Free things to do in Queenstown
Queenstown sells itself as expensive. It is not, if you walk and ride the bus. Twelve free things, each with the Orbus route that gets you there for $2.50.
Published 4 September 2026 · Last checked 16 September 2026 · Corrected 16 September 2026 · By Queenstown Pocket
In short: The best free things in Queenstown are the walks and the water: the Gardens and its free disc golf course, Queenstown Hill and the Tiki Trail for the views, the Frankton Track along the lake, the Lake Hayes loop, Arrowtown’s Chinese Settlement and main street, and Bob’s Cove up the Glenorchy road. Everything except Bob’s Cove is walkable from town or a $2.50 Orbus ride away.
The twelve, with the bus to each
| What | Time | Bus | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Queenstown Gardens and the lakefront | 30 min to 2 h | Walk from town | Peninsula park with the rose garden, the pond and lake views; 5 to 8 minutes from the Mall. |
| Disc golf in the Gardens | About 1 h | Walk from town | 18 holes, free to play; the first tee is by the sign on the lake side of the pond. Bring your own disc or hire one in town. |
| Queenstown Hill (Te Tapu-nui) | 2 to 3 h return | Walk, or Route 1 to town | 500 m of climb through pines to the Basket of Dreams and a full-basin view. Start on Belfast Terrace. |
| Tiki Trail to Bob's Peak | About 1 h up | Walk from town | The steep free way up to the gondola top station. Ride the gondola down only if you buy a ticket; otherwise walk. |
| Frankton Track (the lake path to Frankton) | 1.5 to 2 h one way | Route 1 back, $2.50 with a Bee Card | Wide gravel path along the Frankton Arm from the Gardens, buggy friendly; through 2026 pipeline works close sections and the detour uses the Frankton Road footpath. Ride Orbus back rather than walking both ways. |
| Sunshine Bay Track | 40 min to 1 h return | Route 1 to Heritage Resort | 4 km return along the lake to a pebble beach on the Glenorchy side of town. One Mile Creek nearby is a rough tramping track, and the council closed its lower section after the August 2026 storm. |
| Lake Hayes loop (Waiwhakaata) | 8 km, 2 to 3 h on foot | Route 2 to Mora Wines or Amisfield Winery, about 550 m | Grade 3 loop around the lake; in September 2026 its northern bridge is closed after the August storm. Calm mornings give the mirror reflections. |
| Arrowtown Chinese Settlement | 30 to 60 min | Route 2 from Frankton Hub, or Route 4 | DOC's restored 1880s miners' huts on Bush Creek. Entirely outdoors and free, any hour. |
| Arrowtown's Buckingham Street and the Arrow River | 1 to 3 h | Route 2 or Route 4, $2.50 | The gold-rush main street, then the river path; the Route 2 transfer from the airport is free within 45 minutes. |
| Bob's Cove (Punatapu) | 1.5 km one way, 20 to 30 min | No bus: car or tour | 14 km up the Glenorchy road. Bush to a turquoise cove in 20 minutes and Picnic Point in 30, back the same way. Historic lime kiln by the track. |
| Kelvin Heights peninsula | 1 to 2 h | Route 3, or the $10 ferry | Lakeside path around the peninsula with the town across the water. Not free if you take the ferry, but $10 each way. |
| Frankton Marina and the Kawarau Falls bridge | 1 h | Route 1 to Frankton | Watch the lake outlet, then the old bridge; the Remarkables fill the view. |
Fares are $2.50 per adult with a Bee Card, $4 cash ($10 cash on the airport leg); transfers are free within 45 minutes. Routes, spans and the fare table are in the bus routes and fares guide.
The two free viewpoints
Queenstown Hill is the one everyone can do: 2 to 3 hours return, about 500 m of climb on a well-formed track from Belfast Terrace, through pine forest to the Basket of Dreams sculpture and a 360-degree view over the basin. The Tiki Trail is steeper and shorter, about an hour from the gondola base to the top station, and it is the free way to the view the gondola sells. Both start within a 15-minute walk of the Mall; take water and a layer, the summit wind is real.
The free lake walks
- Gardens loop. Start at the lakefront, circle the peninsula past the rose garden and the pond, and you have seen Cecil Peak and Walter Peak from the best public seat in town.
- Frankton Track. A wide gravel path along the Frankton Arm from the Gardens to Frankton, buggy friendly; through 2026 pipeline works close sections and the detour runs on the Frankton Road footpath. Walk one way and ride Route 1 back from Frankton Hub for $2.50 with a Bee Card.
