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Destinations > Oceania > New Zealand > The Magical Queenstown and Te Anau Area

The heart of the dramatic Southern Alps, Queenstown is an excellent staging point for experiencing the area. Whether it’s outdoor adventures like hiking or bungee jumping, or learning about the historic past of the area, New Zealand is well represented in Queenstown. And just a short drive to the coast and the Te Anau area is a great start to a Southern Alps adventure. 

Plus, the Queenstown area has a number of amazingly beautiful locations that were used in the Lord of the Rings movie trilogy that you can see on a full-day tour. On that tour you’ll see the locations used for the Lothlórien, Isengard Lookout, Gladden Fields, The Pillars of the Kings, and The Ford of Bruinen - among others! Learn more about the locations used around Te Anau, like Fangorn Forest and the Dead Marshes, by reading the sections below.

Learn more about this country, and its customs and culture, by reading your short Culture Smart! book today!

Where to Stay in Queenstown

There are endless areas around Queenstown that are worth staying in, so it’s difficult to say exactly which area is the best. However, we would recommend staying near the city if you want access to all of the best stores, restaurants, and tour pickup areas. If you have a car, Kingston, Glenorchy, and Te Anau are great areas as well.

How we Explored New Zealand on Less than $44 per day

Milford Sound

In a land of natural wonders, Milford Sound in Fiordland National Park is a bit of a stand out. Hours from the closest town and with only one road getting there, the isolated nature of the glacier-carved sound has kept it pristine and beautiful, despite its popularity as a tourist destination. 

A range of options are available for getting to this amazing fiord, including cruises, bus and coach tours, driving yourself, or even by air – whatever your time and budget there’s an option for you to visit this amazing natural wonder. The dramatic mountain peaks surrounding the tannin-dark water creates awe-inspiring vistas, and the unique flora and fauna of the area are a joy to see. 

The absolute best way to see Milford Sound is by plane and boat, but you can also enjoy it just with a cruise by simply taking a coach bus from Queenstown.

Te Anau Cruise

One of the best ways to experience Fiordland National Park is a Te Anau Cruise on Historic Motor Yacht. The Faith provides passengers with personalized commentary by their friendly crew, and delicious refreshments. A stop for an easy, guided walk brings guests to the lovely Hidden Lakes. The kettle lakes, formed by receding glaciers, are one more wonder in the Fiordland UNESCO World Heritage Sites vast array. There are morning, afternoon, and evening cruises, as well as the opportunity to charter the ship for private cruises.

This cruise was our favorite adventure in the Queenstown area, and we highly recommend adding it to your itinerary while you’re here!

Waiau River Trek

Te Anau is not just justifiably famous as an access point to Fiordland, but also the starting point for many hikes and treks in and through the surrounding mountains. One such trek is the Waiau River Trek. Though it’s part of the much longer and more intense Kepler Track, many of those taking the walk these days are there due to the river’s depiction in the Lord of the Rings as the Anduin River. The filming location is a medium length and relatively easy walk from a small dirt parking spot through a lovely rainforest (starting point is here). The view and hike are both definitely worth it, fan or not!

Make this experience a bit more adventurous by taking a jet boat down the trout-filled Waiau River to the serene Lake Manapouri. Then, go ashore and take a short stroll among the unique wilderness of Fiordland National Park.

The Kepler Mire - Dead Marshes

Peter Jackson found fertile ground in the natural world around the town. In addition to the Anduin River, the Dead Marshes and scenes from Fangorn Forest were also filmed nearby. The Kepler Mire, also known as the Dismal Swamp, is the perfect setting for a marsh with faces under the water, though in that marshy area it’s better to keep your viewing to the overlook! 

Access to the bog is restricted and unless you’re on a tour, you’re unlikely to be able to see much of it without the use of a drone or arial flight.

See highlights like these only on the Te Anau LOTR tour.

Fangorn Forest

Fangorn Forest is located in the areas around Mavora Lakes. The area is full of stunning mountains, lakes, and forests, and in addition to satisfying your inner fan, you can also take advantage of the many outdoor activities available in the area – camping, fishing, kayaking, short walks, overnight treks, and mountain biking.

If you’re looking for the filming locations from Lord of the Rings, you may find them difficult to reach and/or find without a guide as the ones listed on Google are not really for public access.

See highlights like these only on the Te Anau LOTR tour.

Devil’s Staircase Lookout Point

Another impressive vista in the area is the view from the Devil’s Staircase Lookout Point. Overlooking Lake Wakatipu and the peaks across the water, the lookout point is a popular stop for travelers on their way to Te Anau from Queenstown. It’s a nice break from a stretch of the highway along the lake called The Devil’s Staircase due to its winding, up and down path.

