Top Things to do in Otago Region
What to do and see in Otago Region, South Island: The Best Things to do
Discover the best top things to do in Otago Region, New Zealand including Lake Wakatipu, Lake Wanaka, Glenorchy-Queenstown Road, Ben Lomond Track, Roys Peak Track, Kiwi Birdlife Park, Otago Peninsula, Queenstown Gardens, Dunedin Railway Station, Queenstown Hill.
Restaurants in Otago Region
1. Lake Wakatipu
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 1,061 reviews
Reviewed By 194fayh - Christchurch, New Zealand
When visiting Queenstown a "Must see & Do" is the trip on the TSS Earnslaw boat - built in 1912 a great old ship that takes you up to Walter Peak - again a beautiful old Homestead/Farm wonderful hosts - great gift shop and a sing song on the journey with Lovely Eleanor on the piano playing some great old favourite songs which all the passengers join in on the singng. wonderful adventure and a chance to meet people from around the Globe. cant wait to do it again.
2. Lake Wanaka
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 2,293 reviews
Reviewed By ivangH5657RG
This natural wonder is so pleasant, families with children can enjoy many water activities by boating, water skiing or just having tasty picnic and feeding local ducks. Also nearby there is children playground as well. To walk to town takes about 10 minutes where you can get ice cream or cosy lunch or diner. And prices are very moderate.
3. Glenorchy-Queenstown Road
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 1,928 reviews
Reviewed By Vulcan90049 - Nambucca Heads, Australia
Wonderful drive from Queenstown to Glenorchy,, Great road and Fantastic views along the way,,, lovely little town ship. Well worth the trip
4. Ben Lomond Track
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 693 reviews
Always check the website for changes that might affect your trip.
Reviewed By lottie27 - Balmain, Australia
As a 30-year old, reasonably fit female who had hiked Ben Lomond seven years previous, I actually found this hike to be reasonably ok for the most part. I had in fact hiked Roy’s Peak, Wanaka the day previous so wasn’t sure how my legs would feel doing two quite big hikes consecutively. As per the other reviews, there are two options, either start at the bottom of the Skyline Gondola (on Beacon St) and take the Tiki Trail up, or pay $38 (or something) and take about 45mins - 1hour (each way) off your hiking time and get the Gondola. For the challenge, I chose the first option and commenced my hike at 7.30am at the bottom of the Tiki Trail. The Tiki Trial is actually quite tough, constantly uphill and over some pretty rough terrain. I grabbed a good stick to use as a hiking pole in the forest and I think this certainly helped me overall. By 8.10am I was at the Skyline Gondola where the views are actually pretty fantastic in their own right. A quick 5 minute toilet stop here and I left the top of the Gondola to commence the hike at about 8.20am. The Ben Lomond track is well signposted from here (much better than when I first did this hike seen years ago) and it says 1.5 hours to the saddle and 2.5 hours to the summit. The hike from the Gondola to the saddle I found to be quite ok... yes it’s constantly uphill but not THAT steep and I in fact made it to the saddle in just under an hour from leaving the top of the Gondola - arriving at 9.15am. The saddle is where the easy hiking sure ends - the hike from the saddle to the summit was particularly strenuous. Having hiked Roy’s Peak the day before, my quads were burning. From the saddle to the summit, it is very much scrambling (on your hands as knees at times) up a rocky mountain face. Even on a dry day like I had I found it quite unsteady underfoot at times. That said, I made it to the summit from the saddle in about 40 minutes. The decent was quite tough on the knees but not as bad as Roy’s Peak and it was nice to be able to take in the views. I got back to the Skyline Gondola by 11.10am (1hr 10mins after leaving the summit), stopped for a cold drink and made it to the bottom of the Tiki Trail just after 12pm - 4.5 hours after commencing. I did walk quite fast and took very few breaks but it just goes to show that it doesn’t need to be a 6/8 hour hike if you’re reasonably fit. The crowds are much smaller than the Roy’s Peak track, even on a beautiful summers day like I had which I found made this hike more appealing. The walk itself is also more varied (having the Tiki Trail forest, the steady climb to the saddle and then the steep scramble to the summit) which made it a little more interesting than the zig zag of Roy’s Peak. My only comment would be that I didn’t find the views (from the saddle or summit) as amazing as the ones from Roy’s Peak, but overall a challenging, enjoyable hike. I didn’t have proper hiking boots and found my Nike trainers did the job ok, just be wary of twisted ankles on the climb to the summit. I found a long stick to be really helpful on the hike to the saddle, although had to lose it to the summit so I had both hands free to grab hold of things around me. Take lots of water, snacks, clothing and suncream as the weather can be very changeable.
5. Roys Peak Track
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 916 reviews
The track is closed for lambing from 1 October - 10 November each year. Always check the website for changes that might affect your trip.
