Queenstown, New Zealand
Encyclopedia : Q : QU : QUE : Queenstown, New Zealand
| Queenstown |  |
|
|---|---|---|
| Urban Area | Population | 9,251 (2006) |
| Extent | ||
| Territorial Authority |
Name | Queenstown Lakes District Council |
| Regional Council |
Name | Otago |
Queenstown is a resort town in Otago in the south-west of New Zealand's South Island. The town is built around an inlet on Lake Wakatipu, a long thin "S"-shaped lake, and has spectactular views of nearby mountains.
There are various accounts of how the town was named, the most popular suggests that a local gold digger exclaimed that the town was "fit for Queen Victoria". It is sometimes referred to disparagingly as "Vegas by the Lake" due to a perceived fixation with moneymaking activities, and is popular with tourism operators.
The town is the largest centre in Central Otago, but for some administrative purposes it is considered part of Southland. According to the 2001 census, the usually resident population of the Queenstown urban area (including Frankton and Kelvin Heights) is 8535, an increase of 19.3% since 1996.
Its neighbouring towns and districts include Arrowtown, Wanaka, Alexandra, and Cromwell. The nearest cities are Dunedin and Invercargill.
Tourism
A resort town, Queenstown is a centre for adventure tourism. Skiing, jet boating, bungy jumping, mountain biking and tramping are all strong promotional themes.Along with Mount Ruapehu, Queenstown is a major centre for snow sports in New Zealand, with people from all over the country and many parts of the world travelling to ski at the four main mountain skifields (Cardrona, Coronet Peak, The Remarkables and Treble Cone).
Locally, Queenstown has an enviable reputation as one of New Zealand's wine and cuisine centres. Neighbouring Arrowtown features excellent restaurants and bars, and Queenstown lies close to the centre of a small wine producing region, reputed to be the world's southernmost. Pinot noir produced in this area fetches premium prices.
Queenstown is connected to Auckland and Christchurch via its airport; Queenstown Airport
Highlights
- Lake Wakatipu - TSS Earnslaw, Kingston Flyer, Hydrofoil
- Adventure Tourism, jetboats, bungy jump, skiing
- Cricket (new One Day International venue) /Golf
- Queenstown Airport at Frankton (International during ski season; NZ-Australia only)
- Skyline Gondola and luge
- Winter festival
- Goldmining, Arrowtown, Central Otago history, sheep farming and Walter Peak station.
- Southern Lakes District & Milford Sound/Homer Tunnel
- Glenorchy & Routeburn track
Gallery
Transport
Queenstown airport was controversially upgraded in the 1990s to be able to handle jet aircraft, including international flights from Australia. A side effect was that Air New Zealand fitted 'hush kits' to its entire fleet of Boeing 737 aircraft. The airport receives international flights from Australia only, and these are confined to the winter ski season. Queenstown airport is New Zealand's busiest helicopter base, and is also heavily utilised for tourist 'flightseeing' using both fixed and rotary wing aircraft.Road access is via State Highway 6 which connects to Cromwell and Dunedin to the east via the winding and slip-prone Kawarau gorge, and to the south via the lake shore to Lumsden and Invercargill. A notoriously difficult road over the Crown Range leads to Cardrona skifield and Wanaka, and is New Zealand's highest public road.
References
External links
- [Queenstown.com]
- [Queenstown Lakes District Council]
- [Chamber of Commerce]
- [Experience Queenstown]
- [Queenstown Jobs]
- [Queenstown Airport official site]
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