Queenstown

Where adventure tourism was invented

In 1988 AJ Hackett opened a jump platform on the historic Kawarau Bridge and created the world's first commercial bungy operation. It still runs today at 43 metres, and it remains the sentimental favourite even though the nearby Nevis Bungy is nearly three times higher at 134 metres.

The Shotover River, which made the district rich during the 1860s gold rush when it was called the richest river in the world, now carries jet boats through canyons at 85km/h. Skydiving, canyon swings, paragliding off Bob's Peak and white-water rafting all operate year-round.

The lake that breathes

Lake Wakatipu is 80km long and bent into a distinctive Z shape. Māori tradition tells of Matau, a giant who was set alight while sleeping and whose burning body melted the hollow the lake now fills; his heart still beats at the bottom.

The science is nearly as good a story. The lake's level genuinely rises and falls about 10-12cm every 27 minutes, a standing-wave oscillation called a seiche. You can watch it against the jetty pilings at Queenstown Bay.

The TSS Earnslaw, a coal-fired steamship launched in 1912 and still stoked by hand, crosses the lake daily to Walter Peak high-country farm.

Four ski fields and a wine valley

Winter runs roughly June to September across Coronet Peak, the Remarkables, Cardrona and Treble Cone — all within about 90 minutes. Coronet Peak is the only one with regular night skiing.

Twenty minutes the other direction, Gibbston Valley is one of the coldest commercially viable wine regions on earth, which is exactly why its Pinot Noir is so good. Many cellar doors sit within cycling distance of each other along the Gibbston River Trail.