“It’s only about a 10-minute walk from the centre of Queenstown.” That’s what we told the camera. What they don’t tell you is that it’s extremely steep, and that the first sign you reach isn’t the start of the trail either.
We walked the Queenstown Hill Time Walk in February 2020 on our South Island road trip, just before our Cook Islands honeymoon turned into a much longer stay than we planned. We filmed the whole day, never edited it and completely forgot we had it. More than six years later we found the clips, so here’s the vlog, plus how long the walk really took us, where it starts and what we’d tell a friend to bring.
Queenstown Hill walk at a glance
- Start: a small car park off Belfast Terrace, above Queenstown town centre
- Time: the sign at the start says 1.5 to 2.5 hours return for the Time Walk. Most guides say 2 to 3 hours with the summit
- Distance: guides vary, from about 4.2 km to 5 km return
- Climb: the summit is 500 m above the start, according to the sign
- Summit height: 907 m
- Cost: free, and no booking needed
- Bring: a warm top, water and a snack. There’s no water or toilets on the track
Where the Queenstown Hill walk starts (it’s further than you think)
We were staying at Oaks Shores, about 30 minutes along the lake from town, so our walk started with this view from the balcony. Not too bad.
The lake track into town is a lovely walk in its own right. After 10 minutes we had already stopped about 10 times for photos, and the water is so clear it doesn’t look real.
Then the climbing starts. The streets above the town centre are properly steep, well before you get anywhere near a trail.
Here’s the bit that caught us out. We reached a map on a wooden board and thought we had made it. We hadn’t. That board shows the way to the start of the track, so you still have another walk ahead of you. To be fair to it, the map said 10 minutes and the times on our clips show it took us about that.
Follow the green and yellow markers to reach the track. If you’re Irish like Steve, you’ll also notice some familiar names on the way: Kerry Drive, Galway Court and Belfast Terrace. If you’d rather skip all this, you can drive to the car park off Belfast Terrace, but it’s small, so go early or later in the day.
The Time Walk: what the track is like
The real start has a big blue sign with a map of the whole walk, and this one is worth a photo because you’ll want it later. The track climbs to a junction, then makes a loop past the Basket of Dreams, with the summit track heading off from there. The small squares on the map are the information panels along the way.
Once you’re on the trail, it’s fine. It had rained for the week before we went and we expected a mudbath, but the path was lovely. It climbs steadily through Douglas fir forest, so there’s plenty of shade if it’s a hot day, and you get glimpses back down to town between the trees.
It was quiet too. We passed about 20 or 30 people on the whole way up, which felt like nothing for somewhere this close to Queenstown.
Keep an eye out for the balancing stones beside the path. There are loads of little stacks in the forest, and Steve obviously had to add one.
The Basket of Dreams (not the top)
When the trees open up onto grassland, you’ll think you’ve reached the top. We did. We were wrong.
This is the Basket of Dreams, a spiral steel sculpture by Caroline Robinson that was built to mark the millennium. The views over Lake Wakatipu are already superb from here, so if you’re short on time or energy, you can turn around here or take the shorter, more open way down on the loop and still feel like you’ve done it.
If you have the legs for it, keep going. The summit track carries on up the open hillside, and one guide puts it at about another 30 minutes return.
The summit: is Queenstown Hill worth it?
Yes. As we said to the camera between breaths: it’s pretty well worth it.
The top of Queenstown Hill, also known as Te Tapu-nui, is 907 m up, and the views just keep going around to the other side. You get Lake Wakatipu stretching away in both directions and the jagged line of the Remarkables. We sat up there for about half an hour turning our heads from side to side.
Sabina’s verdict was that it’s the perfect spot for a picnic, and she’s right. If you do get lazy, there were quad bikes parked up at the top when we were there.
How long does the Queenstown Hill walk take?
The sign says 1.5 to 2.5 hours return, but that’s from the car park. Here’s what our day actually looked like, taken from the times on our video clips. We stopped a lot.
| Time | Where we were |
|---|---|
| 1.10pm | Left Oaks Shores along the lake track |
| 2.00pm | Climbing the streets above town |
| 2.12pm | The actual start of the track |
| 2.55pm | Basket of Dreams |
| 3.20pm | The summit |
| 3.40pm | Still at the top, not wanting to leave |
| 5.15pm | Pint in hand on the waterfront |
So it took us just over an hour from the start of the track to the summit, and about four hours door to door, including the walk along the lake and that pint.
What to bring
- A warm top. It’s a lot colder up there. We went in February, which is summer in New Zealand, and it was only 14 degrees down by the lake.
- Water. There’s nowhere to fill up on the track.
- A snack. Or a full picnic, if you’re listening to Sabina.
- Decent shoes. The path is gravel and dirt, and the streets on the way up are steep.
Parts of the hill are private land, which is marked on the map, so stick to the track. The sign we saw said dogs must be on a lead, but other guides disagree, so check the current rules and any track closures with Queenstown Lakes District Council before you go.
Finish with a pint
We finished the day with a pint at a bar on the Queenstown waterfront, looking back at the mountains. After that hill, we’d earned it.
Planning your Queenstown trip?
- See the whole route in our 14-day South Island road trip itinerary
- Compare Queenstown tours and activities
- Compare Milford Sound day trips from Queenstown
- Posting your summit photos? Grab a line from our New Zealand captions or hiking captions
Queenstown Hill walk FAQ
How long is the Queenstown Hill walk? The sign at the start says 1.5 to 2.5 hours return for the Time Walk, and most guides say 2 to 3 hours if you include the summit. It took us just over an hour to get from the start of the track to the summit, with plenty of stops.
Is the Queenstown Hill walk hard? We’d call it moderate. It’s a steady climb of about 500 m on a good path, and the steepest part we found was the streets getting to the start.
Where does the Queenstown Hill walk start? At a small car park off Belfast Terrace, above the town centre. You can walk there from town, following the green and yellow markers.
Do you have to go to the summit? No. The Basket of Dreams has great views and you can loop back down from there. The summit adds more climbing, but we think it’s worth it.
What is the Basket of Dreams? It’s a spiral steel sculpture by Caroline Robinson on Queenstown Hill, built to mark the millennium.
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