Queenstown with Kids: 7 Best Family Adventures, Gondolas, Luge & Farm Cruises
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Queenstown with Kids: 7 Best Family Adventures, Gondolas, Luge & Farm Cruises

Queenstown with Kids: 7 Best Family Adventures, Gondolas, Luge & Farm Cruises

While Queenstown (Tāhuna) is world-renowned as the adrenaline capital for backpackers and extreme sports enthusiasts, it is equally extraordinary as a family holiday destination. The key is knowing which attractions offer genuine thrills scaled safely for toddlers, school-age kids, and teens.

From piloting three-wheeled gravity luge carts down alpine switchbacks and cruising aboard a 112-year-old steamship to feed highland cattle, to indoor wind-tunnel skydiving and ice bumper cars, Queenstown delivers unforgettable family memories against an alpine backdrop.

Here is your essential parent-tested guide to Queenstown with kids.

🏎️ 1. Race Gravity Carts at Skyline Queenstown & The Luge

Ascending 450 metres above Queenstown aboard the Skyline Gondola is just the beginning of the adventure.

At the top of Bob’s Peak sits the world-famous Skyline Luge. Children (and parents!) grab a safety helmet and board specialized three-wheeled gravity carts with intuitive hand-brake controls. You zoom down over 1.6 kilometres of paved alpine tracks featuring banked corners, tunnels, and dips with the sparkling Lake Wakatipu and the Remarkables mountains directly in front of you.

  • Age & Height Rules: Children under 6 (or under 110cm) can ride in tandem between an adult's knees on the gentle Scenic Track. Kids aged 6+ and taller than 110cm can pilot their own cart solo.
  • Parent Tip: Always buy a package with at least 3 to 5 luge rides—one ride is never enough for kids!
  • Location: Brecon Street, Queenstown Central.
  • Hours: Open daily 9:30 am until late.
  • Admission: Gondola + 3 Luge Rides Family Package approx. $190.00 NZD.

🚢 2. Cruise on the TSS Earnslaw to Walter Peak High Country Farm

Step aboard the vintage 1912 TSS Earnslaw, the only remaining commercial passenger-carrying coal-fired steamship in the Southern Hemisphere.

Kids love peering down into the open engine room to watch stokers shovel glowing black coal into the roaring steam boilers as the ship cruises across Lake Wakatipu. Disembark at Walter Peak High Country Farm, where children can hand-feed alpacas, sheep, and Scottish Highland cows, followed by an impressive live sheepdog working demonstration in the farm amphitheatre.

  • Family Logistics: The ship has wide, stable viewing decks and clean onboard restrooms. Gourmet morning/afternoon tea or BBQ lunches are served in the lakeside homestead gardens.
  • Location: Departs from Steamer Wharf, Queenstown.
  • Hours: Cruises depart daily at 10:00 am, 12:00 pm, 2:00 pm, and 4:00 pm.
  • Admission: Cruise + Farm Tour Family Pass approx. $245.00 NZD; Under 5s Free.

💨 3. Defy Gravity at iFLY Indoor Skydiving

If you have kids seeking thrilling adventure in a 100% safe, controlled indoor environment, visit iFLY Indoor Skydiving.

Located in central Queenstown, iFLY features a massive state-of-the-art vertical wind tunnel. With the help of certified flight instructors, kids as young as 5 years old can don a flight suit and helmet to float and soar on a smooth cushion of air, experiencing the exact sensation of freefalling from an airplane without ever stepping onto an aircraft.

  • Location: 27 Brecon Street, Queenstown Central (beside the Skyline Gondola).
  • Hours: Open daily 10:00 am – 6:00 pm.
  • Admission: Kids First-Time Flyer packages approx. $89.00 NZD.

⛸️ 4. Spin Ice Bumper Cars at Queenstown Ice Arena

Situated inside the tranquil Queenstown Gardens, the Queenstown Ice Arena offers all-weather family entertainment.

In addition to standard ice skating with cute animal balance aids for toddlers (penguins and seals), the arena features Ice Bumper Cars. Kids can slide, spin, and gently bump into each other across the ice in circular electric bumper cars equipped with intuitive dual joysticks.

  • Location: 29 Park Street, Queenstown Gardens.
  • Hours: Open daily 10:00 am – 5:00 pm (evening sessions on weekends).
  • Admission: Ice Bumper Car ride + Ice Skating pass approx. $28.00 NZD per child.

🥝 5. Encounter Kiwi Birds & Kea Parrots at Kiwi Park

Nestled across 5 acres of native bush directly below the gondola station, Kiwi Park Queenstown is dedicated to wildlife conservation.

The park features two specialized nocturnal houses where families have guaranteed, close-up viewing of active native Brown Kiwi birds. The daily conservation bird shows feature interactive flights of endangered native kaka parrots, kea (the world's only alpine parrot), and ancient tuatara reptiles.

  • Location: Brecon Street, Queenstown Central.
  • Hours: Open daily 9:00 am – 5:00 pm.
  • Admission: Family Pass approx. $125.00 NZD; Under 3s Free.

🌊 6. Thrills on the KJet Twin-Engine Jet Boat

Jet boating was invented in New Zealand, and KJet offers an exhilarating family-friendly ride directly from the Queenstown Main Town Pier.

Their twin-engine jet boats travel at 85 km/h across Lake Wakatipu and zoom up the crystal-clear waters of the Kawarau and Shotover Rivers, performing 360-degree spins in water just inches deep.

  • Age Limit: Children as young as 2 years old can ride with safety lifejackets provided.
  • Location: Main Town Pier, Queenstown Central.
  • Admission: Family Pass (2 adults + 2 kids) approx. $299.00 NZD.

🗺️ Queenstown Family Day Blueprint

  • 9:30 AM (Gondola & Luge): Ride the Skyline Gondola up to Bob’s Peak for 4 rounds of downhill gravity Luge carting.
  • 12:00 PM (Steamship Cruise): Board the vintage TSS Earnslaw for the scenic cruise across Lake Wakatipu to Walter Peak Farm.
  • 3:30 PM (Gardens & Bumper Cars): Stroll through the Queenstown Gardens to the Queenstown Ice Arena for ice bumper cars and lakeside hot chocolate.
  • 5:30 PM (Lakeside Burgers): Grab takeaway burgers from Fergburger to eat on the Queenstown Beach lawn. For general planning, see our Queenstown 3-day itinerary, check scenic trails in Queenstown walks & hikes, and find alpine chalets in where to stay in Queenstown.

❓ Queenstown with Kids: Real Questions, Real Answers

Is Queenstown suitable for toddlers and strollers?

Yes. The Queenstown town centre is pedestrianized and flat along the lakefront. Paved walking tracks like the Frankton Track and Queenstown Gardens loop are fully stroller-friendly.

Can toddlers do the Skyline Luge?

Yes! Children under 6 years old (or under 110cm) can ride in tandem between an adult's knees for just a $5 NZD tandem ticket.