Fun Adventure Activities for Kids in Queenstown

Queenstown has adventures for kids of all ages. Under-10s can try indoor skydiving from age 5, ride the luge or meet kiwi at Kiwi Park. Older kids can take on the Kawarau Zipride, Swing and Bridge Bungy from age 8. You'll also find jet boat rides, free lakefront playgrounds and plenty to do indoors when the weather turns.

Here's your guide to family-friendly adventures in Queenstown, with age limits where they apply.

Minimum ages at a glance

• iFLY indoor skydiving: from age 5
• Kawarau Zipride: from age 8 (8 and 9 year olds ride tandem with an adult aged 20+)
• Kawarau Swing: from age 8
• Kawarau Bridge Bungy: from age 10
• All Kawarau Bridge activities: under-15s need an adult to sign consent at check-in

Bungy, ziplines and indoor skydiving for kids

Indoor skydiving from age 5

Start in town at iFLY Queenstown, New Zealand's only indoor skydiving centre. Kids from age 5 can step into the wind tunnel and feel what freefall is like, with an instructor right beside them.

Kawarau Zipride, Swing and Bungy from age 8

Commercial bungy started at the Kawarau Bridge in Gibbston, and there are options there for younger adventurers too.

Kids aged 8 and up can ride the Kawarau Zipride, a 130m zipline that reaches 60km an hour. Riders aged 8 or 9 go tandem with an adult aged 20 or over.

The Kawarau Swing is also open to kids from age 8. Launch from a 43m platform and swing out across the gorge on your own, in a pair or as a three.

Ready for the big one? The Kawarau Bridge Bungy is a 43m jump towards the river. Kids from 10 and above can tick this one off.

Under-15s need an adult to sign a consent form at check-in, and each activity has a minimum weight. Check the requirements before you book.

Watch for free

Not everyone has to jump. Entry to the viewing deck at the Kawarau Bungy Centre is free, so the rest of the family can watch from just a few metres away.

More ziplines in Queenstown

Fly through the forest canopy above town with Ziptrek Ecotours. Its Moa and Kea tours are open to kids from age 6, and the Moa tour is a good first zip. Or head out to Glenorchy and zip through beech forest and over an alpine stream with Paradise Ziplines. See more bungy, swing and zip options.

Skyline Gondola, luge and Kiwi Park

The Skyline Gondola takes you high above town, and there's plenty to keep kids busy at the top. With so many options in one spot, it's also a handy place to split up if your kids want different things.

At the top you'll find Ziptrek Ecotours and the Skyline Luge. Kids from age 2 can ride the luge in tandem with an adult, and from age 6 (and 110cm tall) they can ride solo. Keen mountain bikers can ride New Zealand's first gondola-assisted bike park, with more than 30 downhill trails and over 450m of vertical descent.

Back at the base of the gondola, Kiwi Park is home to native wildlife including kiwi and tuatara. It's an easy, low-key wander through native bush for younger kids.

Jet boats and lake trips for families

There are plenty of ways to get out on the water. Take a slow trip across the lake to Walter Peak on the TSS Earnslaw, Queenstown's century-old steamship, or pick something a bit quicker.

Commercial jet boating started in Queenstown, and a ride is still a great family adventure. Expect high speeds and 360-degree spins, with trips leaving from the downtown waterfront. From the same wharf, Time Tripper tells the story of how Whakatipu was formed through an animated show.

Also leaving from the downtown waterfront, the Hydro Attack is a shark-shaped, semi-submersible craft that leaps, dives and rolls across the lake. Kids will be telling their classmates about it for weeks.

Further out in Glenorchy, guides at Dart River Adventures take the whole family up the Dart River by jet boat. Then everyone paddles back downstream in inflatable funyaks, through part of the Te Wāhipounamu South West New Zealand World Heritage Area.

Free things to do with kids in Queenstown

You don't have to spend much to keep kids busy in Queenstown.

Head to Hanley's Farm, with The Remarkables as a backdrop, for an adventure playground and a full-size pump track for bikes and scooters.

In town, the lakefront playground has a stream running through it, plus bridges and climbing structures to keep kids busy for an afternoon. It's right next to The Bathhouse, if you need a coffee. Next door in the Queenstown Gardens, older kids and teenagers can play a round of frisbee golf.

Country Lane in Frankton has gardens, shops, farm animals and food trucks, and it's a popular hangout with locals and visitors.

There are plenty of walks around Queenstown for families too. Try the easy Arrow River loop past the old Chinese Settlement in Arrowtown, or the longer loop around Moke Lake on the road to Glenorchy. For a bigger day out, head up The Remarkables and hike to Lake Alta.

Rainy day activities for kids in Queenstown

If the weather turns, Queenstown has indoor activities for all ages.

Kids can climb the walls at Basecamp Adventures, or bounce around at Site Trampoline in Frankton.

For some friendly competition, take on the racetrack or laser strike course at Game Over, try paintless paintball and VR games at Thrillzone, or bowl a round of tenpin at Kingpin. Then there's iFLY, rain or shine.

Water babies will love the local pool complex, with a lazy river and two hydroslides. And for kids who like a challenge, try the Odyssey Sensory Maze, or get a good fright at Fear Factory.

Plan your family trip to Queenstown

Find more ideas for all ages on our family fun page, or check the events calendar for what's on during your stay. For even more inspiration, try the local family travel guide Kidz Go Queenstown.

When you're ready, find family-friendly accommodation close to the action. Out exploring? Share your family adventures on Instagram with #QueenstownLive.