Have you seen those amazing, bird’s eye pictures of Queenstown, New Zealand? Many of them are taken from the Skyline viewing deck on Bob’s Peak.
That alone is reason enough to visit the Skyline, but there’s so much more to be found there! When a friend and I visited Queenstown in February, visiting the Skyline was one of the highlights of the trip.
Keep reading to find out why you need to visit the Skyline during your trip to Queenstown.
Related:
- 15 Things You Need to Know Before Visiting New Zealand
- 8 Can’t-Miss Things To Do In Queenstown, New Zealand
- 5 Tips to Plan the Ultimate Trip to Milford Sound, NZ
1. Ride the Skyline Gondola
To get to the Skyline on top of Bob’s Peak, you’ll take a scenic gondola ride up the mountain.
I love gondola rides because they offer great views through clear windows and are generally slow enough that I don’t need to worry about my motion sickness kicking in.
The Skyline Gondola is no exception. You’ll see incredible views of Queenstown as you ascend the mountain at a moderate speed.
This is a fun, easy activity that you can do on any day of your trip. I recommend trying to be up there during the twilight hours to get amazing pictures of the sunset.
2. Take pictures from the Skyline viewing deck
Many of the beautiful, bird’s eye images of Queenstown are taken from the Skyline viewing deck.
After you exit the gondola, head to the viewing deck to take in the amazing sight of Queenstown, Lake Wakatipu, and the surrounding mountain ranges.
Then take all the pictures you want to your heart’s content. There’s no limit to how long you can be on the viewing deck and we found there was plenty of space for everyone to get unobstructed pictures.
3. Eat on top of the world
Next, head to the Skyline restaurant. This is a must-eat place in Queenstown. It’s buffet-style eating, which can be hit or miss, but at the Skyline restaurant, it’s definitely a hit.
This restaurant has one of the best buffets I’ve ever enjoyed. There was something there for just about every taste palette. You’ll find it hard to save room for dessert, but you have to because there’s an entire room devoted to those culinary creations! Delicious!
4. Fulfill your Olympic dreams on the luge
You may never ride the luge in the Olympics, but you can join in on the fun by riding the Skyline luge.
The luge course is made of concrete and the sleds have wheels, so it’s not quite as fear-inducing as the Olympic luges – which makes it even more fun!
The luge course has two tracks – a slow one and a fast one. Everyone has to take their first ride of the day on the slow track. If you think the slow track is plenty fast for you, you can just stick to the slow track.
Tips for having the best luge experience:
- Sign-up for a minimum of two rides. During the first ride, you’re still figuring things out, so you need a second ride to fully enjoy the experience.
- Consider renting a GoPro on-site or bringing your own along to record the luge ride. If you bring your own, you’ll need a helmet or body mount so that your hands are free to hold on to the steering wheel. My biggest regret of my trip to New Zealand was not having a GoPro or similar recording device to capture the majesty of the experience.
5. Get your adventure thrills
If you’re looking for more adventure after the luge, then you’ll find plenty more on Bob’s Peak!
- Bungy: If you ever wanted to go bungee jumping (spelled “bungy” in New Zealand), this is one of the most scenic spots to make your dream a reality!
- Paragliding: I haven’t built up the courage to go paragliding yet, but it’s on my list! If you’re ready to make the jump, try it out on Bob’s Peak. You’ll soar over Queenstown in one of the most beautiful views in the world.
- Mountain bike: There are several places where you can rent bikes in Queenstown. After renting your bike, take it over to the gondola complex, where a gondola operator will strap it to the gondola to ride up the mountain with you. Once at the top, a gondola operator will unhook your bike. Then you’ll be able to choose from 30 trails to speed down the mountain – all without the hard work of biking up it!
- Hikes & walks: If hiking or walking is more your style, there are plenty of trails to choose from on Bob’s Peak. Grab a trail map from the information desk and go on the trail of your choice.
6. Watch a Haka dance
If you’re not familiar with the Maori Haka dance, you’re in for a treat! It’s a traditional dance unlike any other and once you see it, you’ll want to see it again and again.
Book a Kiwi Haka show at the Skyline to experience this incredible display of song and dance.
7. Go stargazing
If you’re a city dweller like me, you might not get to experience the nighttime stars very often.
The Skyline offers a chance to remedy that with a world-class stargazing program. After the sun sets, you can listen to experienced guides describe the night sky and see galaxies far, far away through high-powered telescopes.
What to Know Before You Go
To have the best experience visiting the Skyline, keep in mind the tips below.
Monitor the weather
In Queenstown, the weather can be unpredictable. One day is beautiful, with clear blue skies. The next day is so foggy that you can barely see 10 feet in front of you. When we visited Queenstown, we booked advance reservations for the gondola and Skyline restaurant. But it looked like the weather was going to be pretty foggy for the day we booked. So we decided to visit the Skyline the day before our reservations, too, so that we could see what it looked like on a clear, sunny day. The next day, it was indeed incredibly foggy, so we got to experience the Skyline on both a clear day and a foggy day.
Consider booking tickets in advance
We booked advanced tickets through Trip Advisor for the gondola and Skyline restaurant. However, because the weather was looking to be foggy for the day we booked, we decided at the last minute to visit the Skyline the day before, too. For that visit, we purchased tickets at the gondola complex. And they ended up being much more expensive than the tickets we booked for the next day through Trip Advisor.
If you’re looking to save costs on your visit to the Skyline, consider booking tickets in advance through a third-party site like Trip Advisor. Even if you make last minute changes, you can still use the WiFi connection at your hotel or Airbnb to book the tickets before you head over to the gondola complex.
I hope you love the Skyline just as much as I did!
Want to learn more about traveling to New Zealand? Read this post to find out what you need to know before visiting New Zealand.
Comments or Questions?
Have a comment or a question? I’d love to hear from you! Visit me on Instagram @eastbymidwest and leave a comment or DM, or send me an email at pam@eastbymidwest.com.
