Queenstown Travel Forum

Hi,

I'm going to be in Queenstown in January and was wondering whether I should book any activities or accommodation beforehand.

Hopefully I'll be in a motor home as we're travelling around NZ and want a bit more flexibility.

If you have any other tips it would be much appreciated.

Thank you
Scotty Mac

January is a very busy summer vacation month in all of NZ. Mostly you will be ok except you can't expect to do things just when you want if you don't have bookings. At least book some stuff 3 days ahead if you can. And maybe Saturdays are busier than other days.
I recommend going up the Gondola to get a spectacular view. REad the member pages already written here on VT and you can add tips and stuff to your VT Custom Travel Guide. Queenstown is my favourite place.
Even if you don't do a Bungy Jump, the Kawarau Bungy Centre is worth a visit just to see the amazing building and display. There is a cafe there to enjoy and you can watch the jumpers. Have fun!!

Thank you for your reply.

There are a few free camping places around Queenstown, but yes they do get quite full at that time of year. But a couple of days in advance should be ok to book for most places.
There's the centre in town where a lot of the adventure companies have kiosks all under the one roof and the other info centres in town are all helpful.
Here's a Queenstown adventure website-
http://www.infotrack.co.nz/
Have fun!

I agree, in January you should really book activities in advance. Normally the day before is good enough but sometimes tour buses block a lot of capacity. When I was in Queenstown some weeks ago - so in late autumn/winter - you only got on the Shotover Jet on the same day very early in the morning or as a stand-by when somebody with a reservation did not show up. They are really very busy, and January is the busiest month.

Friends of us travelled by motorhome in January and some campgrounds were fully booked. So sometimes they just did free camping (even at Coronet Peak/Queenstown which was spectacular) and went to the campgrounds for taking a shower. This is still possible if they are fully booked, they just charge some dollars for the service. So if you know where you will be in the evening try to make a reservation the night before or in the morning.

Thanks again.

I'll definitely be taking all your advice on board and booking activities and accommodation in advance.