If you’re hitting up Queenstown and Wānaka for some ski and snowboard action in 2027, then you’ll be wanting our guide. Because flying blind is fun, but having the desire to explore with a backup plan of recommendations ensures you make the most of every holiday moment.
You could call us New Zealand experts, our team have been schussing in Queenstown and Wānaka regularly since 2004. So, yes, you could call us old too, but we like to think of it as experienced because our lived-experience can fuel your best experience, or something like that.
So, dive on in, we’ve listed our favourite 2026 experiences so you can make your 2026 spring or your 2027 ski trip even better.
First up, get some wheels
If you’re planning to ski or snowboard or hit up Queenstown and Wānaka then we’d definitely recommend renting a car. The ski fields of New Zealand are accessed via winding roads and while you can certainly get a shuttle bus, you’ll find a lot more freedom in having the keys to your own vehicle. It also means you can stop when you want along the way – hello Cardrona Bakery on the Crown Range between Queenstown and Wānaka.
Go Rentals are at Queenstown Airport, though you’ll find all the main players there as well. Best of all they have their own car park where you can load up and drive away. If you’re good to spend some cash then go the top line Toyota Prado Landcruiser. It handles the access roads like a pro, plus you’re higher up, have good vision and 4wd means you’re more secure in winter weather. Upgrade to get some ski racks, make sure you have snow chains and voila, you’re on your way.
Sleep over three ways
Queenstown has over thirty brand hotels, a further fifty boutique and independent lodgings plus retreats, lodges, short term rentals and more. With 22 years under our combined belts, our team has stayed at most of them.
Start at the top
In 2026 the creme de la creme downtown is ROKI Collection – ultra luxe “urban lodge” style accommodation with lakefront views and a Rolls Royce for after dark transfers. The Virginia Fisher designed interiors are thoughtful with textures and hues chosen to mimic the local landscape. Service is intuitive and non intrusive, rooms are huge (50sqm standard suites to 760sqm seven bed penthouse) and the in-house restaurant, Essence, secured the country’s highest Michelin star rating (2 stars) so book well ahead and dine on The Terrace for caviar bumps and crudo on the other nights. There’s also a wellness spa for guests-only filled with soothing water therapy for down time.
A different view
While Lake Whakatipu has main character energy, for good reason, the Shotover River is the quiet achiever. The Coronet Ridge Resort is the latest 41 room luxe offering that opened this year, perched over the Shotover Canyon below. Rooms here are spacious with stunning (and private) views of the river and the jet boats below, some rooms come with bath tubs on the deck for open air soaking. Breakfast is served with yet another view and all non-alcoholic and food products in the mini bar are included. It’s just down the road from Coronet Peak and the locals après bar, Gantley’s, is walking distance with the lights of Queenstown another 10 minute drive down the road. Top tip: Make sure you check out the indoor pool for a stunning mosaic tiled giant shower.
Bring the crew
Over in Wānaka the Marina Terrace Apartments are our pick. A five minute walk along the lake into town, glorious lake and Southern Alps views, the lake marina across the road, an in-house pool and gym and spacious condos for multiple people travelling together. Each residence has a full modern kitchen, there are fireside lounges and a spacious terrace with outdoor fireplace with even more lake views. We parked the Landcruiser in the garage where all of our ski equipment was secure and safe, spent hours in the deepest bath tub just soaking, drank wine on the terrace and walked to town for coffee on the daily.
Skiing and snowboarding
With four mountains to choose from on any given day, and the keys to a car at hand, you can take your pick based on conditions.
Looking to rent your gear? The guys at SnoPro will bring a selection of gear to you, wherever you’re staying, kit you up with the equipment you need and pick it up from you at the end of your stay. No word of a lie.
This season we re-connected with Coronet Peak, the locals’ mountain for good reason. Just twenty minutes on a sealed road from Queenstown, you’ll find all the locals at first tracks before they start their work day. The snow was soft and forgiving thanks to a warmer weather pattern and the ski-in ski-out Aperol Bar totally on point. Expect 41 runs with jaw dropping views, a good mix and transition between beginner, intermediate and advanced. Make sure you head over to Heidi’s Hut for fondue come lunch time.
The Remarkables has been the pick for most this winter, their location has ensured the storms delivered extra snow for them through every cycle. The Aperol ice bar on a sunny day is the place to be and the resort’s 449 hectares of terrain offers everything from free ride chutes to powder bowls to groomers and terrain parks. It’s a 45 minute drive from Queenstown but there are plenty of buses to get you there throughout the day as well.
Over the Crown Range sits Cardrona Alpine Resort, New Zealand’s largest ski resort. Their new Soho Express chairlift and expanded terrain really makes the resort feel like a new destination. The tip is to ski Captain’s laps in the morning and head to Soho in the afternoon, that way you stay with the sun and ski like a god. Come lunchtime hit up The Noodle Bar with views of the ski runs and katsu-don or stay close to Captain’s for pizza. It’s an easy drive up, though on a busy day it’s worth parking in the resort car park at the base of the access road and taking the shuttle to make it seamless.
Treble Cone, near Wānaka, has always been an aspirational mountain, the kind of place you want to ski and ski well. Home basin groomers makes you feel like a hero and Saddle basin will school you in technique top to bottom if the weather comes in and then lift you up on a powder day. Hit up The View on the top of Home Basin for al fresco pizza or heartier meals in the base lodge. Plus, is there any other resort on the planet that has views as stellar as these? We’ll wait.