- Sunshine Bay Track. 4 km return along the lake to Sunshine Bay’s pebble beach, 40 minutes to an hour, from beside the Heritage Resort stop on Route 1. One Mile Creek nearby is a rough tramping track, and its lower section has been closed since the August 2026 storm.
- Kelvin Heights. Route 3 from Frankton Hub, or the Route 6 ferry across the bay for $10, then the lakeside path around the peninsula.
Arrowtown by bus
Route 2 (from Frankton Hub) and Route 4 (from town) both end in Arrowtown for $2.50. The Chinese Settlement on Bush Creek is a DOC site of partly restored 1880s miners’ huts, entirely outdoors and free at any hour, five minutes from the stop. Buckingham Street’s gold-rush frontages and the Arrow River path cost nothing either. The Lake Hayes loop is on the way: 8 km around the lake, 2 to 3 hours on foot, graded intermediate by the Queenstown Trails Trust, with Route 2 stopping at Mora Wines and Amisfield Winery, about 550 m from the trail.
Bob’s Cove: the one that needs a car
Fourteen kilometres up the Glenorchy road, past the last Orbus stop at Sunshine Bay, a car park marks the Bob’s Cove track: 1.5 km one way through native bush to a turquoise cove (Punatapu), then a short, steep loop to Picnic Point, with the 1800s lime kiln beside the track. 20 minutes to the cove and 30 to Picnic Point, one way. No bus, so pair it with a Glenorchy drive; the Glenorchy road guide has the rest of the stops.
Questions people ask
What can you do in Queenstown for free?
Walk the Gardens and lakefront, play the 18-hole disc golf course in the Gardens, climb Queenstown Hill (2 to 3 hours return) or the Tiki Trail, follow the Frankton Track along the lake, loop Lake Hayes (8 km), visit Arrowtown's Chinese Settlement and main street, and walk Bob's Cove. All of them are free; most are a $2.50 bus ride away.
Is Queenstown Gardens free?
Yes. The Gardens are a public park on the peninsula next to the town centre, 5 to 8 minutes' walk from the Mall, and the 18-hole disc golf course inside them is free to play.
Can you walk up to the Skyline Gondola for free?
Yes, on the Tiki Trail, a steep track of about an hour from the base of the gondola to the top station. Walking down is free too; riding the gondola in either direction needs a ticket.
How do you get to Arrowtown without a car?
Orbus Route 2 from Frankton Hub or Route 4 from Queenstown centre, $2.50 with a Bee Card. From the airport, Route 1 two stops to Frankton Hub then Route 2, free as a transfer within 45 minutes. The Chinese Settlement is a short walk from the Arrowtown stop.
How long is the Lake Hayes loop?
8 km around the lake, graded intermediate (Grade 3) by the Queenstown Trails Trust: 2 to 3 hours on foot or about an hour by bike. In September 2026 its northern bridge is closed after the August storm, so check the Trust's trail status before you go.
Is there a bus to Bob's Cove?
No. Bob's Cove is 14 km along the Glenorchy road, past the end of the Orbus network at Sunshine Bay. You need a car or a Glenorchy tour that stops there.
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Related guides
- Queenstown bus routes & fares
All six Orbus routes, the $2.50 airport bus, Bee Card vs cash fares and the ferry.
- Queenstown Airport to town: bus, taxi, shuttle or rental
The $2.50 bus, what a taxi costs, shuttles, and when a rental car makes sense.
- Do you need a car in Queenstown?
Where the bus gets you, where it does not, and what a car, shuttle or tour costs instead.
- Queenstown to Glenorchy: road, stops and what works offline
46 km, one road, no Orbus. The stops, the costs, and the offline map you will want.
Sources: DOC, Bob's Cove Track and Nature Walk (opens in a new tab), DOC, Arrowtown Chinese Settlement (opens in a new tab), Queenstown Trails Trust, Lake Hayes Trail (opens in a new tab), Queenstown Disc Golf, Gardens course (opens in a new tab), the ORC Queenstown fares page (opens in a new tab), Queenstown Trails Trust, Frankton Track (opens in a new tab) and Queenstown Lakes District Council, weather event update, 28 August 2026 (opens in a new tab), retrieved 16 September 2026. Walking times are the published track times; a fit walker will be quicker, a family slower. This independent guide is published by Tally Sphere Limited, a New Zealand company. Spotted a change? Report a problem with this page and the page address comes with your email.