Reviewed By winterystorm - Cairns, Australia
I was lucky enough to be with a group on the Runaways Southern Highlights tour. These guys know what they are doing. We started on the mountain at 4am and with the awesome moonlight didn't need to use our headlamps. I would totally recommend starting as early as you can. When the sun comes out there is no hiding from it, no shade at all. The tour director rightly called many sections of it punchy. It took some in the group 1:45 to get to the peak, but it was -1 (degrees celcius) and pretty darn chilly. I took 2:30 and made it just in the nick of time to see one of the most spectacularly majestic sunrises I've ever seen. If you haven't been training for hills/mountains, then start early, take a good amount of water, dress sensibly to protect yourself from the sun on the way up and the cold at the top and wear shoes with decent grip. It's pretty steep in some parts. Expect it to be difficult but know that when you get to the top, every second will have been worth it. Just sooooo incredible. I found that doing a zig zag type move in the really steep bits helped a lot and of course having Isaac, tour director of Runaways encouraging me helped more than I probably realise. I'm 45 and my fitness is average. Still even in my less fit days, the breathlessness and sore muscles are totally worth it. Just be well prepared.
6. Kiwi Birdlife Park
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 2,848 reviews
Enjoy the sight and sounds of New Zealand's wildlife and bush in our 5 acre breeding sanctuary. See real kiwi and over twenty other native birds and reptiles, including the Tuatara. Experience conservation in action.
Reviewed By Q9912RZkirstym
Allow 1h30 - 2hs+. Upon entering you get given a map along with an audio guide which you can use throughout the park. Lots of different types of native birds throughout the park (not just kiwis!). I would definitely recommend planning your trip around the times of both the conservation talk/animal show and also the kiwi feeding - both well worth seeing! The animal/conservation show was a fantastic highlight. Located in an outdoor mini amphitheater. Here you’ll meet the Stars of the Park and get up close and personal to some of the bird species as they fly freely around you. Be amazed by the intelligence of some of NZ's native birds. I was super impressed by the factual and interesting conservation information received during this show. There were also some quite unusual and unexpected animals... but I won't ruin the surprise! This was my first time seeing a real kiwi and not a stuffed cuddly one as you seen in every souvenir shop in QT- a real treat!. Due to being nocturnal birds, they were housed within two buildings. After taking a few minutes for your eyes to adjust I was surprised to see two kiwi birds foraging around for food (they are much bigger than I had expected). There is also a place where you can taste/buy manuka honey, a cafe and a souvenir shop. The cost for entry supports the conservation for a quaint family run business. Highly recommend to any animal/bird lovers, people who are interested and want to support conservation of some of NZ's rarest native birds and families with children.
7. Otago Peninsula
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 2,056 reviews
The Otago Peninsula is a long, hilly indented finger of land that forms the easternmost part of Dunedin, New Zealand. Volcanic in origin, it forms one wall of the eroded valley that now forms Otago Harbour. The peninsula lies south-east of Otago Harbour and runs parallel to the mainland for 20 km, with a maximum width of 9 km. It is joined to the mainland at the south-west end by a narrow isthmus about 1.5 km wide.
Reviewed By kiwikeen2020 - Gold Coast, Australia
We did a bus tour visiting sights around Otago Peninsula - Larnach Castle, Sandfly bay, Royal Albatross colony and Penguin Place and Penguin cafe for lunch - we all had a lovely time and beautiful sunny day which made it even better.
8. Queenstown Gardens
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 3,346 reviews
Reviewed By 692peggyj
Easy stroll through lush settings with magnificent trees, lawn bowling leagues, and children’s play ares that incorporate real trees to climb and swing from.
9. Dunedin Railway Station
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 3,366 reviews
Reviewed By paulelenio
This beautiful building has to be on visitors' wishlists. The architecture is magnificent, a reminder of a bygone era when train travel excelled long before the jets arrived. The interior is also worth spending time in, particularly the home of the New Zealand sports hall of fame on the first floor with a wonderful array of memorabilia celebrating the achievements of our sports legends such as Peter Snell, Colin Meads and Susan Devoy. From the same station the daily heritage train service taking sightseers up the Taeri Gorge leaves, another great attraction not to be missed.
10. Queenstown Hill
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 1,493 reviews
Reviewed By Fliss55 - Greater Manchester, United Kingdom
You can drive to the start of the walk at Belfast terrace or walk from town which is approx 20 mins. The start is clearly signposted. If you take the anticlockwise loop up the hill the track condition is excellent and very shaded amongst dense pines. So there is no view until the very top which brings you to the Basket of Dreams sculpture. If you have the energy I can recommend the extra 15minute steep climb to the top which has stupendous views in almost every direction and is very peaceful. We took the alternative track back down which has a more open aspect but is less easy underfoot.Total trip time including a rest at the top was 3 hours. Well worth it if you have a good fitness level.
