In short
Queenstown is a small town of a few thousand residents receiving millions of visitors: everything is sized for tourism, prices included. It sits on one shore of Lake Wakatipu, facing the Remarkables.
The centre is crossed on foot in ten minutes. Frankton, five kilometres out, holds the airport, the supermarkets and part of the affordable housing. Arrowtown, twenty minutes away, is a preserved gold-rush village.
Arriving and getting around
The airport is at Frankton, with direct links to Australia. Its approach between mountains imposes strict weather rules: diversions to Christchurch or Invercargill are frequent in wind or low cloud.
The town bus links the centre to Frankton and Arrowtown. Beyond that, a car or an organised trip is required.
Milford Sound in a day from Queenstown means twelve to thirteen hours there and back, most of it on a bus. Sleeping at Te Anau the night before cuts the day down sharply.
What it really costs
Queenstown is the most expensive town in New Zealand to stay in, and supply is structurally short in high season. Booking late, in summer or winter, costs a great deal or finds nothing.
The activities — bungy, jet boat, paragliding, heliskiing — are the second item, and none of them is cheap.
When to come
Two high seasons: December–February for walking and the lake, July–September for skiing at Coronet Peak, the Remarkables and Cardrona.
May and November are the troughs: everything open, nothing full.
What nobody tells you
The Kawarau bridge, twenty minutes away, is the site of the world's first commercial bungy jump, opened in 1988. You can go and watch from the platform for nothing.
The Ben Lomond walk starts at the top of the gondola and climbs to 1,748 metres: it is a genuine mountain outing, routinely underestimated by walkers who set off in trainers.
Glenorchy, at the end of the lakeside road, gives access to the Rees and Dart valleys. The road itself is worth the drive.