Skiing
Coronet Peak. Queenstown's original ski resort, 20 minutes from town, rocks day and night to a ski and snowboard crowd that returns year after year. Not only is it accessible, but it also has a veritable army of ski guns to keep the snow topped up. It has a skiable area of 700 acres, a vertical drop of 1,360 feet, a high-speed six-seater, two express quads, and a T-bar, as well as four learner conveyor lifts in the learners area. The season usually runs June to October. Night skiing is available on Friday and Saturday night from early July to mid-September. Ski shuttles depart regularly from Queenstown Snow Centre. Coronet Peak Station Rd., Queenstown, Otago, 9371. 03/442–4620; www.nzski.com. Day pass NZ$104.
The Remarkables. Just across the valley, the Remarkables is a higher ski area that's a bit more of a drive but has something to suit all abilities from three terrain parks to wide sunny slopes to serious black runs. The vertical drop here is 1,160 feet and it has a fast-speed six-seater, and three quads. It's a great place to take kids with good vantage points to watch them on the learners slopes, and if skiing's not your thing you can take the family tubing—which is like sledding on a giant inner tube. It's a 45-minute drive from Queenstown and if you don't like heights or hairpin bends and unsealed roads you can catch the Ski Shuttle from the Queenstown Snow Centre in town. Queenstown, Otago, 9371. 03/442–4615; www.nzski.com. NZ$104.
