Guides · New Zealand
Queenstown tickets
Ticket and booking rules for Queenstown: timed entries, closing days and official links, checked September 2026.
Checked September 2026 against official sources
Queenstown
Bookings and opening rules
Follow the official link before you buy. Full walking days: Queenstown itinerary.
Tickets and opening days
- The Ben Lomond Track from the Tiki Trail behind the Skyline Gondola base on Brecon Street is 14 km return and takes 6 to 8 hours, with 1,438 m of elevation gain from Queenstown, a steep gradient and high fitness required; the Department of Conservation warns that the weather changes rapidly and hypothermia is a real risk even in summer, that there are steep drop-offs near the summit, that mountain-bike tracks cross the walking track, and that walkers should leave enough daylight and pack a head torch.Source: Department of Conservation, Ben Lomond Track · checked Sep 2026
- RealNZ's TSS Earnslaw steamship cruise across Lake Whakatipu is a 90-minute cruise from NZ$115, with cruises running regularly through the day from the RealNZ Visitor Centre at Steamer Wharf, 88 Beach Street; the cruise with the Walter Peak farm tour is from NZ$139.Source: RealNZ, TSS Earnslaw steamship cruises · checked Sep 2026
- RealNZ's Milford Sound cruises depart daily at 10:30, 13:00 and 15:25, take up to two hours and are priced from NZ$175 for adults; the Milford Sound day trip from Queenstown departs daily at about 7:00.Source: RealNZ, Milford Sound cruises · checked Sep 2026
- Orbus Queenstown bus fares are NZ$2.50 for adults with a Bee Card and NZ$4.00 in cash, NZ$1.50 for children aged 5 to 12 with a Bee Card and NZ$4.00 in cash; to and from Queenstown Airport the adult fare is NZ$2.50 with a Bee Card and NZ$10.00 in cash, and only cash or Bee Card is accepted on the airport route; the ferry is NZ$10.00 with a Bee Card and NZ$14.00 with a bank card.Source: Otago Regional Council, Queenstown fares and Bee Card · checked Sep 2026
- The Lakes District Museum at 49 Buckingham Street, Arrowtown, is open Monday to Sunday 9:00 to 17:00 (closed Christmas Day); admission is NZ$14 for adults, NZ$12 for seniors 65+, NZ$10 for tertiary students, NZ$6 for school-age children, free under 5 and NZ$30 for a family of two adults and three children.Source: Lakes District Museum · checked Sep 2026
On the day
What to watch at each stop
Skyline gondola and Bob's Peak
- Daily from 9:00 or 10:00, closing by season; gondola about NZ$33 adults, NZ$21 children 6–14, family about NZ$90; gondola and five luge rides about NZ$55/45; book online
TSS Earnslaw and Walter Peak
- Several sailings daily, 90-minute cruise from NZ$115, cruise with the farm tour from NZ$139; book ahead in summer; annual survey closure in winter
Queenstown Bay and Steamer Wharf
- Free; bars and restaurants until late, many booked in season
Gibbston Valley wineries
- Cellar doors daily about 10:00–17:00; Gibbston Valley cave tour with tastings about NZ$28; lunch by booking; the Queenstown Trail links the wineries by bike
Shotover Jet at Arthurs Point
- Daily through the day; about NZ$159 adults, NZ$99 children, family pass NZ$507; minimum height 1.2 m; free shuttle from town
Questions
Quick answers
How much do the tickets cost?
The gondola is about NZ$33 for adults and NZ$21 for children, with the five-ride luge combo about NZ$55 and NZ$45. The TSS Earnslaw cruise is from NZ$115 and the cruise with the Walter Peak farm tour from NZ$139. The Kawarau Bridge bungy is about NZ$175 a jump and watching is free; the Shotover Jet about NZ$159 for adults and NZ$99 for children, with a family pass at NZ$507. The Gibbston Valley cave tour with tastings is about NZ$28. The Lakes District Museum is NZ$14, NZ$6 for children. The Milford Sound cruise from the wharf is from NZ$175, the coach-and-cruise day from Queenstown about NZ$278 for adults and NZ$172 for children. The gardens, the waterfront, Arrowtown's streets and the Chinese settlement, the Eglinton Valley and the Milford road are free.
The days these rules belong to
3 days in Queenstown
Queenstown's centre is a few streets between the lake and the gondola, and day one is walked from it. Day two loops 60 km through Arrowtown, the Kawarau Gorge and Arthurs Point, by hired car, the Orbus bus for Arrowtown or the operators' shuttles, which collect from town. Day three is Milford Sound, 290 km each way, a 12-hour day by coach and cruise or a long drive with an early start, and the weather decides it: the road closes for snow and avalanche in winter, the fiord is best in rain, and fog closes the flights. Everything here is booked ahead in the summer months from December to February and in the ski season from June to September, when the town is full; the gondola, the steamer and the Milford cruises sell out on fine days. Bring layers in every season; the mountain weather changes by the hour.
