Queenstown with kids: child prices, the free stuff and the buggy-friendly walks
What the big activities charge for children and families, exactly as the operators publish it, plus the free days, the flat walks and the bus rules for small people.
Published 9 September 2026 · Last checked 18 September 2026 · Corrected 18 September 2026 · By Queenstown Pocket
In short: Children ride the bus for $1.50 (under 5 free), the gondola is $48 for 6 to 14s and $187 for a family of four, Shotover Jet takes 5 to 15s at $109, and the bungy starts at age 10. The free days are the Gardens and its playground, the flat Frankton Track with the bus back, the beaches in summer, the library in rain, and Arrowtown’s Chinese Settlement by Route 2 or 4.
Child prices and age bands
| Activity | Child and family price | Notes | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|
| Orbus bus, any route | $1.50 child (5 to 18) with a Bee Card; under 5 free | Adult $2.50; transfers free within 45 minutes | 2 Sep 2026 |
| Skyline Gondola | $48 child (6 to 14); under 2 free; family of four $187 | Adult $69; walk up the Tiki Trail for free | 4 Sep 2026 |
| Gondola + 6 luge rides | $74 child; family of four $283 | Adult $106; children ride the luge alone from 6 years and 110 cm, or in tandem with an adult from 2 years and 85 cm | 18 Sep 2026 |
| Shotover Jet | $109 child (5 to 15); family pass $507 for 2 adults and 2 children | Adult $199; no minimum age, but riders must be 1 m tall (up to 1.2 m on some river days); under-5s who are 1 m tall ride free | 18 Sep 2026 |
| Kawarau Bridge Bungy | From $280 child; minimum age 10 | Adult from $320; weight limits apply | 5 Sep 2026 |
| Lakes District Museum, Arrowtown | $6 child; family (2 adults + 3 children) $30; under 5 free | Adult $14; daily 9am to 5pm | 3 Sep 2026 |
| Kiwi Park | Prices on the park's own site | 9:30am to 5pm, last entry 4:15pm; the kiwi house is indoors | 3 Sep 2026 |
Adult prices, the combos and the ski passes are on the activity prices guide. Every operator sets its own age band (6 to 14 at Skyline, 5 to 15 at Shotover Jet, 10 and up at the bungy), so a family of two adults and two children pays different things in different places; the table quotes the bands with the price.
Viator sells a small-group zipline tour, listed at 2 h. Its price below is Viator’s from-price per person on 2026-09-18, not a quoted child fare, so check the age and weight limits and the child rate on the listing before you book.
Small-Group Zipline Adventure in Queenstown
2 h · 4.9 stars from 1,018 reviews
From NZ$119 per person on Viator, price checked 2026-09-18
We earn a commission if you book through this link.
The free days
- Queenstown Gardens. Playground, the pond, the rose garden, the free 18-hole disc golf course (bring or borrow a disc), and the lakefront to the skate park. Five minutes from the Mall.
- Frankton Track. Wide, mostly flat gravel along the Frankton Arm from the Gardens to Frankton, buggy friendly, with a detour on the Frankton Road footpath while pipeline works close sections through 2026; walk one way and take Route 1 back from Frankton Hub for $2.50 (children $1.50).
- The beaches. Frankton Beach and Sunshine Bay shelve gently and are the sheltered swims; the lake is glacier-fed and stays around 10 to 12 C even in January, so swims are short and a towel matters. Route 1 goes to both.
- Arrowtown. Route 2 (from Frankton Hub) or Route 4 (from town) for the Chinese Settlement (free, outdoors, five minutes from the stop), the Arrow River path, and the museum’s $30 family ticket if the weather turns.
- Queenstown Hill for children who can manage a steady climb, and the Frankton Track for the ones who cannot.
Buses, buggies and the Bee Card
Children 5 to 18 pay $1.50 with the child concession loaded on their own Bee Card ($5 a card, $5 minimum top-up); under 5 travel free without a card. Cash is $4 on most routes and $10 on the airport leg, so a family of four arriving on Route 1 saves more than the cards cost on the first ride. Buses have no buggy bays beyond the wheelchair space, so fold the buggy, and there are no luggage racks. The Bee Card guide has the concession rules and where to buy.
