Private guided walk from Queenstown
Five trails, one guide, and the right one chosen on the day.
From NZD $250 per person
Every tour is private, for your party alone, and runs on demand.
The day in brief
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Duration
Half day, approx. 4 hours
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Departs
9:00 am or 1:00 pm, door to door
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Activity
Easy to moderate, matched to your party
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Season
Year round, some routes best October to April
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Lunch
Not included
The route is chosen on the day
Queenstown is ringed by good walking, and the best of it is close to town. Rather than fix a route weeks in advance, this half day is decided on the morning itself, between you and your guide, on the strength of how the party is feeling, what you want from the day, and what the weather is doing.
Bob's Cove
Bob's Cove is among the gentlest, a lakeside track through native beech and manuka to an 1870s lime kiln, with a short steep climb at the end to a lookout over the water.
Moke Lake
Moke Lake trades the lake shore for farmland and a mirror lake in a fold of the hills, a level loop of about six and a half kilometres with almost nobody on it.
Mount Crichton
Mount Crichton is the walker's choice, a formed loop through beech forest past a waterfall, an old gold tailrace tunnel and the restored Sam Summers Hut.
Around Arrowtown
Around Arrowtown there are two more. The riverside walkway follows the Arrow River out of town beneath willows and poplars, an easy, mostly level wander past the restored miners' huts, and at its best when the trees turn gold in autumn. Sawpit Gully is the proper climb, a loop up through the gully and over the tussock tops above the town, with Lake Hayes and the whole Wakatipu Basin laid out below and the marks of the gold rush the whole way.
Scenes from the day
On the day
Whichever you take, your guide carries the natural and human history of the ground you are walking on, and morning or afternoon tea is set out somewhere worth stopping. Sturdy shoes are wise, and if the party would rather take it very gently, say so on the day and the route changes to suit.
Included in your tour
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Your own vehicle and guide
A private luxury vehicle and dedicated driver-guide for the half day.
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Door to door
Hotel pick-up and return in Queenstown.
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The walk
On the route chosen with you on the morning itself.
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Morning or afternoon tea
Set out somewhere worth stopping, with bottled water.
Not included: lunch, and any optional extras, which are arranged on request.
Frequently asked questions
How long is the walking half day?
How long is the walking half day?
About four hours door to door, running either from 9:00 am or from 1:00 pm.
How fit do we need to be?
How fit do we need to be?
Easy to moderate, and matched to your party. Bob's Cove and the Arrow River walkway are the gentlest, and Mount Crichton and Sawpit Gully the most demanding. If you would rather take it very gently, say so on the day and the route changes to suit.
When is the route decided?
When is the route decided?
On the morning itself, between you and your guide, on how the party is feeling and what the weather is doing.
What should we wear?
What should we wear?
Sturdy shoes and a warm layer. The tracks are formed but can be damp underfoot.
Travel it privately
Tell us your dates and who is travelling, and we will shape the half day around you.
Travel it privately
Tell us your dates and who is travelling, and we will shape the half day around you.
