Winter Family Fun in Queenstown: Activities for Kids On and Beyond the Slopes

Winter in Queenstown With Kids, On and Beyond the Slopes

Not every child wants to ski, and a Queenstown winter holiday does not have to be built around a lift pass. There is tobogganing on the mountain, a 1,600 metre luge track you can walk to from the town centre, and a maze in Wanaka that has been eating whole afternoons since 1973. Here is what each one actually involves, the ages and heights that matter, and how far you have to drive. Need wheels for it? Evolve Rentals brings the car to where you are staying in Queenstown.

What Can Kids Do at Coronet Peak Without Skiing?

Coronet Peak runs a snowplay zone with designated sledding areas, and you need neither a lift pass nor a lesson to use it. Sleds are hired from Guest Services, or you can bring your own. It is 16 kilometres from the town centre, around 26 minutes up Gorge Road and the Coronet Peak Road.

The mountain runs a snow factory, so there is snow in the play area from the end of May whether or not the weather has cooperated. Alongside the sledding there is snowman building, snowball fights, and a gondola if you want the view without the climb. Jackets, pants and snow boots can be hired on the mountain, which is worth knowing if you have flown in with none of it.

The base building has cafes and indoor seating looking out over the basin, so there is somewhere warm to put a cold child. Free shuttles run between the car parks and the base, so take whatever parking space you find and let the shuttle do the walking.

How Old Do Kids Have to Be for the Skyline Luge?

Six years old and over 110 centimetres to ride solo. Anyone younger or shorter rides tandem with an adult, so there is no age below which a child is shut out. The Skyline Gondola and Luge is also the one on this list you can reach on foot from the town centre, which makes it the answer on a day when nobody wants to get back in the car.

The gondola climbs to Bob's Peak for the view out over the lake and The Remarkables, and the track runs 1,600 metres of banked corners, tunnels and dippers back down. It is an easy sell to a child who has spent the morning being told to be careful on a pair of skis.

Is Puzzling World Worth the Drive From Queenstown?

Yes, and it is the one to hold back for the day the weather beats you. Puzzling World is at 188 Wanaka Luggate Highway, about 70 kilometres from Queenstown over the Crown Range, and it takes around an hour and twenty minutes each way. It opens daily at 9am with last admission at 4.30pm, and the only day of the year it closes is Christmas Day.

It has been going since 1973. There is the Great Maze, which is a serious one and will take a family the better part of an hour, six illusion rooms of optical and gravity defying displays, and a cafe doing burgers, pizzas and wraps for when everyone has had enough of being confused. The maze is outdoors, so do that part first if the forecast is turning.

What Should You Take for a Day in the Snow?

The list is short and the difference it makes is not.

• Spare gloves and spare socks, a set each. Wet gloves end a day faster than cold ever does.
• Sunglasses or goggles. Snow throws the light straight back up, and children squint rather than say anything.
• Sunscreen, including on the overcast days. The glare off the snow catches people out every season.
• Snacks and water left in the car, not only bought on the mountain. It saves a queue with a tired child.
• A full change of clothes in the boot for the drive home. Somebody always needs it.

What Is the Drive Up Coronet Peak Like in Winter?

The road to Coronet Peak is sealed the whole way up. That does not make it a casual drive. It climbs steadily, it ices over, and on some mornings chains are required to get up it. Snow Chains 101 covers when you need them and how to fit them, and Driving in New Zealand covers the wider conditions worth knowing about before you set off. Check the mountain's road status before you leave town, not at the bottom of the hill with three children in the back.

How Do You Fit It All Into a Few Days?

You do not have to do all three in one go, and trying to will spoil at least one of them.

• Coronet Peak in the morning. The snow is better early and so are the children, and you are back in town by early afternoon.
• Skyline on a half day. It is in town, so it fills an afternoon without committing anyone to a drive.
• Puzzling World as its own day. It is around two and a half hours of driving there and back, so pair it with Arrowtown on the way home rather than trying to fit the mountain in as well.

Getting Everyone There

Two of the three need a car and the third is easier with one. Child seats are available, so add one when you book.

In Queenstown we bring the car to you. Nobody else here does that, and it is the entire reason Evolve exists. With children it matters more than it sounds. The car arrives where you are staying, the bags and the boots go in once, and nobody walks a tired toddler and a week of luggage across a car park to find a rental desk.

Book Your Car for the Winter Holidays

Pick your dates and we will bring it to you. Evolve Rentals.

FAQs

What can kids do in Queenstown in winter besides skiing?
Tobogganing in the snowplay zone at Coronet Peak, the Skyline Gondola and Luge in town, and Puzzling World in Wanaka. None of the three needs a lift pass or a lesson.

Is the Skyline Luge suitable for young children?
Children need to be at least six years old and over 110 centimetres to ride solo. Anyone younger or shorter rides tandem with an adult, so there is no lower age limit for going down the track.

How far is Puzzling World from Queenstown?
About 70 kilometres, or around an hour and twenty minutes each way over the Crown Range. It opens daily at 9am and last admission is 4.30pm.

Do you need a car for these activities?
For Coronet Peak and Puzzling World, yes. The Skyline Gondola and Luge is walkable from central Queenstown. Child seats can be added to an Evolve booking.