Queenstown, Dunedin and Otago

Queenstown is a major resort town that is located beside the deep blue waters of Lake Wakatipu at the foot of the Remarkables Range in west Otago. The Otago Coast stretches from the Waitaki River to the mighty Clutha River, which is on the Island’s eastern coast. About halfway between is Dunedin, built around Otago Harbour, which indents Otago Peninsula.

Queenstown is New Zealand’s year-round alpine destination, with four world-renowned ski fields within easy reach, that have tons of snow to ski, snowboard and play in. If you would like to try something a bit more daring, Queenstown is the world capital and home of bungy jumping. There are many great specialty and souvenir shops to go shopping and over 100 restaurants to relax and wind down or just to enjoy the magnificent scenery.

Dunedin is the South Island’s second-largest city, with a population of 112,000. Dunedin is an elegant city, with many grand nineteenth-century and Edwardian buildings that are amongst some of the most beautiful in the Southern Hemisphere. It is also the commercial centre for the Otago region.

Otago is often called the golden country due to its goldmining associations, vivid autumn colours and apricot orchards. The Otago region has the hottest summers and the coldest winters in New Zealand. Here you can visit old gold mining sites, walk the heritage trails, drop by some ancient stone cottages and see most beautiful countryside.

The South Island is cooler than the North Island by a few degrees. Winter in New Zealand is from June to August and summer is from December to February. There are regional variations: It is quite warm and pleasant up in the Northland region at any time of the year. Higher altitudes are always considerably cooler, and it is usually windy in Wellington, which catches the winds whistling through the Cook Straight.

Snow is mostly seen in the mountains, although there can be snowfalls, even at sea level, In the South Island, particularly in the extreme south. Some of the plains and higher plateaus also receive snow in winter, notably the Canterbury plains and the high plateau around the Tongariro National Park, especially on the east side. Snow is seldom seen near sea level on the West Coast of either and not at all in the far north.

An important thing you must know about the New Zealand climate is that it is a maritime climate, as opposed to the continental climate typical of larger land masses. This means the weather can change with amazing rapidity.