Then there’s heli skiing. Our tip is to ensure you give yourself plenty of contingency days. If you’re in town for a week, set up a day early on and ensure you’re flexible on other days in case weather means the chopper can’t fly. Then when the stars align, do not pass go, head straight to the skies for the day of your life. The team at Southern Lakes Heli Ski will talk you all through it so you choose the best day to go, they’ll pick you up, guide you, feed you, guide you some more and give you the time of your snow life. If you’re lucky to have Tarn Pilkington as your guide, then be aware you’re in the presence of heli guide royalty.
Chow down then chow down again
If there’s one thing the SnowsBest team loves as much as skiing and snowboarding, it’s eating. Queenstown and Wānaka have recently joined the Michelin Guide and boy did we try to work our way through it on our most recent visit.
Of course we love the OGs – Bespoke Kitchen in Queenstown for wellness food with soul, Billy’s at Ayrburn for cantonese fusion, Kappa for low key Japanese, Slow Cuts in Arrowtown for local laughter and slabs of meat, Aosta for Italian flare, Bistro Gentil in Wānaka for French fare and Federal Diner for cheese scones, but this time we wanted to explore more.
So we worked our way through gelatos at Anita Gelato near Skyline in Queenstown, hit up our new fave The Dishery in Arrowtown for maple bacon butties and inhaled house made crumpets at Kahwah.
The Sherwood on Frankton Road is a must-stop and not just because of their Michelin star, though that does help. They’re all about sustainability and it shows in both design and menu. The Nduja, pear, labneh, hotel honey, rosemary flat bread set the scene, the Wagyu tartare, yolk jam, horseradish, seed cracker took the stage and the fish crudo claimed the ovation. Then came dessert.
Meanwhile Wānaka certainly blew us away with gourmet offerings after dark. Mutton Bird secured a Michelin Bib Gourmand (high quality food and value prices) and when you work your way through the gazillion course tasting menu for NZD$90 you’ll understand why. Fare is locally sourced, cooked up in an open kitchen and served with no fuss because the food does all the talking.
Sofi is new to the scene, a Mediterranean themed bistro, all banquettes and breezy tones and from the same hospitality group as Francesca Italian and the newly minted Cabin fire themed dining. Sofi is perfect for small plate sharing, especially the Greek fondue. Nom nom.
Kika is an institution in Wānaka. The restaurant by which all other restaurants in town have been influenced since 2017. We’ve been fortunate to be fed chef James Stapley’s cuisine at fancy private residence dinners and thought it best to head to the restaurant itself, you know, now they have a Michelin star. Service here is friendly, warm and knowledgeable with a menu that’s all sharing plates and signature dishes. Just trust the chef and ask for the “feed me” option. You will not regret it, not once.
We’re lax to let folks know about this one, but we’re not in the business of gatekeeping. You can avoid the famed Fergburger queues in Queenstown and head to the industrial area of Arrowtown instead. Here you’ll find Fergbutcher for fine kiwi meats and baked croissants (best in town) and sourdough. You’ll also find a food truck cooking up smashed burgers, breakfast rolls and more. All the flavour of Fergburger without the crowd.
Unique must-do experiences
There’s a lot to love on down days and after the chair stops turning, from floating saunas to mega slippery slides.
The Watershed Sauna sits on the edge of Lake Whakatipu, or rather floats. You’ll find it at the end of Steamer Wharf. If you book early you can be there when the sun rises and start your ski day energised. There’s two saunas, one larger, one smaller, you can book for a private or public sauna and once you get all hot and sweaty alternate with the cold water of the lake from a purpose built mini pool cut out of the deck.
Take the modern 10 person gondola up the hill over Queenstown to Skyline to get a full understanding of how far Lake Whakatipu stretches on all sides. It’s a panoramic view that never ever ever gets old. At the top you’ll find the new Vortex slide – 48 metres of track building speed on a 20-metre descent and reaching up to 35km/h.
The Dreamery is a super fun way to spend half an hour downtown. This sensory journey serves up a series of “rooms” filled with optical illusions, interactive experiences and fun surprises including a room made entirely from faux fur. Hello, Austin Powers.
If you have some time to wander then get yourself to Queenstown Marina, a waterfront precinct with clear water views up to The Remarkables peaks. A row of sweet multi coloured “sheds” filled with cafes, bakeries, pilates studios and Altitude Brewery across the way.
Arrowtown’s The Blue Door bar has become quite the place to be this season, thanks to surprise DJ sets by semi-local Jason Momoa. The sandstone bar down a laneway sits, not surprisingly, behind a blue door and offers a new “tiny room concerts series” – we hit up Charlotte Graf’s tribute to Fleetwood Mac in a room filled with locals and laughter.
Over in Wānaka there’s an Eco Adventure Wanaka experience that we can’t rate highly enough. Local guides will take you on a boat across the lake to an island that has its own lake and an island within that lake. Confused? Just sign up to the Mou Waho Island Nature Tour, head over and take the guided hike to a lookout and another lookout and another lookout for warm tea and cookies from your guide’s backpack. The walk itself is not difficult and you’ll get to see the local wildlife along the way. You can see the island itself from Treble Cone too.
