THD | Eat the world
Queenstown is nestled among crystal blue lakes and picturesque mountains in the south island of New Zealand, and let me tell you, pictures don’t come close to doing this magical place justice. Queenstown is easily one of the most beautiful places my boyfriend and I have ever been. It’s clean with all the modern luxuries we’re used to in the Western world. It’s relaxing and comfortable, full of fun outdoorsy activities no matter the time of year, and things overall just move slower here. No wonder we met so many Americans there who came for holiday and never left. Here’s a list of everything we ate and did while in Queenstown, in case you’re planning a visit.
English (AU)
New Zealand Dollar; $1 NZD = $.70 USD
New Zealand is one of the most secular countries in the world, with about half of the population claiming to practice no religion at all. The majority of the rest of the population practices some form of Christianity.
Queenstown weather changes with the seasons. It sits on the 45 degree south latitude line, which means summer days are long (~ 15 hours of sunlight) and winter days are much shorter (~ 9 hours of sunlight). During the summer months (December – February), the weather is gorgeous, averaging in the low 70s. We went in January, and it was stunning. At night it cools down a bit, but nothing a light sweater can’t handle. During the winter (June – August), the temperature averages in the 30’s and 40’s and is ideal for snow sports. I’ve read the fall and spring are really unpredictable in Queenstown and can yield winter or summer weather on any given day. So, if you’re planning on travelling here from March – May or Spetember – November, make sure you pack accordingly.
Much of the action here is in Queenstown Town Centre, so if you’re staying at a hotel in that area, you may just opt to call an Uber to get around rather than hire a car for your trip. Since we stayed at an Airbnb about 5 minutes away, we hired a car close to the airport. This worked out really well for us, as we didn’t have to pay for parking unless we headed into the Town Centre, and we were able to get around the rest of the town really easily. My advice would be, if you’re planning to stay at a hotel in Town Centre, call the hotel to ask about daily parking fees first.
Parking in busier areas can be free or paid, and is designated by signs like the one above. If you see a dollar sign next to the “P”, that indicates you must pay for parking during the hours listed. The number directly below the “P” indicates the maximum amount of minutes you can park here at one time.
My boyfriend, Shane, picked this place out as a surprise for our first breakfast in Queenstown and it was amazing. Just about every seat was taken when we got in, and there was a line out the door for people waiting to order. They offer a menu full of gorgeous, fresh dishes along with an assortment of more gorgeous prepared dishes for taking away.
Shane’s vegetable hash was easily the best hash I’ve ever had. The vegetables were cooked perfectly, were still crisp, and were dressed with an amazing turmeric vinaigrette. I ordered the breakfast board, which came with poached eggs, avocado mash, and chili lime salt on sourdough toast, a chia pot, pineapple coconut whip & berries, and a shot of their fresh greens of the day. If I lived in Queenstown permanently, there’s a strong chance you’d catch me here a few times a week.
If you’ve thought about visiting Queenstown, odds are someone has told you to eat at Fergburger. But what most locals will tell you is, forget Fergburger, go to Devil Burger. Devil Burger and Fergburger are serving up very similar styles of burgers, but Devil burger is much less crowded than it’s well known competitor, and their burger is a tad bit larger. Well actually they’re huge. They’re quite literally the size of my head.
If you take a look at the top photo above, the Devil Burger is on the bottom and Fergburger is on the top. As far as the taste of the Devil Burger, I didn’t really taste a strong beef flavor. The beef in New Zealand overall tasted much different than what I’m used to in America actually. This burger also came pretty close to well done. Though, the fresh ketchup (tomato sauce) and aioli (mayo) were both delicious, as were the bun and other burger accessories. My favorite thing there though? The hot fries loaded with cheese and curry gravy.
Behold, the infamous Ferburger in all its glory! We waited about 30 minutes in line each time we got Fergburger (we went twice), and I have to say that I was expecting to wait longer based on how long the line was each time. They’re really running a smooth operation over there. We opted for the double Fergburger and Cockadoodle Oink on our first visit, the second being a fried chicken patty sandwich with bacon, obvi. The meat was cooked really well on both of these burgers, better than Devil Burger I’d say, and the beef had a more meaty flavor. The fried chicken was also great, but couldn’t stand the bacon because it was still flabby. Overall, these burgers are not my favorite style-wise, but if I had to pick one, I think I’d go back to Fergburger. Best burger on the planet though (per CNN)? Maybe not.
Patagonia is an amazing chocolate shop with five locations in the south island, three of which are in Queenstown. Not only do they carry basic chocolates and fudges at Patagonia, they also have several delicious desserts, ice creams, and even an ice cream popsicle bar complete with milk, dark and white chocolate fountains. It’s like a damn dream. Two out of their three Queenstown locations are in Town Centre, so you can grab some dessert and relax underneath the most gorgeous trees ever while looking out at the water and mountains. And one of their Town Centre locations has a lounge where you can literally watch them make all their chocolate, also with a view of the lakes and mountains. It’s perfection.
Sadly, I don’t have any pictures from this place. But let me tell you about our experience. This restaurant is located outside of Town Centre, and sits just off the water with a view of the Frankton Arm. The restaurant itself was also gorgeous and inviting. After some finagling, we snagged a table by a large window with a view, which for me was the only option here. The food is definitely fancier here. The flavors are thoughtful, the ingredients are fresh and intentional, and the service staff is very knowledgeable about the menus. Overall, we enjoyed our dinner here, but overall I found the food a little under-seasoned. The dessert, however, was amazing.
