10 Best Things to Do near Queenstown That the Kids Will Love

There has never been a better time to bask in New Zealand’s wild beauty. Queenstown is a particularly special place and one that is begging families to visit thanks to its abundance of outdoor space and safe but invigorating activities to do in it.

If you want adventure and action or you are just looking for calm and quiet, we’ve got you covered with some of the best ways to get the kids out of the house to appreciate all Queenstown has to offer.

1.    TSS Earnslaw Steamship Cruise

2.    Queenstown Jet Boat Ride

3.    Hydro Attack Shark Boat Ride

4.    360 UTV Half Day Tour

5.    Milford Sound Scenic Cruise

6.    Giant Rope Swing and Extreme Zipline in Queenstown

7.    Gold Heritage Skippers Canyon Road 4WD Tour from Queenstown

8.    Indoor Skydiving Experience

9.    Make Your Own Honey

10.  Kiwi Birdlife Park Entry

If you feel like the kids have had a little bit too much screen time lately, a cruise on Lake Wakatipu on a beautiful steamship might be just the thing they need. This is the perfect place to get those little imaginations running wild!

The TSS Earnslaw Steamship is the only steamship operating in the Southern Hemisphere and is just minutes from the centre of Queenstown. Take a 90 minute journey across the turquoise waters of Lake Wakatipu and soak in the awe-inspiring surroundings as you pass by snow capped peaks of The Remarkables, Cecil Peak and Walter Peak, completely surrounded by the tranquility of nature. As mesmerising as the scenery is, make sure to spend some time indoors at the mini-museum and the engine room to appreciate the historical significance of this steamship!

You simply cannot visit Queenstown without taking part in a jet boat ride!

This crazy thrill is perfect for children and adults alike and will send you spinning in full circles intermittently as you take in the glorious sights.

Your journey starts with a ride up to Lake Wakatipu and past the Remarkables Mountain Ranges, before gathering speed and making your way up to the Shotover and Kawarau rivers where the unpredictable twists and turns begin!

Hold on tight as your experienced driver provides plenty of exciting manoeuvres before heading back down the scenic river after this hour-long, exhilarating bundle of fun!

Only in Queenstown could you hop inside a scary-looking, shark-shaped vessel with angry eyes and big white teeth and shoot through the water – both above and below – like a great white shark. These boats are the first of their kind and have been specially designed to allow high speeds to be reached as well as being able to leap up to 18 feet out of the water and up into the air.

It may sound untrue, but this is a very real experience you can have on (and in) Lake Wakatipu and it certainly isn’t one to be missed!

Kids over the age of six can take part in the fun, too, and with the capacity to speed up to 80 kilometres an hour, anybody who prefers a little less pace can simply request the driver not to go full pedal to the metal.

Opt-in for a photo so you can prove to your mates that you survived a shark attack!

Roaring high above Queenstown, turn up your thrillometor as you go on an off-road adventure like no other! Head to Queenstown Hill, a high country sheep station with more than 25kms of varied trails ready to explore. Jump on a UTV and head off-road with your expert driver-guide. There will be plenty of stops along the way to savour the best views of Queenstown and its surrounds while hearing an interesting commentary about the European and Maori history of the area, along with tales of Gold Rush and Royals.

Get ready for your thrilling off-road adventure!

Can you tell that we love Milford Sound? Yeah, we talk about it a lot but that’s only because we want you to have the best experiences all the time and anything to do with this luscious part of New Zealand is worth harping on about.

You can see all Milford Sound has to offer from the land and the sky, but a visit by water on a scenic cruise is the best way to get as close as possible to the magnificent waterways, waterfalls and any dolphins or seals who might be frolicking in the vicinity! If there aren’t any animals in the water, try to spot the elephant and lion in the famous rock formations.

This two-hour cruise is the perfect length to keep the little ones entertained and with plenty of room to spread out onboard, you can pick a spot, settle in, and enjoy the quality family time in the great outdoors.

Queenstown is known for its wide offering of adventure-laden activities, such as bungee jumping, skydiving, white water rafting and heli-skiing, so it should come as no surprise that you can also dive off a cliff connected to a rope and swing across a canyon.

Daredevils will have the time of their life as they launch themselves from the highest cliff jump in the world before experiencing a heart-stopping 60-metre free fall. Once the adrenalin has hit, there’s a 200-metre swinging length to slow down the pace and enjoy the view.

If freefalling isn’t for you but you are keen for some dizzying heights, a ziplining adventure across the Shotover Canyon will be right up your alley.

Extreme ziplining can be done alone or with a buddy just in case you need some moral support!

Part history lesson part four-wheel-driving tour, the Gold Heritage Skippers Canyon tour will see you navigate testing terrain and even conquering Skippers Suspension Bridge – one of the highest suspension bridges in New Zealand (which also happens to be almost 120 years old!).

 As you pass through the wilderness in this unique way you will have opportunities to stop and take it all in, ensuring that you grab some photos from the Plane Table Lookout, which is the perfect vantage point for an uninterrupted view of Wakatipu Basin.

The latter part of your tour will be spent visiting a historic mining area, including afternoon tea at an old schoolhouse before finishing your day with a lesson in panning for gold at the famous Shotover River.

If the thought of letting your child jump out of a plane terrifies you, you’re a completely normal parent. If your child desperately wants to skydive, however, we have a solution for you!

At iFly, you can experience the rush of free falling in the safety of a specially designed enclosed tube that affords you the feeling of flying through the air without going anywhere near a plane.

A totally safe yet adrenalin-charged activity for the whole family, iFly has captured the thrill of skydiving without the risk and even offers family passes at a reduced cost. What’s not to love?

Avoiding teaching your kids about the birds and the bees? How about giving them an education on where honey comes from instead?

With this interactive experience, you will learn all about what it takes to be a beekeeper, how honeycomb is formed and take a turn at extracting the honey from it before scraping down the frames for that delicious liquid gold.

At the end of the session, you will take home your own pot of honey so every time you slather it on toast, drip it in your tea or enhance your cooking with it you will remember the informative and enlightening day you shared with your family.

Looking for a cheep-cheep way to entertain the whole family all day? Why not visit Kiwi Birdlife Park?

Kiwis are adorable and notoriously shy, which makes them even cuter in our eyes. Unfortunately, because they are so elusive, it is incredibly unlikely that you will see one in the wild and your best bet to catch a look at these fluffy birds is by visiting Kiwi Birdlife Park.

At Kiwi Birdlife Park the kiwis are housed in special nocturnal fixtures that allow them to feel safe and comfortable, meaning they won’t hide away from guests. It’s a wing-wing!

There are five acres of park to explore, with hundreds of rare and interesting feathered friends to meet, take a beak at and learn about. Children will love the bird encounters and there are loads of photo ops for the family to immortalise the chirpy day out.

Whether your kids are adventure seekers, quiet perceptive types or even a bit of both, there are heaps of ways to entertain the whole family that won’t send you broke but will get you out, about and trying things you’ve never had a crack at before. You’re welcome!