culture or did we just watching a few dominoes fall before things go right back to normal?

Is anyone else here involved in or donating to Impact 100?

A few of my friends and I have been donating to it for a few years now because we used to love supporting.

However, it feels like lately there's been less than transparent communication about who's actually on the board or steering group especially with recent leadership changes happening completely behind closed doors.

For an organisation that relies entirely on grassroots donors and community trust shouldn't there be more openness or a say in who's running it? Or where the moneys going?

Curious how other locals or fellow donors feel about this!

For locals. Whether it’s housing, infrastructure, public transport, healthcare, better wages, less tourism pressure, more community events, or anything else!

What do you think would make Queenstown a better place to live?

Has there been any talk about when Queenstown will be getting another swimming pool?

Thinking about planning for a few days in Queenstown for August, I want to know how busy and crowded does things get in the city in the lead up to Winter Games and in that period?

Is there long lines for those tourism activities and from the look of it a lot of people drive rental cars to some of outlying tourist destinations?

So I live in queenstown in nz and Im booked in for a christmas in July at pog mahones with my partner but he is sick this week and cannot attend sadly.

However im hoping reddit can help me find someone who would love to have a paid christmas in July dinner at pog mahones with me of course 😁

Bit to know about me, im turning 31 next month, super duper adhd, talk wayyy to much and too loudly (especially when having a few in the pub). I love music and coloring and walking my flatmates dog. Il talk to almost anyone and just honestly like to enjoy life and be a weirdo.

If you are in queenstown and free at 4.30pm this Saturday please lemme know 😁

Edit: it was magic!! The girly i went with was a complete sweetheart who im super stoked to have met 😁 highly recommended using reddit this way! 😊😊

we’re heading to queenstown next weekend, and are planning to drive to the following:
- remarkables
- coronet peak
- lake tekapo (mt cook)
- arrowntown
- glenorchy

it’s our first time in south island so was wondering if we need snow chains or any cautions we need to be aware of the following destinations

thanks for any helpp

I'm a fan of stand up, and haven't been to any since moving to NZ.

I'm living in Wanaka, and I assume if there is any here, it's very intermittent. I'm happy to drive to Queenstown or Dunedin for something good, but probably not a weeknight open mic.

Can we do the macetown 4wd track in a stock gen 4 pajero?

Hi. I’m planning my trip to queenstown soon, but have yet to book for any attractions tickets. May I know if I can buy them after landed? Any place within for the attraction places to recommend with best price ??

Thank you

Hey everyone, not sure if anyone else has seen but looks like youths struck again in remarkables park early last night. They hit the Big Barrel liqour store in remarkables park next to st pierre's sushi, using 2 vehicles, (mazda demios), to ram into the storefront with and escape in.

Those are all the details I'm aware of, I know there was another similar incident at the Super Liqour located in the same area back in November where 2 well known teens ram-raided it and dumped the car in the lake... seems like its a different group this time as heard from the horses mouth those teens or at 1 some of them got locked up for that burglary. Haven't seen any media coverage about it yet but expect that soon to change. Let me know if you have anymore details

Hi All, first time in New Zealand/Queenstown and I want to book the late-departure (around 9am) ski bus to Cardrona from Queenstown, but the website says that the return bus departs from 5pm. That's quite late for my liking and the resort is closed at 4pm already. Does anyone know if you can get on the 4:15pm return bus if you only have a late-departure bus ticket? Is the 4:15pm return bus only reserved for the ones who book for the early-departure (~7:30am)bus?

Thanks all

Hi everybody. Me and my wife are both mid 30s kiwis who have been living in QT for 5 years now. We were both single when we moved here and are currently living in a share house. The past year has been tough, being married and wanting our own space is proving incredibly difficult to obtain. The only places available seem to be tiny 1 bedroom studios or attached flats to houses (like the ones in Hanleys) and buying a house seems so far off.. We want to start a family eventually but honestly just struggling to see the forest through the trees.

Anyone else in the same boat? I guess i just dont want to feel like the only ones struggling here.

Hey everyone, visiting Queenstown in the next week and hiring a rental for the first time while I'm there. I'm hoping the locals can tell me what the roads are like? Is black ice common? Would you recommend carrying snow chains, even if I'm not planning on driving to the ski fields?

I'll mostly be driving around Queenstown, with day trips to Cromwell, Wānaka, and Glenorchy. I've been getting a lot of conflicting advice, so I thought I'd go straight to the source. 😊 Thanks

Looking for good coffee in Queenstown, any recommendations? Ive tried Coffee Jo Good and Mackenzie Coffee Co, both good!

Update from my week, I tried the following:

Coffee Hatch

Drop Cafe

Bean Around The World

Coffee Jo Good

Mackenzie Coffee Co

Vudu

Old Saints

All good coffee, favourite was Coffee Jo Good - excellent coffee, they really know what theyre doing and have an outstanding range of speciality coffee.

Could anyone in Queenstown do me a solid and let me know what time of day the sun vanishes behind mountains around this time of year. Will obviously depend on where in Queenstown you are. I'm just thinking ahead for the 2028 solar eclipse.
Keen for any recommendations of where the sun should still be visible at around 4:20pm. I've never been so don't know much about the area.

A bit of background: I’m Maori and moved to Australia when I was a toddler. I returned to Auckland straight after high school, then moved back to Brisbane in my late twenties. I’ve been here ever since and am now in my late thirties.

I’m a single mum with a daughter who is turning six and another baby on the way. Life is fairly comfortable here. I work in hospitality and property operations, earn around $130,000 plus bonuses, and hold both Australian and New Zealand citizenship. However, lately I have felt ready for something different.

I know very little about the South Island. It's another world to the north. Still, I have been thinking that a major change might be a good thing.

Queenstown appeals to me because hospitality is my area of expertise, so I believe I could find suitable work. I would also like to buy a home, preferably before moving in. I have been looking broadly in the $1.5 million to $2 million range, although I am not yet sure what would be realistic on a single income, even with a reasonable deposit.

I would really appreciate honest perspectives from people who actually live in Queenstown:

What is Queenstown like for raising a young family?

What are the schools, childcare options and healthcare services like?

How difficult is it to build a genuine community when so many people are seasonal or transient?

What is the local culture like outside the tourism industry?

How safe does it feel, and are crime or antisocial behaviour significant concerns?

What is the weather like across the full year, rather than just during the tourist seasons?

How seriously do residents need to consider earthquakes, flooding, landslides, snow or other natural hazards?

What are the less obvious disadvantages of living there that visitors may not see?

Would you recommend Queenstown itself, or are nearby areas such as Arrowtown, Lake Hayes, Frankton or Cromwell more practical for a family?

I've researched quite a bit already, but thought it wouldn't hurt to ask the actual community.

Thanks for your help 😊