Lake Alta Track and Lookout

Another gem in the Queenstown area is the Lake Alta Track and Lookout. The track is accessed from the Remarkables ski area carpark, which is a scenic 30-minute drive from the city. It is a relatively challenging walk as there are some steep bits and it’s about 3.5 kilometers to the lake round trip from the car park.

The view will be recognizable to LOTR fans as part of Dimrill Dale, not the exact location where the fellowship exits the Mines of Moria, but as they run from that spot past this lake on their way to the Lothlórien forest. Fan or not the area is gorgeous and the hike is fun!

While the Lake Alta Track isn’t included on any short duration tours, you can enter the park and do it yourself like we did after checking out the official government page first.

Glenorchy and Paradise

Another scenic drive that’s worth the visit is a trip to Glenorchy – there’s a reason it’s called the Gateway to Paradise! The town itself sits at the head of Lake Wakatipu, and is a gateway to all sorts of outdoor adventures in the incredible natural setting.

If you are looking for adventures that are a little less active, check out Mrs. Woolly’s General Store. They have everything from tools and outdoor equipment to the beautiful works of New Zealand’s artists to chef-created takeaway for your picnic. And all the profits go toward the Community Trust, so by supporting the town with your purchase, you’re ensuring that this paradise is here for years to come.

The Full-Day Queenstown area trip - including Glenorchy and Paradise is a much better way to find your way to the best spots without having to worry about the loose gravel roads, the crossing of streams of water, or entering restricted and private areas. Plus you’ll see many Lord of the Rings filming locations along the way. This tour is likely to sell out.

Twelve Mile Delta

Twelve Mile Delta, the delta of Twelve Mile Creek where it empties into Lake Wakatipu, is another spot that Lord of the Rings fans will want to see – the spot where Sam and Frodo first see Oliphants. If you want to see the location used in the film, hike the Bob’s Cove Track when you reach the parking area.

However, just coming for that is a waste of an incredible natural setting. There is so much to do here, like camping, boating, hiking or biking the nearby trails, swimming, fishing, or just enjoying the unbelievable views with at picnic. You really could spend a full day just relaxing or enjoying nature here.

This is another highlight of the highly recommended full-Day Queenstown area trip. This tour is likely to sell out.

Queenstown Fish Market

Though it’s not on the coast, Queenstown isn’t far and that means the fresh seafood options are quite good. If you want to cook your own, or grab some amazing hot or cold smoked fish to snack on, check out the many options at Harbor Fish. Check out their website here. We stopped by a couple of times to grab some smoked fish that we could throw in our cooler for our longer road trips.

There are also several seafood restaurants in the area if you’re not into smoked fish or cooking it yourself, but the Queenstown Fish Market offers both prepared seafood and sushi options, as well as a Japanese-style yakitori selection.

Skippers Lookout

Once central to the gold rush, the Shotover River has carved out Skippers Canyon providing one of the most scenic drives in New Zealand.

Skippers Lookout, at the start of the drive, offers motorists who stop there a stunning view of Coronet Peak. Though the canyon road is narrow and blocked off for regular vehicles, and accessible to 4x4 vehicles with an experienced driver only, the view from the lookout is accessible to any vehicle and quite spectacular. If you plan to go down this road we highly recommend using the 4-wheel drive tour instead of doing it yourself - as rental vehicles are not insured beyond the lookout!

Another view that visitors often watch for is the filming site of the Ford of Bruinen where Arwen overwhelmed the Nazgûl with a flood. Get a closer look at this site only with a jet boat tour up the river itself.

Deer Park Heights

Fans of the films will definitely want to visit Deer Park Heights. Located on Peninsula Hill in Queenstown, the park offers visitors the opportunity to feed the animals, take a ramble along their scenic walkways, pause for a picnic, and check out the filming sites of various films, particularly The Lord of the Rings. Looking out over the heights, it’s easy to imagine the fictional Rohan here.

Head up the hill to find the location where the Warg Riders attacked, or walk along the Jack’s Point Track to take in moments as the party traveled along the roads.

This is another highlight of the highly recommended full-Day Queenstown area trip. This tour is likely to sell out.

Arrowtown

Located on the banks of the Arrow River a short 20-minute drive from Queensland, Arrowtown offers visitors a look into the history of the region. A former gold mining town, the Heritage Town Center gives visitors a glimpse into the past, with heritage buildings and tiny miners’ cottages. You can also visit the Chinese village, a restored area where the early Chinese miners lived separately from the rest of the town.

There are several relaxing strolling paths around the town, including the Millennium Walkway, a lovely path along the Arrow River that takes you past the filming site of the Gladden Fields, where the One Ring was lost and then found by Sméagol.

This is another highlight of the highly recommended full-Day Queenstown area trip. This tour is likely to sell out.

