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    Adventure capital · Editorial Top 10s

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    Bungy, ski fields, fine dining, lake cruises and après — the adventure capital ranked Top 10 across every category by people on the ground.

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    LIVEZQN#1 ADVENTURESkyline Gondola#1 BUNGYKawarau Bridge#1 RESTAURANTRata#1 BURGERFergburger#1 CAFEVudu#1 INDIANMantra#1 HOTELEichardt's#1 SKICoronet Peak#1 GYMCityFitness#1 DETAILERKawash#1 SOCIALAmit SharmaREFRESHDAILY · NZTLIVEZQN#1 ADVENTURESkyline Gondola#1 BUNGYKawarau Bridge#1 RESTAURANTRata#1 BURGERFergburger#1 CAFEVudu#1 INDIANMantra#1 HOTELEichardt's#1 SKICoronet Peak#1 GYMCityFitness#1 DETAILERKawash#1 SOCIALAmit SharmaREFRESHDAILY · NZT

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    Rank isn't for sale — ads are labelled Ranked editorially, not by paid placement 25 editor's picks across the lists Locally curated for Queenstown

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    #1 in Restaurants$$$$Fine diningSpecial occasions

    Rata

    Josh Emett's modern NZ fine-dining flagship in a courtyard off the mall — the most awarded restaurant in Queenstown and a national Cuisine Restaurant of the Year alumnus.

    Why today: Ski season — book ahead and expect the town to be full.

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    Best Ways to Get Around Queenstown

    From Orbus routes and airport transfers to e-bike hire and water taxis.

    ~/guide/transport Live · 2026 Last reviewed: August 20268 listed

    From Orbus routes and airport transfers to e-bike hire and water taxis.

    Get a Bee Card. An adult Orbus fare is $2.50 with a registered Bee Card against $4 in cash, and the airport run is $2.50 with a card against $10 cash — the card pays for itself on the trip in from the airport. Buses cover the town, Frankton, the airport and Arrowtown; the Orbus ferry crosses the bay to Frankton and the Hilton; and NZSki's own ski bus leaves 9 Duke Street from 7.30am in winter. Uber is the only rideshare app operating at Queenstown Airport.

    • Queenstown transport
    • Orbus Queenstown
    • Queenstown airport transfer
    • getting around Queenstown
    Top Pick
    #1
    Editor's Pick

    Orbus Queenstown

    The regional bus network covering the town centre, Frankton, the airport, Jacks Point, Arrowtown and Arthurs Point. The Bee Card is the whole trick: $2.50 an adult trip against $4 cash, and $2.50 to the airport against $10 cash.

    Region-wide · Early until late
    $Budget travelNo carAirport runs
    Booking
    Buy a Bee Card ($5, plus a $5 minimum top-up) and register it before you travel — an unregistered card does not get the cheap fare.
    Season
    Year-round. Most airport services route via the Frankton Bus Interchange; transfer there for Arrowtown and Jacks Point.
    Visit Maps
    #2

    SuperShuttle Queenstown

    Door-to-door shared shuttles between Queenstown Airport and any address in town, meeting flights. The middle ground between a $2.50 bus and a taxi fare.

    ZQN to anywhere
    $$LuggageGroups of two or moreDoor to door
    Booking
    Book online ahead of your flight. Listed from around $20 per person for a party of two.
    Season
    Year-round, meeting every flight.
    Visit Maps
    #3

    NZSki Ski Bus

    The mountain transport for Coronet Peak and The Remarkables, run by NZSki itself and leaving from 9 Duke Street in the middle of town — no chains, no icy car park, no 4WD required.

    9 Duke Street · both ski fields · From 7:30am in season
    $$Skiers without a carAvoiding chainsFirst lifts
    Booking
    Buy the pass with your lift ticket. Coronet Peak departures 7.30–11am, returns from 1pm; Remarkables half-hourly 7.30–9am then 11am, with Frankton Golf Course pickups 7.45–11.15am. Listed at $36 adult, $15 for ages 3–5, under 2 free.
    Season
    Winter only. It is sold as the NZSki Ski Bus — older guides call it the Snowline Express, which is not the current name.
    Visit Maps
    #4

    Orbus Ferry

    The genuinely scenic commute: a passenger ferry across Queenstown Bay linking the town centre with Bayview, the Marina and the Hilton at Kelvin Heights, on the same Bee Card as the buses.

