Driving along Lake Esplanade in Queenstown | Otago | New Zealand | 4K

Categories: Otago Region

Tags: driving, lake esplanade, lake wakitupu, new zealand, otago, queenstown

Added: 2 years ago

Driving along Lake Esplanade next to Lake Wakatipu in Queenstown, in the Otago region, on the East Coast of New Zealand's South Island.

Queenstown is a famous holiday resort town at any time of the year. The town is renowned for its four distinct seasons. Winter brings cold, blue-sky days; then spring keeps the snow with longer, warmer days. Finally, summer offers sunshine with long twilights, and autumn is a brilliant red and gold surge.

The spectacle of the Central Otago landscape unfolds before you as you drive out of Queenstown. You'll recognize many Middle-earth locations here if you're a Lord of the Rings fan. Nearby in Arrowtown, explore gold mining history, visit the Lakes District Museum, or go gold panning. At the northern tip of Lake Wakatipu are rural Glenorchy and Paradise Valley. Also, from here, it's a short drive into Mt Aspiring National Park, where some of New Zealand's great walks start.

Queenstown offers skiing from winter through spring. Other activities include sky diving, bungy jumping, canyon swinging, horse trekking, jet boating, and river rafting all year round. Queenstown is also a renowned cycling destination. The town provides easy scenic tracks, backcountry trails, road rides, heli-biking, and the Southern Hemisphere's only gondola-accessed downhill mountain biking.

If adventure isn't your thing, plenty of mellow options exist. Experience one of the many walking or hiking trails and sightseeing tours, or treat yourself to a spa treatment, boutique shopping, and excellent food and wine.