Seven Day Queenstown Incentive Itinerary

This incentive itinerary is crafted to reward and challenge your participants. It balances luxury and relaxation with adventure. Each day offers experiences that create meaningful connections with the people of Queenstown and this special place.

Day 1: Soar to New Heights

Enjoy a new perspective on Queenstown’s stunning landscapes with a scenic flight. Or transport your guests by helicopter to a remarkable location for an experience that’s awe inspiring and indulgent in equal measure. Here are three ways to take your guests sky high.

Fly over Queenstown at Sunrise

Glenorchy Air offer a sunrise flight from Queenstown to Mt. Aspiring. Watch the sun break from behind the mountain, and see the Passchendaele Icefall, the Bonar Glacier, and the Olivine Ice Plateau in the dawn light as you fly over Mt. Aspiring National Park.

Fly into Fiordland for the Day

Book a scenic flight into the majesty of Fiordland, recognised as a World Heritage site for its unique ecosystem and untouched wilderness. Fly into Milford, then take a nature cruise out onto the Sound with Mitre Peak towering above and waterfalls cascading down the cliffs.

Toast Success with Champagne on Cecil Peak

Land on the Ledge at Cecil Peak for a dramatic vantage point over Queenstown, Lake Whakatipu, and the surrounding mountain ranges. Local helicopter companies can arrange a gourmet picnic as you raise a glass of Central Otago Méthode Traditionelle to your year.

Day 2: Explore Hidden Gems on a Guided Adventure

A guided tour is a wonderful way to introduce your guests to the Queenstown region. Local guides know all the secluded spots. They’ll entertain your guests with stories of local characters and events and show them the secrets of the landscape.

Ride to the Sky

Ride to the Sky specialise in guided e-biking tours that combine storytelling with scenery. They share local history and Māori legend, introduce people to native birds and plants and talk about their traditional uses. Ride in the mountains, to the vines, or to the lake.

A Heli Gin or Wine Tour

Sample local gins in spectacular locations and tour the Cardrona Distillery on a Heli Gin Tour. Or land on a mountaintop for a glass of bubbles, before flying into Gibbston, the world’s southernmost wine region, to sample the celebrated local Pinot Noir.

Heli-hike into Earnslaw Burn

Earnslaw Burn is a beautiful spot with a hanging glacier and cascading waterfalls. Your guests will land in the Mt Earnslaw Basin near Glenorchy, before hiking up a glacial river with their guide to the Earnslaw Burn, where they’ll picnic in the wild.

Kayak down the Dart River

This guided kayaking experience starts with an exhilarating jet boat ride into the World Heritage area. Kayak back down the mighty Dart River in inflatable Funyaks, exploring side streams and canyons, with a hearty picnic on the way.

Explore a Ghost Town and try Gold Panning

Take a 4WD drive adventure into an abandoned goldmining ghost town. Macetown is hidden in the hills behind Arrowtown. Cross the Arrow River 25 times on the way to this beautiful spot, learning about local history, before trying gold panning.

Day 3: Indulge, Reset and Recharge

Dedicate a full day to relaxation so your guests return from Queenstown rested and reinvigorated for the year ahead. Or give them a day to explore the many artisan boutiques and galleries and be inspired by local creators.

Spa Day

Queenstown has a wealth of indulgent day spas and retreats. Opulent spas include Spa at Millbrook, eforea, Body Sanctum, and Gibbston Valley Spa. Aro Ha in Glenorchy is a globally celebrated retreat run that embraces permaculture, energy efficiency, and holistic wellness. A number of beautiful hot pools also offer treatments.

Start the Day with Yoga

Yoga is a great way for people to check in with themselves, reset, and energise for the day ahead. Yoga workshops include Nadi Wellness’s welcoming central studio, yoga classes at Sherwood, and yoga in the glorious surrounds of Glenorchy at Aro Ha.

Create Your Own Scent

Miller Road perfumery offers a scent making workshop. Invite your guests to craft their own signature fragrance as a memento of their trip. Choose from 60 fragrance notes from zesty grapefruit to woody oud, guided by knowledgeable scent design hosts.

Explore Boutiques and Galleries
Arrowtown’s historic streets are a treasure trove of independent boutiques and galleries. Nearer to Queenstown, Country Lane is a cluster of charming, heritage buildings home to homewares, cafes, and clothing. If your guests fancy a dose of international luxury, T Galleria by DFS stocks international designers and premium New Zealand brands.

Day 4: Choose Your own Adventure

Queenstown has long been known as the ultimate natural playground, full of adrenaline fuelled activities in breathtaking landscapes. Big thrills aren’t simply big fun. Adrenaline adventures challenge people to push their limits and can lead to inspiring breakthroughs. Encourage your guests to choose their own adventure and decide how far they want to go.

Jetboating

Jetboating as an adventure began right here in Queenstown. Rocket down wild alpine rivers taking in the scenery. Shotover Jet heads through the Shotover canyons,. KJet blasts across Lake Whakatipu and down the Shotover and Kawarau River, while Dart River Adventures Wilderness Jet explores the Dart River near Glenorchy.  

Bungy and Canyon Swing

Bring out the big adventure guns. Queenstown is famous for being the home of commercial bungy. Jump from the original bungy at Kawarau Bridge or head to the even bigger (and more exhilarating) Nevis. Canyon Swing is just as thrilling. Leap off a cliff, freefall, then swing. There’s nothing like these high-octane thrills to make your guests feel alive.

