10 Best Sights in Queenstown, The Southern Alps and Fiordland

The wine-making industry in Central Otago began with the vines that were first planted here. The best-known vineyard in Central Otago, Gibbston Valley Wines is a beautiful spot for lunch, wine tasting and shopping in a boutique deli. There are cheese platters and tasty sandwiches through to a full à la carte menu with wine recommendations. You can even taste wines in a cool, barrel-lined cave with cave tours on the hour. There is also an on-site spa if you need to unwind after exercising your tastebuds.

This lovely ship is more than 100 years old, and one of the world's few coal-fired steamships still operating. It's in superb condition partly because it's only been on this lake and the water's so pure. T.S.S. (Twin Screw Steamer) Earnslaw runs across to Walter Peak and back on a 1½-hour cruise. You can do a stopover at Walter Peak High Country Farm and watch a sheep shearing and farm dog demonstration. But the best trip is to go to the Colonel's Homestead Restaurant for dinner (or lunch); it's an exceptional buffet—make sure you leave room for the sumptuous selection of desserts. The cruise back into Queenstown's particularly beautiful when the sun's going down.

Step into this expansive winery and bistro and enjoy stunning lake and mountain views. Both the wines and the restaurant have earned accolades over the years. Go for a memorable Trust the Chef lunch or dinner. Wine-tastings are available at the cellar door; the pinot noir, aromatic whites such as riesling and pinot gris, and the méthode traditionelle are all worth sampling.

This charming vineyard perches on a rare flat spot on the edge of the Kawarau Gorge, not far from Gibbston Valley and opposite AJ Hackett Bungy. Its location and access road are beautiful, and you'll find an excellent portfolio of wines to taste including pinot noir, chardonnay, gewürztraminer, pinot grigio, and riesling. Tastings are free but are by appointment only, with a maximum of six per group.

A scary addition to the adventure scene in Queenstown, Fear Factory challenges you to walk through their haunted hotel in the center of town. Not for kids—thousands of people have chickened out (just yell "chicken," and you don't have to continue). It's best to do this half-hour activity with friends as you won't be mixed with any other groups. Those under 15 must be accompanied by an adult.

Only a 20-minute drive from the bustle of central Queenstown, Moke Lake is a peaceful, but popular, spot for an leisurely walk in the mountains. The horseshoe lake is known for its stillness and its photogenic reflections of the surrounding ranges. There is a campsite and many trails branching from the main carpark. The most popular is a fairly flat 6 km (4 mile) loop of the lake that takes three hours. For a spectacular summertime hike, there is a five-hour trail that starts from the carpark and ventures 14.5 km (9 miles) through the historic Moonlight goldfields, past the Shotover River, and arrives at Arthur's Point township.

You could spend a lot of time in the tasting room and restaurant with the large range of good wines on offer here. You can also keep it simple by grabbing one of their tasting trays, featuring a selection complete with notes. There are some sweet dessert wines that can only be bought at the cellar door to consider as well. Make sure you stay for lunch. Staffers are friendly and know their stuff, and the view out from Bannockburn is pure Central Otago.

The public Queenstown Gardens on the waterfront peninsula are always worth a quiet stroll. A popular picnic spot, it's one of the few places in Queenstown that hasn't changed. There's an easy path to wander along to wear off some of those calories you've consumed during your stay. Rent or bring your own disc and have a toss at the country's first Frisbee golf course. The Luma Light festival ( luma.nz) in early June shows the gardens at their most spectacular.

One of the enduring attractions in the area is the drive up Skippers Canyon. Harking back to the days when the hills were filled with gold diggers, the Skippers Road was hand carved out of rock, and it reaches into the deep recesses of the Shotover Valley. It's breathtakingly gorgeous, but you could also be breathtakingly scared: there's a good reason that rental car companies don't insure you if you drive on this twisty, narrow, unpaved road fraught with slips and vertical drops. It's usually best to visit this place on a tour.

Get the lay of the land by taking the Skyline Gondola up to the heights of Bob's Peak, 1,425 feet above the lake, for a smashing panoramic view of the town and across the lake to the Remarkables. You can also get there by walking the One Mile Creek Trail. Once there, watch the paragliders jump off the summit for their slow cruise back down to lake level. There is a café and a restaurant with a great buffet at the summit. For something a little faster, there's a luge ride, weather permitting. If even that isn't exciting enough, you can mountain bike, bungy, or paraglide from the summit terminal.