Queenstown Travel Forum

Hi,

Planning to travel to Queenstown from Dunedin in Nov. Can you suggest the best route and interesting places where I should make a short stop along the way?

Thanks a million

Best (??) route:
The fastest is Highway 1 along the coast.
At least take a look at the Moeraki Boulders.

happy travels
Jaap

Sorry: I thought it was Dunedin - Christchurch

Because of the geographical lay, this is not a direct route.
And I must assume you are driving and asking for the road route.
Dunedin > sth on Hwy 1 to Milton> West on Hwy 8 to Alexandra > Cromwell > Hwy 6 to Queenstown.
Lawrence is an quaint old historic town to stop for coffee.
You will then drive thru lovely Otago rock outcrops, past the Roxburgh Hydro dam, with plenty of photographic opportunities.
Alexandra is another historic town and further on a smaller historic town is Clyde where there are nice cafes and you can stop at the lookout to view the big hydro dam.
After Cromwell you drive thru the Kawarau Gorge and you may like to stop at the AJHackett Bungy centre if you have time. This place is modern and interesting to see the displays and history of how bungy jumping was developed. View some jumps and they have a nice cafe and shop too.
Have a great trip.

Hi,

Thanks. Yes, planning to drive there. Was just debating whether to take the Middlemarch-Ranfurly-Alexandra route or the route you have just advised. The route from Milton is slightly shorter so I think I will just take up your suggestion. As for the Clyde Dam are we able to drive close to the dam or just view from far?

Thanks again..

Yes, Pam's (kiwi) route is shorter. However, the road (SH 87) via Middlemarch and Ranfurly would take you through a classic Central Otago landscape, following the route of the Central Otago Rail Trail. It is like travelling through yesteryear, old villages, historic shops, a really lonesome and dry region. It is the warmest region in NZ in summer and the coldest in winter. Ranfurly is a nice art deco town.

More info and photos on this website:

http://www.otagorailtrail.co.nz/

Note: The route is not identical with the Rail Trail (which is mostly used for cycling, walking, and horseback riding) but passes through most townships.

Clyde Dam is north of Clyde. The water storage of the Clutha River is called Lake Dunstan and is really wide north of Cromwell. Up there two roads - one on each side - lead along Lake Dunstan. I mostly use the east side because the road leads directly along the lake the whole length to the point where it becomes a river again.

On the other route (SH 8) you pass an incredible lot of historic sites from the times of the goldrush, like Gabriel's Gully, Millers Flat and Gorge Creek.

Most important stops between Cromwell and Queenstown are Gibbston Valley winery, Arrowtown and Lake Hayes. On Lake Hayes you get the best reflections of the surrounding mountains you can imagine. Bungy Jumping at the Kawarau Gorge. And if it is only to look... ;-)

Don't drive the exceedingly boring common route through Milton etc. If you are going to do this trip once make sure to take the extra hour or two to see something different.

Drive to Palmerston and turn left up toward Ranfurly. At Dunback take a left again on McRaes Road and drive past the mcRaes Flat goldmine (working). continue on to Kyeburn.

Continue on through Ranfurley, Wedderburn, and Idaburn. When you get to Hills Creek you absolutely must turn right and go to St Bathans. The Vulcan Hotel here is seen on many a famous postcard. St Bathans is a sleepy ex gold-rush town with only a few buildings. All of them old wooden places. This is truly 'off the beaten track'. The road loops back to the main road at Blackstone Hill.

Now continue on to Alexandra, and from there continue your journey to Queenstown as described by others past the Clyde Dam and through the Crowwell Gorge.
You can drive through the little township of Clyde and to a good lookout point of the dam. There are also numerous opportunities to stop at fresh fruit stands and the like all along the way.

Have a great trip.
Greg

Almostswiss, the route on SH 87 through Middlemarch leads straight up to Kyeburn, Ranfurly etc., following the Otago Rail Trail to Alexandra and Clyde. The side-trip to St. Bathans is a very good suggestion.

The only thing you miss if you drive on SH 87 from Dunedin and not on SH 85 from Palmerston would be the huge goldmine of Macraes Flat which indeed is an impressive view. But you can also get there on a small road from Middlemarch, via a place called Moonlight.

It's all personal isn't it. I love Central Otago, and have roots in Oturehua. But I have met people who find the barren outcrops of that area to be boring and uninteresting.
I guess without doing both, travellers will never know which they prefer.
I hope the member who posted the question does come back and tell us which route they drove and how they enjoyed it.
I never tell anyone not to do something, as we are all different.

Yes, it is funny sometimes. There are even people who have not seen anything of a city and therefore recommend that it is not worth visiting it at all.

Hi, The Otago Rail Trail is interesting.. biking around..
I planned to take a naked bus from Dunedin to Queenstown. After i checked out the Otago Rail Trail, I'm thinking to spend 1 day 1 night on this. which destination to which destination has the best view?
thanks

Oh, that is really a hard one...

I thought the section between Oturehua and Alexandra/Clyde was a bit more interesting. There are great views along the whole track.

Given that you want to travel from Dunedin to Queenstown this would also be a very clever choice as this part of the Rail Trail would mostly go downhill ;-) Middlemarch to Oturehua is mostly uphill.

So you/we would just have to find out if there is a bike rental mid-way, or if you would have to get the bike in Middlemarch and arrange transportation to your starting point, Ranfurley/Oturehua or a little closer to Alexandra, and then drop it off at Alexandra or Clyde.

There are shuttles between Dunedin and Wanaka that would pick you up and drop you off at any location along the way.

On this page:

http://www.otagorailtrail.co.nz/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=35&Itemid=30

already the first company says they have a bike ready for hire at any point of the rail trail. They are in Ranfurly. That is exactly what you need :-)