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Home »Driving Routes »Queenstown »Queenstown - Wellington - Auckland »Day 1

Driving Route : Queenstown - Wellington - Auckland

Day 1 : Queenstown to Mt Cook Village

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Route Summary

Travel time is approximate only, based on an average driving speed under normal road conditions.

	Travel time	Km	(Miles)
Queenstown - Omarama	2 hrs	164	103
Omarama - Twizel	0.5 hr	30	19
Twizel - Mt Cook Village	0.75 hr	64	40
Totals for Day	3.25 hrs	258	161

Queenstown - Omarama

164 km (103 miles)
Approximately 2 hours
Road Conditions: State Highway

The alpine resort of Queenstown is exciting, sophisticated and fantastically scenic. It's the place to source almost any kind of adventure, including bungy, jet boating, horse trekking, rafting and river surfing. It's also a destination for luxury experiences—gourmet food and wine, spa treatments and leisurely games of golf.

The vineyards of the Gibbston area are the first temptation on your journey. Then stop and admire the Roaring Meg power station in the Kawarau Gorge.

The restored heart of Cromwell is a treasure for visitors, or take a detour to the old gold workings of Bannockburn. Lake Dunstan is a fine place for a picnic before you launch yourself into the beautiful Lindis Pass—just magic when there's snow around.

You'll know you're in Omarama when you see the giant merino sheep statue. This area's unique geography has made it a magnet for gliding enthusiasts. The northwesterly wind blows steadily to form the famous Northwest Arch, a thermal that can take the glider pilots to 10,000 metres. Scenic soaring can be arranged.

Omarama - Twizel

30 km (19 miles)
Approximately 0.5 hour
Road Conditions: State Highway

Omarama's unique geography has made it a magnet for gliding enthusiasts. The northwesterly wind blows steadily to form the famous Northwest Arch, a thermal that can take the glider pilots to 10,000 metres. Scenic soaring can be arranged, golf and fishing are other entertainment options.

The easy drive to Twizel takes you through picturesque sheep farming country fringed with mountain ranges. You could pause to cast a line into the Ahuriri River—famous for sizeable rainbow and brown trout. You can also detour to the fascinating Paritea cliffs, which are constantly being exposed by the active Osler fault line.

Twizel is a well-placed base for mountain climbing, kayaking, mountain biking, skiing, horse trekking and hiking. It's also a place to spy on the rarest wading bird in the world—the Black Stilt. If you don't have the time to catch your own salmon, the local salmon farm sells it—fresh or smoked.

Twizel - Mt Cook Village

64 km (40 miles)
Approximately 0.75 hour
Road Conditions: State Highway

The road to Mt Cook hugs the edge of Lake Pukaki. The exquisite opaque turquoise colour of this lake and others in the area is caused by fine, glacier-ground rock particles held in suspension. The landscape is a mixture of high country tussock, farmland and snow-capped mountains.

The Aoraki Mount Cook National Park includes the highest peak in Australasia (Mt Cook - 3,755 metres). The region attracts mountain climbers, hikers and scenery fanatics.

Heli skiing, heli hiking and aerial sightseeing provide visitors with amazing memories. A variety of walking trails begin in or near Mount Cook Village—most take only a couple of hours. In the bar of the local hotel, huge windows provide a perfect view of Mt Cook.