Ziplining

Less intense than bungies and cliff swings, but still exhilarating, ziplines combine adventure with jaw dropping views. Ziptrek Ecotours in the heart of Queenstown has the world’s steepest zipline and storytelling guides. Paradise Ziplines near Glenorchy flies through beech forest and over waterfalls, with beautiful backcountry views.

Skyline Luge

The Skyline Luge is a thrilling 800m ride down Bob Peak. Shoot round banked corners, through tunnels, and over dips. Then ride the Skyline Gondola up to the top of the course and do the whole thing all over again. Fantastic fun and fabulous views for miles.

4x4 Off Road Thrills

4WD off-road adventures in Queenstown include a tour into Skippers Canyon along an infamously gnarly road, a ride into an abandoned goldmining town with many river crossings, and off-roading all-terrain vehicles. Your guests can also drive dirt bikes, quad bikes, and off-road buggies if that’s more their style.

Rainy Day Adventures

This is an alpine destination, so sometimes the weather doesn’t play ball. If rain stops outdoor adventure, Queenstown offers indoor activities to enjoy year-round. iFLY is an indoor skydiving experience. Thrillzone has VR adventures, indoor minigolf, and an interactive movie theatre. Karting offer electric go karts that hit speeds of up to 40km/ph on a 293-metre track. While Escape Quest is the place for gold rush themed escape rooms.

Day 5: Experience Queenstown’s Food & Wine Scene

Central Otago has wonderful seasonal produce, a fascinating, diverse wine region, talented local winemakers and brewers, and celebrated chefs. Combine a gentle activity like walking or biking with a gourmet experience and explore Queenstown’s culinary landscape.

Tour the Wineries

The Gibbston River Wine Trail runs through the valley of vines. Book your guests on a guided e-bike tour of the wineries from Arrowtown, to sample Central Otago Pinot Noir and aromatic whites and enjoy a platter in the vineyard. They may even meet the winemakers.

Sample Local Gins

Rifters Gin have transformed a historic goldminers cottage in Arrowtown into delightful gin tasting rooms. Sample local spirits, learn about the distilling process and locally foraged botanicals, and mix sensational gin cocktails with fresh fruit and herbs.

Millbrook Kitchen Garden Tour

Meet the gardener, see Millbrook’s biodynamic kitchen gardens in action and learn about their sustainability practices. Sample edible flowers, herbs, micro-greens and vegetables and meet the resort’s free-range hens on this tour of Millbrook’s garden and orchard.

Spin Your Own Honey

The Buzzstop Honey Centre will teach your guests how to extract their own honey from the comb. They’ll learn how to remove a frame from the hive, uncap the comb, spin and filter the honey, and pack it into jars. Guests even get to print their own honey labels.

Tour Royalburn Station  

Take a guided tour of Royalburn Station, the high-country farm run by chef, entrepreneur, and author Nadia Lim. Meet the people who grow the food and look after the livestock before enjoying a local wine tasting. Choose from a BBQ or lunch cooked by a chef and served in the old shearers’ quarters called Prohibition House.

Day 6: Connect with People and Place

Book your guests to do a fun community activity. Volunteering is a great way to support the local community groups restoring and improving Queenstown’s environment. Not only are these activities a rewarding way to give back, but they’re a brilliant way to connect with the local community and see places visitors wouldn’t usually get to see.

Volunteer to Plant Trees or Clear Invasive Pines

Love Queenstown is a community fund aimed at protecting the region’s natural and cultural heritage. They hold regular planting days and other volunteer events. The Whakatipu Wilding Control Group organise volunteer conservation events to remove wilding pines around the Whakatipu Basin. If there are no volunteering days while you’re in Queenstown, you can still choose to donate to Love Queenstown to support their work.

Learn About Local Conservation

Southern Lakes Sanctuary restores and protects Queenstown ecosystems and wildlife. Their conservation trips introduce your team to native wildlife. The Bob’s Cove Nature Walk is a gentle stroll in an idyllic lakeside reserve. There your guests will see how birds are monitored and protected from predators and learn ways to encourage biodiversity back home.

Southern Lakes Sanctuary also offer a half-day trip, where your guests will be helicoptered beyond Queenstown's Ben Lomond range to a high-country station. There they’ll see work happening to protect endangered wildlife such as Pīwauwau or Rock Wren and Kea. They’ll also learn how to install traps to control the introduced predators in the region.

Day 7: Travel Further

Queenstown is at the heart of the Southern Lakes region, a hub for exploring Central Otago and even further afield. One of the bonuses of staying longer is taking a day to travel further and experience more of this spectacular part of the world.

Milford Sound

We suggested a flying trip to Milford Sound above, but a road trip is just as much fun. Book a Milford Sound day trip to explore the region’s magnificent natural beauty and wildlife or even enjoy an overnight stay on a boat in the heart of the Sound.

Glenorchy

Glenorchy is surrounded by magnificent mountains. It’s the gateway to a World Heritage area and its pristine landscape makes it a dream for outdoor adventures. There are plenty of stunning hikes in the region, horse riding, as well as movie location tours.

Wānaka

Just 50-minutes’ drive from Queenstown over the Crown Range, Wānaka is another lovely alpine lakeside town. Downtown is full of vibrant restaurants, cafes, and shops. There’s another wine region to explore, and attractions devoted to puzzles and classic warplanes.

Cardrona Valley

Cardrona Valley lies between Wānaka and Queenstown. The historic village is home to the famous Cardrona Hotel. Settle into the sunny beer garden for a refreshing brew after hiking, biking, or horse trekking. Then tour Cardrona Distillery to see local spirits produced.