If you’ve ever wished a dessert happy hour would exist, then this is the place you want to go. Between 6 and 7PM every day, you can get 2 hot cookies for only $3. Because I needed another excuse to eat two cookies in one sitting. If you happen to go outside of happy hour, don’t fret. Not only are their huge assortment of cookies till hot and delicious any time, they also offer ice cream sandwiches, sundaes, cookie shots, shakes and hot chocolate.
Sorry for the awful picture, I swear I will take actual photos and not stories of everything I eat from now on. lol Shane and I really enjoyed Atlas, which is located just off the water in Town Centre. We ordered rump steak with compound butter (the most recommended dish there), short rib, and a couple appetizers, all of which were pretty tasty. I wasn’t drinking at the time, but their beer selection is also supposed to be legit, as the name implies. If travelling back to New Zealand I would say this is a safe spot to get a good bite.
I’m really glad we stopped here for a snack one afternoon, and I’m even happier that we stopped here during their smoothie happy hour. That’s right, Queenstown has cookie AND smoothie happy hours! It’s like they just know what we, the people, want and need the most in our lives. During smoothie happy hour, smoothies are half off, which for health food I’d say is a damn deal. And it doesn’t hurt that the smoothies are fresh and delicious. They also serve gorgeous looking bowls and wraps if you’re looking for something a bit more substantial.
Skyline Queenstown was such a fun time! You have to take a gondola from the bottom of the mountain to the top (where this pic was taken), which is where the luge-ing takes place. If you’re unfamiliar with luge, think dry bobsledding in warm weather. lol They offer two different courses for the luge, one beginner and one more intermediate, and they’re both super fun. It kind of feels like you’re in real life Mario Kart, only with less theatrics and better views. The ride doesn’t take longer than a minute, so I would recommend buying a package that lets you ride at least a couple times each to make it worth it.
If you’re in for an even crazier adventure, AJ Hackett Bungee sits right below the luge at Skyline Queenstown. I actually had no idea I’d be bungee jumping the day I went, my boyfriend surprised me with it. lol After I completely freaked out, I obviously jumped, and it was incredible. The team makes you feel really safe, the view is unparalleled, and you leave feeling like you’ve just conquered the world. I would also recommend buying the photos that they take. They captured some amazing shots that we will keep forever. The video was also good, but they add music so you can’t hear any profanities you may or may not be screaming. In my case, I would’ve preferred the profanities, so this was a negative, but I’d imagine it’s a positive for many more people. lol
This was the best BBQ I’ve ever been to, hands down. First of all, the steam boat ride was really neat. We got to go inside the engine room and watch them shovel coal, just like in Titanic! Once we arrived at the farm, we got to watch a sheep sheering and sheep herding demo before being whisked away to our epic BBQ feast. Included in our all-you-can-eat BBQ was crispy pork belly, steak, lamb and roasted chicken, along with several fresh vegetable and salad options, a charcuterie station and a dessert station. The pork belly was some of the best I’ve ever had, the vegetables were cooked to perfection, and OMG I def had at least three chocolate mousses. We definitely got our money’s worth, and if we had the chance to do it all over again, we would in a heartbeat.
Milford Sound is located in the fjords of the southwest island, and is about a 4 hour drive each way from Queenstown. Halfway to Milford Sound, you will lose service and there will be no gas stations or help, so do what you can to be as prepared as possible. Once you arrive, you will find they serve food in the welcome center, but not at the port. So, make sure you leave yourself enough time to eat at the center, or bring a lunch for yourself.
There are several cruises that leave out of the Sound. We opted for a smaller ship with less people, but honestly that didn’t stop people from congregating to see the most interesting things, so I’m not sure how much that mattered. It’s very windy in the Sound, and for us it was kind of rainy, so I would definitely recommend bringing/wearing warm clothes just in case. The Sound itself is stunning… majestic, even. I’ve never seen anything quite like it, and for that reason I would recommend coming here if your schedule allows it.
Before travelling to New Zealand, I assumed that sauvignon blanc was the only wine anyone drank throughout the whole country. This is not the case here in Queenstown. Sure, sauv blanc is obviously offered, but the local wineries specialize in something different: pinot noir. We were able to stop by the Gibbston Valley Winery on our last day in Queenstown to try out some different pinots, and they were delicious. I’m obviously not a wine expert, but I would absolutely go back for more of their juice if we make our way back to Queenstown.
This is a must-do when visiting Queenstown, and probably the most obvious as well. The Town Centre is stunning, with restaurants, bars, hotels, gorgeous views of the lake, a marina, small beach, gardens… you name it, the Town Centre has it. The whole area is also not very big, so it’s super easy to walk the whole Centre. You’ll see some unique street performers, including the dude pictured above whose dog legit sings along with him as he plays guitar. One of my favorite things I did in the Town Centre though was grabbing a drink at Perky’s Floating Bar. The drinks are really reasonably priced and you literally can’t beat the views as you are on the water.
The Queenstown Gardens are fairly small, but worth a stroll for sure. Included in the gardens are facilities for tennis, skating, frisbee golf and biking, so you’ll have plenty to do. The Gardens also jut out into the water and have a trail along the edge of the water as well, so you can take advantage of the amazing views.
I hope that this guide serves you well and makes planning your trip to Queenstown a little bit easier! If you have any thoughts, feelings, opinions, recommendations, additions, etc for this guide or any others, please tell me about it in the comments below!
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Stay hungry!