    Queenstown Bay to Frankton and the Hilton · Hourly, 8:45am – 9:45pm from town
    Open · till 9:45pm
    $Staying at the HiltonA cheap lake tripBeating the road
    Booking
    No booking — tap on with the same Bee Card you use for the buses. Each leg takes 10 to 20 minutes.
    Season
    Year-round. Last sailing from the Hilton is mid-evening, so check the timetable before dinner in town.
    Visit Maps
    #5

    Uber

    The only app-based rideshare operating at Queenstown Airport, and the default late-night option. Coverage is good in town, but supply swings hard with the season and the hour.

    On-demand
    $$Late nightsSmall groupsAirport
    Booking
    In-app. Do not make it your only plan after midnight in shoulder season — driver numbers drop.
    Season
    Year-round. YourRide is the other New Zealand rideshare app if Uber is thin.
    Visit Maps
    #6

    Green Cabs Queenstown

    A hybrid taxi fleet listed by Queenstown Airport among its servicing operators — the phone-and-rank alternative when the app options dry up.

    Region-wide · Bookable by phone
    $$Late nightsNo appAirport ranks
    Booking
    Phone or app booking, plus airport ranks. Blue Bubble, Corporate Cabs and Arrowtown Taxis also service the airport.
    Season
    Year-round.
    Visit Maps
    #7

    Around The Basin

    Locally owned bike and e-bike hire on Searle Lane, now in its tenth year, with self-guided Arrowtown, Gibbston, Arthurs Point and Jacks Point packages that include the shuttle back.

    3 Searle Lane, Queenstown Central
    $$The Queenstown TrailThe Gibbston wine rideHalf days
    Booking
    Book the package rather than just the bike — the shuttle is what makes the one-way rides work.
    Season
    Best from spring to autumn. A listed Queenstown Trails service provider.
    Visit Maps
    #8

    AJ Hackett Bungy Bus

    A free return coach from The Station in the middle of town out to the Kawarau Bungy Centre — and it carries spectators, not just jumpers.

    The Station · Kawarau Bridge
    $SpectatorsNon-driversA free outing
    Booking
    Free, but seats must be booked in advance — including for spectators.
    Season
    Runs with the Kawarau Bungy Centre, open daily 9.30am–4pm.
    Visit Maps

    Browse Transport by suburb

    Transport in Queenstown Central (3)

    Transport in Queenstown — common questions

    An adult Orbus fare is $2.50 with a registered Bee Card or $4 in cash. The airport service is the one that matters: $2.50 with a Bee Card, but $10 in cash. The card itself costs $5 plus a $5 minimum top-up, so it pays for itself almost immediately.

    Orbus buses connect the airport with the town centre and Frankton, most routing via the Frankton Bus Interchange where you transfer for Arrowtown and Jacks Point. SuperShuttle runs door-to-door shared transfers meeting flights, and Uber plus the airport's taxi ranks cover the rest. Tap on with a Bee Card and the bus is the cheapest option by a wide margin.

    Yes. Queenstown Airport states Uber is currently the only app-based transport service operating there. Driver supply thins out late at night and in the shoulder seasons, so do not count on it as your only plan after midnight. YourRide is the other New Zealand app in the market.

    NZSki runs the ski bus for both Coronet Peak and The Remarkables from 9 Duke Street in the town centre, with departures from 7.30am. A return pass is listed at $36 for adults and $15 for children aged 3 to 5, with under-2s free. Coronet Peak departures run 7.30 to 11am with returns from 1pm; the Remarkables runs half-hourly early, plus pickups at the Frankton Golf Course.

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    // Same list, other cities

    Best transport in Auckland, Wellington & Rotorua

    Ranked to the same editorial standard as this page, by the same team.

    // Browse by suburb

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