Southern Lakes Discovery Tour - Private

Exclusively available as a private charter, this full-day Southern Lakes journey is entirely tailored to your interests. Designed around your preferences — whether wine tastings, whisky or gin workshops with a distillery tour, a relaxed vineyard lunch, boutique browsing, or a short lakeside walk in Wānaka — the day unfolds at your pace, guided by local insight and insider knowledge.

Departing Queenstown, we travel a spectacular scenic loop from Queenstown to Cromwell via the dramatic Kawarau Gorge before returning over the Crown Range — the highest sealed road in New Zealand.

Our journey begins through the Shotover Gorge, once the richest gold-bearing river in New Zealand, with panoramic views from Skippers Saddle across the Wakatipu Basin toward Coronet Peak. We continue to Arrowtown, where you may explore the historic village, boutique-lined main street and Lakes District Museum, and view the filming location known as the Ford of Bruinen from The Lord of the Rings.

Travelling through the Kawarau Gorge, we pause at the suspension bridge — home of the world’s first commercial bungy jump — before continuing into Central Otago wine country.

Lunch is curated to suit your style. Choose from a vineyard restaurant in Bannockburn, a private tasting experience, a whisky workshop and distillery tour, or a relaxed meal in the charming Cromwell Old Town precinct overlooking the lake.

In the afternoon, we travel to Wānaka for a lakeside stroll or optional short scenic walk, framed by expansive alpine views.

Returning via the Crown Range Road, sweeping high-country landscapes accompany us back toward Queenstown, with an optional stop in historic Cardrona before descending into the Wakatipu Basin.

This private full-day experience showcases the diversity of the Southern Lakes region — gold-rush heritage, vineyard valleys, boutique villages and alpine passes — thoughtfully curated and completely customised around you.