Getting to our Queenstown Hostels
Adventure Queenstown & Adventure Q2
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Introduction to the Queenstown region
Queenstown is rightly known as the adventure capital of the Southern Hemisphere, with over a million tourists flocking through annually it’s a major destination in itself as well as being a gateway into the country for overseas travellers. Whether you’re travelling by plane, bus, car or even walking the Te Araroa – you’re bound to be stopping in Queenstown at some time or another.
Queenstown is part of the much wider Queenstown Lakes area. This district stretches for hours of drive-time and encompasses downtown Queenstown, and other townships further afield – areas such as Wānaka and Hawea to the North, Cromwell to the East and as far as Kingston to the South. It’s a massive area to explore, with so much to see and do, from Jetboating to Yoga retreats. Wherever you are, and at every turn, you’ll no doubt find a postcard-picture view.
In terms of transportation; Outside of Auckland, New Zealand’s most populous city, the country sadly lacks for a decent public transport system. There just isn’t enough demand for one in the rural areas outside of the big cities. Travelling into town from the airport on the public bus is thankfully a really easy, straight forward and great value method to reach Queenstown central. Unfortunately beyond that, it’s difficult to reach many fantastic locations and destinations outside of Queenstown central. We strongly advise that if you have the budget, rent yourself a vehicle, if only for 2 or 3 days.
Click to enlarge either map
Self-driving to Queenstown
If you’re travelling New Zealand by car, you’ll more than likely be coming from the North. In which case you’ll have opted for either the Central Route (via Mt Tekapo, Mt Cook) or along the West Coast (past Franz Josef and Fox Glaciers). Whichever route you opt to take, and whatever time of year, you’ll have breathtaking views or find yourself in permanent panoramic awe.
In the Summer, we’d recommend the West Coast route, via the glaciers and Hokitika. Over the Winter, when the West Coast becomes the ‘Wet & Windy Coast’ take the central highland route via Mackenzie County.
The central route can be tricky at times in Winter, and the Lindis Pass – north of Cromwell can often be closed at short notice due to high snowfall. Be prepared if travelling this route between June and September. Follow the advice of Waka Kotahi (NZ transport agency), drive to the conditions and take warm clothes, drinks and snacks in case you need to stop for a while.
This is also the case for travellers coming from the West Coast in Winter, and the Haast Pass around Haast and Makaroa can also close suddenly, at short notice.
The Crown Range, to/from Lake Wanaka
Average driving times: (factoring in views and stopping points as follows)
From Wanaka
1.5 hours, 1 hour drive time
You’ll pass: Crown Range lookout, Cardrona Hotel, Cardrona Distillery, Cardrona Ski Field
From Mt Cook, via Cromwell: 3 hours, 2.5 hours drive time
You’ll pass: Lake Pukaki, Lindis Valley Summit lookout, Omarama Clay Cliffs, Cromwell’s Big Fruit, plenty of Vineyards & Lake Dunstan
Parking
Queenstown can be a struggle for parking at the best of times. Check out our full guide below for free park suggestions and local paid parking rates.
The Lindis Valley, towards Cromwell
Travelling cross-country, via Intercity Bus
Sit back and soak up those views. Intercity run services to Queenstown from most major stop-off points on the West Coast, from most towns on the Southern Alps and. Services usually run daily to Queenstown via the inland routes, with the West Coast service reduced over the Winter period.
Bus journey times (approximate):
Christchurch to Queenstown: 8 hrs 10
Fox Glacier to Queenstown: 7 hrs 55
Franz Josef to Queenstown: 8 hrs 30
Tekapo to Queenstown: 3 hrs 50
Dunedin to Queenstown: 4 hrs 40
Wanaka to Queenstown: 1 hr 50
Mt Cook to Queenstown: 4 hrs
Invercargill to Queenstown: 1 hr 50
Te Anau to Queenstown: 2 hr 15
When you arrive in Queenstown the Intercity bus or shuttle will drop you at the Athol St Car Park. This car park is within a 1 minute walk of both of our Queenstown Hostels.
For Adventure Q2, continue down Athol St for 20 metres and you’ll find Adventure Q2 on the left.
For Adventure Queenstown, turn around and head for the Fat Badgers (opposite where the bus drops you), we are across the road from there.
Flying into Queenstown Airport
Queenstown airport is a relatively small airport, with flights arriving into the airport between 7am at the earliest and 10pm at the latest. It’s easy to navigate and you shouldn’t encounter any issues getting from gate to luggage carousel or exit.
If you’re arriving internationally: you must pass through New Zealand customs and bio-security, which usually takes between 30-60 minutes.
Once you leave the terminal building (there is only one) you’ll have a taxi rank and a bus stop immediately in front of the exits. By far the cheapest method of getting to town is on the public bus, operated by private service Ritchies, on behalf of the local district council.
To get to town, you’ll need Bus no.1 which departs every 30 mins from directly in front of the terminal, and takes just 25 mins to get town.
The bus does not accept debit or credit card so withdraw cash at the ATM at the airport. A journey from the airport is either $10 in cash or $1-2 with a Bee Card, which you’ll need to purchase from the bus driver.
The bus usually operates between around 6am and 11:30pm at the latest.
Alternatively taking an Uber or a taxi will cost anywhere from $35-80 depending on the time of day and availability of drivers.
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