British & Irish Lions legend Jason Robinson rates Queenstown as his favourite destination in New Zealand and any adrenaline junkies among the travelling red army in 2017 will no doubt leave the South Island feeling the same.
More than a million people descend on Queenstown – situated on the shores of Lake Wakatipu – each year and, with Warren Gatland’s team due to tour during at the height of winter in June and July, Lions fans will have the perfect opportunity to experience some world class skiing and snowboarding venues.
The snow-covered mountains offer stunning scenery with Coronet Peak the oldest and best known of the Southern Lakes’ snowfields.
With great early morning and night skiing, Coronet Peak offers New Zealand’s longest on-snow hours. The Remarkables area has a wide range of terrain and is popular with snowboarders too.
Bungee jumping off the legendary Kawarau Bridge, mountain-biking and jet boating are other high-octane experiences available.
And, to further emphasise Queenstown’s place as the adventure capital of New Zealand, just last month the 5x1NZ product was launched.
An initiative between Tourism New Zealand and STA Travel offers visitors the chance to compete in five of the world’s most exhilarating adrenalin sports in one day: skydiving, snowboarding, mountain biking, bungee jumping and jet boating.
But, for those seeking a more peaceful stay in Queenstown – renamed from Canvas Town in the 19th century after local gold miners dubbed it “a town fit for a queen” – Blanket Bay is home to luxury lodges.
And a day trip to Gibbston Valley – the world’s southernmost wine growing region – boasts an award winning vineyard, which has a fine dining restaurant and New Zealand’s biggest underground wine cave.