Gibbston Valley Winery & Restaurant

It might surprise you to find a winery this far south, but Gibbston Valley has not only made a go of it, they’re wildly successful, with an award-winning winery, restaurant, lodge, and spa. A visit to the winery can offer much more than just your standard tour and tasting. The Lodge & Spa, opened at the end of 2019, offers guests a range of activities from private tastings and fine dining to a full-service spa featuring “vinotherapy” treatments, or the opportunity to hire a bike and tour the vineyards and surrounding hills if that’s more your style. We went for the amazing cheeses that they had on offer, but they also have a Wine Cave!

This is a highlight stop on the Central Otago 4 Vineyard Wine Tour, with Lunch & Wine included.

AJ Hackett & the Kawarau Gorge

One of the iconic things many people think of when they think about New Zealand is bungee jumping, and the AJ Hackett Bungy Company at the Kawarau Gorge Suspension Bridge was the original site for this extreme experience. If you’re not quite ready to take the plunge yourself, there’s a viewing platform where you can watch the action. There’s also a zip line if you’re not up for a bounce.

The onsite bar and café offer refreshments, and the gift shop has everything from t-shirts to playing cards for you to memorialize your visit to this iconic New Zealand adventure site.

An alternative experience is the Shotover Canyon Swing, an initial 200-food (60-meter) free-fall followed by a smooth transition to swinging all the way down to 330-feet (100-meters) below the jump platform as the jump system makes you a human pendulum that gracefully swings back and forth without jolts.

The Argonath on the Anduin River - Pillars of the Kings

Like many of the sites we’ve visited in New Zealand, the Kawarau Gorge has something to offer Lord of the Rings fans, as well. It’s the location of the filming site of the Pillars of Kings, the giant statues that the fellowship passes on their boat trip down the River Anduin. Though achieved with a lot of digital help, the majestic gorge is a fitting site for the fantastical scene.

This is another highlight of the highly recommended full-Day Queenstown area trip. This tour is likely to sell out.

Must See Places in Queenstown Area

Like so much of New Zealand the area around Te Anau and Queenstown offers visitors unforgettable views and opportunities to experience nature in a way that’s like nowhere else on earth. Whether you’re a fan of Peter Jackson’s films or not, it’s impossible not to see why he chose this fantastical landscape for his epic tale. Its epic beauty stands up to all expectations.

If you’re the type that would prefer that a guide bring you all across New Zealand on a tour bus and save a bit of money on renting a car, but want to book your own accommodations and food, then the Flexible Fully Guided Bus Pass is the way to go. It gives you so much freedom but brings you to all of the best places in New Zealand while having an expert guide with you the entire time - plus, you can just sit back and relax during the entire trip!

Heading out from Queenstown and Te Anau:

• Stunning West Coast: Wanaka to Picton and the Franz Josef Glacier

• Queenstown to Christchurch - Great New Zealand Road Trips

Learn more about this country, and its customs and culture, by reading the short Culture Smart! book today!

FAQ’s

How did you get around Queenstown and Te Anau? Did you rent a car or use public transportation?

We rented a car from Apex Car Rentals, which had the best rates and unlimited mileage. We found driving in New Zealand to be easy and scenic, and having a car gave us more flexibility and freedom to explore the area. Public transportation is also available, but it can be limited and expensive, especially in Te Anau.

What were some of the best activities or attractions you did or saw in Queenstown and Te Anau? How much did they cost and how did you book them?

There are so many things to do and see in Queenstown and Te Anau, but some of our favorites were:

- Skyline Gondola and Luge: This was a fun and exhilarating way to enjoy the panoramic views of Queenstown and Lake Wakatipu. The gondola ride costs $44 NZD per adult and the luge ride costs $15 NZD per adult for two runs. We booked our tickets online from the Skyline website.

- Milford Sound Cruise: This was a breathtaking and unforgettable experience of seeing the majestic fjords, waterfalls, and wildlife of Milford Sound. The cruise costs $99 NZD per adult and includes a buffet lunch. We booked our cruise from the Real Journeys website.

- Glowworm Caves: This was a magical and fascinating tour of the underground caves filled with thousands of glowworms. The tour costs $99 NZD per adult and includes a boat ride and a nature walk. We booked our tour from the Real Journeys website as well.

How was the weather and climate in Queenstown and Te Anau? What kind of clothes and gear did you pack or need?

We visited Queenstown and Te Anau in late summer (February), and the weather was mostly sunny and mild, with occasional rain and wind. The average temperature was around 20°C, but it could drop to 10°C at night or in higher altitudes. We packed layers of clothing, such as t-shirts, sweaters, jackets, and pants, as well as hats, sunglasses, and sunscreen. We also brought hiking shoes, raincoats, and backpacks for our outdoor activities.

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