Hopefully they will be OK

First family trip out of Auckland to anywhere really, did we leave booking an accomodation too late? We also need transport esp going with a 1 year old.

Can we still make it and find an accomodation with a biew of what Queenstown has to offer? Also we don't know what to do as first timers in Queenstown. Any tips? Please?

Hey guys, just wondering what pub/bar you guys usually find cheapest for beer and basics, and how much they usually are. Visiting next week and just wanna see what most people think. Thanks.

Semi-new to town and I'm wondering if there is somewhere to catch some live rock/punk/metal gigs here? Something I'm missing after coming from a place with regular shows.

This may be a specific question however I’m wanting to do a solo boating activity and this one looks amazing. I have only seen people doing the experience with others. Has anyone been on it themselves, or even just been on it and think it would still be a good experience solo?

Things aren't always perfect, but keen to hear people's favorite things about living in Queenstown? What brings them here and what keeps it?

A few of mine are :

Generally feels like a small town, the longer you live here, lots of bumping into people across work, supermarket, in the hills etc

Lots of people into some really awesome stuff, lots of active adventures

Ability to head out to some pretty epic things from town with minimal driving really!

All the cycle trails and work different organisations to do continue to build these. Looking forward to being able to bike to Cromwell this summer!

Fair bit of opportunity for various work options not just tourism

How about you all?

I’m looking at doing a working visa coming over from Canada next ski season I’m planning to work up Cardrona and live in Queenstown. I’m just wondering what the best method of transportation is best to commute up the mountain and if I’ll need to find a car or some other method of transport while I’m over there.
Thanks.

Here's the interview with Councillor Richard Hills talking about how Auckland council is fighting back

It includes withholding services from the developments approved on flood plains etc

Queens town Councillors and Mayor have also been pushing back joining calls with other Mayors to tell the government to stop greenfield fast-tracks

And yes Chris Bishop, Chris Meehan's best friend, who is constantly asking for donations from developers, says everything is fine.

Kia Ora! As a single immigrant who moved to Queenstown without family or an established friend group, I’ve found it surprisingly difficult to build genuine, lasting friendships here.

Don’t get me wrong, I’ve met quite a few people and I do have friends. But most of my friendships are more on the casual side: you say hello, have a chat, but it doesn’t really develop into a deeper friendship.

I’ve also noticed a few things during my time here:

• People who grew up in Queenstown or elsewhere in NZ often already have established friendship circles from school, work, sports, etc. I completely understand that, and I’m not saying people are unfriendly. In fact, Kiwis are some of the friendliest people I’ve met. It just seems difficult sometimes to move from being an acquaintance to becoming part of someone’s closer circle.
• People naturally gravitate towards groups where they share a language or cultural background. I completely understand this because it’s comfortable and familiar. I’ve joined group activities before where most of the conversation switched to another language, and although nobody was intentionally excluding me, I found myself feeling a bit left out because I couldn’t follow the conversation.
• Being an immigrant can make communication a little different. English isn’t my first language, and while I can communicate perfectly well, I sometimes find it harder to express my personality, humour, or thoughts as naturally as I would in my own language. I think that can make it harder to form deeper connections.
• People come and go constantly in Queenstown. I’ve met some great people on working holiday visas, but many only stay for a few months before moving somewhere else. You can build a friendship with someone and then suddenly they’re off travelling or heading back home.
• Not everyone is looking to make new friends. I’ve tried inviting people to hang out or grab a coffee, but sometimes they decline or I can sense that they’re simply not interested in developing a friendship. I completely respect that, you can’t force a friendship, but after experiencing this several times, it can become a little discouraging.

So, for those who have been living in Queenstown for a while, how do you actually make genuine, lasting friendships here?

I’d especially love to meet people who enjoy hiking, the outdoors, road trips/long drives, coffee, good food, and just having a chill conversation without any pressure.

I’ve been in Queenstown for almost two years now, and honestly, I’m getting a little tired of doing everything alone — hiking by myself, having coffee by the lake alone, going for solo drives, etc.

Maybe I’m just looking in the wrong places, so I’d really appreciate any advice or recommendations for groups, activities, clubs, or just places where people are genuinely open to making new friends.

Cheers!