When it rains
Library first: free, warm, on Stanley Street where Routes 1, 4 and 5 stop, with a children’s area. Then Kiwi Park at the gondola base for the indoor kiwi house and the conservation show (9:30am to 5pm, last entry 4:15pm), or the bus to Arrowtown for the museum. Queenstown’s rain comes in fronts that clear in hours, so plan the indoor thing for the morning; the rainy day guide has the rest.
Snow with children
All four fields run ski schools and beginner areas; Coronet Peak is the closest (16 km) and the only one with night skiing, The Remarkables has the most sheltered learner terrain, and Cardrona is the one families cross the Crown Range for. Child pass and lesson prices change by season and are on the operators’ pages; the ski fields guide compares the four with the bus to each. Off the mountain, the toboggan slope at the top of the gondola and the luge run all winter.
Questions people ask
What can you do in Queenstown with kids for free?
The Queenstown Gardens and its playground and free disc golf course, the mostly flat gravel Frankton Track along the lake (buggy friendly, on a Frankton Road footpath detour while pipeline works close sections through 2026, with the Route 1 bus back for $2.50), the beaches at Frankton and Sunshine Bay in summer, the library on Stanley Street, Arrowtown's Chinese Settlement (free, outdoors, five minutes from the bus), and Queenstown Hill for children who can manage a steady climb.
Do children pay on the Queenstown bus?
Under 5 travel free. Ages 5 to 18 pay $1.50 a trip with the child concession loaded on their own Bee Card; adults pay $2.50. Buses have no luggage racks or buggy bays beyond the wheelchair space, so fold the buggy.
How much is the Skyline gondola for a family?
$187 for a family of four for the gondola alone, or $283 for the family pass Skyline labels 6 luge rides, without saying whether that is 6 each, as Skyline published on 18 September 2026. Children are 6 to 14; under 2 ride free.
Can kids do the Shotover Jet or the bungy?
Shotover Jet takes children from 5 to 15 at $109 (family pass $507), subject to a minimum height. The Kawarau Bridge Bungy has a minimum age of 10 and a child price from $280. Both operators state the age, height and weight limits on their booking pages; the prices here are as published in September 2026.
What do you do with kids in Queenstown when it rains?
The library first (free, warm, on Stanley Street where Routes 1, 4 and 5 stop, with a children's area), then Kiwi Park for the indoor kiwi house and the conservation show, or the bus to Arrowtown for the museum's $30 family ticket and the Chinese Settlement. Fronts usually clear within hours, so keep the afternoon free.
Is Queenstown Hill suitable for children?
Yes, for children who can manage a steady climb of about 500 m over 2 to 3 hours return; the surface is well formed the whole way and the track starts a 15-minute walk from the Mall. Allow the longer end of the time, and carry water and a layer for the summit wind.
Get the Thursday email
One expensive Queenstown decision a week, settled with dated prices and the free alternative, plus three things the week favours. Free. It also carries the one launch email, so you are on the app waitlist too.
One email every Thursday at 6am: one Queenstown decision settled with numbers, and three things the week favours. Plus one email when the app launches. Unsubscribe any time. Privacy
Related guides
- Free things to do in Queenstown
Twelve free things, and the $2.50 bus that gets you to each one.
- Bee Card in Queenstown: where to buy it and how it works
$5 card, $5 minimum top-up, $2.50 fares instead of $4 cash. Where to buy and how to top up.
- Queenstown when it rains: what is actually worth doing
Museum, Kiwi Park, hot pools, cinema, and the walks that suit the rain, each with its bus.
- What Queenstown activities cost, from the operators' own pages
The headline prices for the big activities, quoted exactly as the operators publish them, with the date and the link.
Sources: Skyline Queenstown, gondola and luge prices (opens in a new tab), Skyline Queenstown, luge age and height rules (opens in a new tab), Shotover Jet, prices and family pass (opens in a new tab), Shotover Jet, FAQs (age and height) (opens in a new tab), AJ Hackett Bungy, Kawarau Bridge prices and minimum age (opens in a new tab), Lakes District Museum, admission (opens in a new tab), Otago Regional Council, Orbus Queenstown fares and child concession (opens in a new tab) and Queenstown Trails Trust, Frankton Track (opens in a new tab), retrieved 5 September 2026. Prices are the operators' published figures on the dates in the table, and the zipline price is Viator's on the date beside its card; age, height and weight limits are the operators' and apply at the gate. 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.