The Southern Compass | Self-Guided Audio Tours of Dunedin & Otago

Queenstown Walking Tour - Self-Guided Audio Tour

From the Green to the Graveyard: A Queenstown Story

A self-guided Queenstown walking tour exploring history, Māori legends, and alpine landscapes

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Download From the Green to the Graveyard: A Queenstown Story and start your walk whenever you’re ready.

Introduction

Experience the best of Queenstown on this self-guided walking tour through its historic heart. Starting at the Village Green, explore the streets, gardens, and lakefront where Māori legends meet gold rush ambition. Discover how a quiet sheep station transformed into a bustling mining town and, later, the adventure capital of the world—all while taking in the stunning alpine scenery that defines Queenstown today.

For a complementary experience in the region, combine this tour with Arrowtown’s Golden Thread Walking Tour to uncover more gold-rush history and heritage streets nearby.

About the Queenstown Walking Tour

Queenstown's breathtaking setting on the shores of Lake Wakatipu conceals a dramatic history of transformation. On this walking tour, you'll discover how a remote pastoral homestead erupted into a chaotic gold rush camp before evolving into a world-class resort. As you explore the compact town center, hidden gardens, and historic lakefront, you'll uncover the characters and events that shaped this remarkable alpine destination.

The tour starts at the Village Green, once the epicenter of the 1862 gold rush that transformed the landscape almost overnight. You'll walk along narrow streets designed to maximize gold-rush land sales and past historic stone buildings that survived devastating fires. Along the way, you'll discover why Queenstown's streets are narrower than those in other New Zealand cities and how the compact layout shaped the town’s unique character.

You’ll explore the magnificent Queenstown Gardens, established in 1867 on what was once William Gilbert Rees's sheep farm, and learn how the TSS Earnslaw steamship became the lifeline of remote lake communities. Hear the Māori legend explaining Lake Wakatipu's unique "breathing" tide, and discover how A.J. Hackett's first commercial bungy jump in 1988 helped cement Queenstown’s reputation as the "Adventure Capital of the World."

The tour ends at the historic cemetery on Brecon Street, offering panoramic views across the town Rees founded.

What you’ll experience on this tour

Learn why Lake Wakatipu “breathes”, rising and falling every 27 minutes according to Māori legend
Visit St. Peter's Anglican Church with its historic pipe organ dating from 1874
Explore Williams Cottage, one of Queenstown's oldest surviving gold-rush buildings
Discover the Lake Lodge of Ophir, New Zealand's oldest Masonic lodge still used for its original purpose
Touch the massive pounamu (greenstone) mauri stone beside Ballarat Bridge for good luck
See the Wakatipu Waka sculpture and learn about its unofficial role in local nightlife traditions
Admire the imposing peaks of The Remarkables mountain range from a special viewing platform

Whether you're fascinated by gold-rush history, Māori legends, or simply want to understand how this tiny settlement became a world-renowned destination, this tour offers the perfect introduction to Queenstown’s remarkable journey.

For more heritage walks nearby, explore Arrowtown’s Golden Thread Walking Tour to experience more gold-rush streets, riverside paths, and hidden lanes.