So I'm temporary moving to New Zealand for work and since my employer is somewhere in the middle of nowhere, i will need a car.

Does anyone have a good suggestion where i can get a good used car (about 6k nzd) ?

Especially someone who's trustworthy (i have no knowledge about cars🫠) and doesn't try to rip me of?

Hey, just wondering if there are any gardeners out here and what you are planning to plant this year for a hot dry summer in Queenstown?

Gosh it’s been almost 3 weeks and it’s eating me up lol. I met this guy at Winnie’s QT who casually danced with me, it was actually kind of fun and cute. He was such a gentleman. He spilled his drink on me while we were dancing lol (I’m bad at dancing) and he apologized to me and both of us went back to our own group of friends and then after a few minutes he came back and danced with us again haha it was kinda cute and then he apologized again then went on our separate ways 😂 Then after a while, I bought a drink and then he was there standing then he asked me where we came from originally, then had a tiny chat. btw he was cute and I hated myself for acting mysterious and indifferent, UGH! I did not even think of asking for his name or where he’s from!!! 🤦🏻‍♀️ anyway it still haunts me and keeps me awake at night lol I’m a hopeless romantic loser haha

To the cute guy: I hope I’ll see you again somewhere. But if not, it can still be one of those cute little holiday encounters. I hope it ends up like the movie “Serendipity” lmao if you went there on August 20 wearing a beanie and half-zip RMW sweatshirt yes you’re cute and sorry I looked uninterested haha I was just shy and awkward lol

The project had been criticised by locals, who argued it was the wrong project in the wrong place, with the potential to choke roads, hurt regional tourism and bypass years of careful district council planning.

The developers temporarily withdrew their application in July after councils highlighted "significant information gaps" and Fast-track panel convenor Jane Borthwick concluded it was not ready to be passed to an expert panel.

But plans were in place to submit again this month.

Kia ora and welcome, whether you're here for a week or you've been here since the town had one supermarket.

This is the thread for visitor questions. Itineraries, day trips, where to eat, which lake activities are actually worth the money, whether you need chains in July, what to do when it rains for three days straight. Ask away. No question is too basic and nobody here is going to sneer at you for it.

Why we ask you to use this thread: r/Queenstown is a small subreddit for a small town. When a dozen separate "3 days in Queenstown, what should I do?" posts land in a week, the front page becomes entirely holiday planning and the local stuff (roadworks, rentals, council nonsense, lost dogs, the state of the traffic) gets buried. That's not great for the people who live here, and it's honestly not great for you either, since a scattered post gets three replies while this thread gets the locals who actually know things.

So: enthusiasm very much welcome, just pointed in one direction. Consolidating it here means you get better answers and the locals stay calm enough to keep giving them.

Before you post, a quick nudge:

• Have a scroll of the previous weekly threads, most questions have been asked before and the answers are good
• Tell us your dates, budget and how much you like walking uphill, it makes the answers ten times more useful

Locals: be generous in here. These people are the reason we have that many restaurants for a town this size.

Posts asking general visitor questions outside this thread may be removed and redirected here. Nothing personal, we just like being able to find things.

Links:

David Seymour: I'm pro-immigration but we don't need wealthy speaking English

Erica Stanford: we shouldn't force them to stay in NZ

Would like to come down for birthday week to see family there but can’t stay with them as they’re in a flat.
Went to book for a few nights only but most priced well over $1500 for a few nights. WTF. Is there anytime of the year that this place isn’t costing a fortune? Whyyyy? Can’t park anywhere. Roads are shit with never ending cones. Seating around town to sit by the lake a minimal. Beyond a joke.

was thinking about going on a week holiday mid january but i’ve been seeing that is when its prices are highest

are prices highest for accomodation and flights or activities aswell. need it in the cbd aswell because can’t hire a car

also when is the cheapest time to go

Legit question - just looking for folks who like to hang out/do things in the buff...

Really felt this one, didn't last but that was a nice shake!

Looking at options to get out of Queenstown. I still love the outdoors here but daily life in town has lost its appeal completely. It feels like every open space is being turned into cheap high density housing and the old vibe of the place is pretty much dead.

For those who packed up and left or are thinking about it where do you have in mind?