Queenstown and Wānaka in 5 days: Arrowtown, Glenorchy, Crown Range

Five days is enough to see the best of the Southern Lakes without living in the car. This plan uses three nights in Queenstown and two in Wānaka, with day trips to Arrowtown and Glenorchy in between and the Crown Range road as the link. The Queenstown and Wānaka guide covers the region in general, and the New Zealand guide covers the rest of New Zealand. The order matters: the long road day is in the middle, so a delay or storm costs you one day, not the whole plan.

The plan assumes you hire a car, because Glenorchy, the Crown Range and most trailheads are far easier with one. Tourism New Zealand lists these drive times: about 20 minutes from central Queenstown to Arrowtown, 45 minutes to Glenorchy, and 1 hour 10 minutes to Wānaka. Te Anau is 2 hours 10 minutes away, which matters if you add Milford Sound, covered on its own page below. Skip the rest of this plan if you prefer one base for five nights; the where to stay guide shows how to choose.

Check the dates before you fix the order of the days. If you travel between 1 October and 10 November, swap the Roys Peak day for Isthmus Peak or a Mount Aspiring walk. The trail details are on the DOC Roys Peak page.

Use the first day to settle in and see the setting. Queenstown sits on the shore of Lake Wakatipu among alpine ranges, and the center is walkable, so you can collect a rental car at the airport on the way out rather than paying for parking while you do not need it. Spend the day on the waterfront, in the shops and over a long lunch. Tourism New Zealand lists bungy jumping, skydiving, canyon swinging, jet boating, horse trekking and river rafting as year-round activities, so this is the day to book one if adventure is on your list.

Keep the afternoon light. If you flew in from Auckland, the flight is about 1 hour 50 minutes by Tourism New Zealand's figures, and a transfer day is tiring. Choose one activity, not three, and check the weather and any minimum age or weight rules on the operator's own site before you pay. Many activities are weather dependent, so keep the rest of the schedule flexible.

For the evening, eat in the center and go to bed early if your next day starts with a drive. If you chose a base outside the center, the where to stay guide lists the airport side, Arrowtown and Glenorchy as alternatives.

Drive to Arrowtown, about 20 minutes from the center. The village was established in 1862 during the Otago gold rush, and more than 60 of the cottages, shops, hotels and churches built then are still standing. The Chinese settlement at the edge of the river, built by miners from 1868, shows the daily life of the goldfields, and the Lakes District Museum on Buckingham Street is described by Tourism New Zealand as one of the best small museums in the country. You can pan for gold in the river, and a 4WD trip runs to the ghost town of Macetown.

Between April and May the town turns red and gold as the deciduous trees prepare for winter, and the Akarua Arrowtown Autumn Festival is held in the last week of April. Outside autumn the streets are quieter, and the cafes and boutiques are the draw. A long, slow lunch here makes a gentler day than a second activity.

If you want wine, Tourism New Zealand lists the Gibbston and Queenstown wineries as a top experience, and a tasting is best done with a designated driver or a tour rather than your own wheels. A short walk by the river before dinner is a better use of the hours than a rushed second stop.

Drive to Glenorchy, about 45 minutes from Queenstown. Tourism New Zealand names Bennett's Bluff as the essential photo stop on the way, with the first full view of the head of the lake, and the Red Boat Shed at the wharf is among the most photographed historic landmarks in the country. Glenorchy has about 500 residents, so bring water and food for the day.

The main walk here is a section of the Routeburn Track. The track is 33 kilometers one way, normally 2 to 4 days, and it starts at the Routeburn Shelter. A day section does not use a hut, so check DOC for current conditions and rules; DOC lists the walk from the shelter to Routeburn Flats Hut as 7.5 kilometers, about 1 hour 30 minutes to 2 hours 30 minutes each way. The Great Walks season, when hut and campsite bookings are required, runs from 1 November 2026 to 30 April 2027. Outside that season DOC warns of cold, wet weather, ice and snow, and treats the track as an advanced or expert route.

If walking is not your plan, the Dart River offers jet boating and inflatable kayaking, and the nearby settlement of Paradise has the beech forest used as the gardens of Isengard in The Lord of the Rings. A guided trip is a reasonable choice if you do not want to drive the lake road twice.

Move to Wānaka today. There are two ways to drive between the towns, and the Crown Range is the more memorable. It is the highest main road in New Zealand, reaching approximately 1,121 meters, according to Tourism New Zealand, which says it is shorter in distance but longer in travel time and more challenging than the usual route through Cromwell.

Take the turnoff just past Lake Hayes, climb to the Crown Terrace, and stop at the summit lookout, where you can see Frankton, part of Lake Wakatipu and Queenstown. On the Wānaka side the road crosses a plateau of farmland and descends along the Cardrona Valley, past old gold-mining tailings. The historic Cardrona Hotel is one of the country's oldest, and the area is home to kea, the mountain parrots, so do not leave food in the open. Allow extra time for stops. If the weather is bad or you are not confident with alpine roads, take the Cromwell route instead.

In Wānaka, walk the waterfront to That Wānaka Tree, a few minutes from the town center toward Roys Bay. Tourism New Zealand calls it the most photographed tree in the country, and it is best early or late. Wānaka is also the town for a lakefront dinner, so give the evening to a restaurant and a slow walk.

Finish with one mountain day. Roys Peak is the headline walk when it is open: DOC lists it at 16 kilometers return, 5 to 6 hours, with over 1,200 meters of climbing to a summit at 1,578 meters, and says the best viewpoints are about 30 minutes before the top. There is no shade, and the car park, about 6 kilometers from town, is free but often full. Start early, carry layers and water, and turn back if cloud or wind changes. When the track is closed, choose Isthmus Peak or a walk in Mount Aspiring National Park, a World Heritage area known for the Blue Pools Track and the Rob Roy Glacier Track.

In winter this day becomes a ski day. Tourism New Zealand lists Treble Cone, Cardrona, Snow Farm and the private Soho Basin near Wānaka, and says the season runs from June to October. Treble Cone has the most terrain and the highest share of black runs, while Cardrona suits learners. See the Wānaka guide for the full comparison.

Leave time to return. Wānaka to Queenstown Airport is about 1 hour 10 minutes by road, so a late afternoon flight needs an early start. Add a buffer if the Crown Range is icy.

With four days, drop Arrowtown or combine it with Day 1 and keep Glenorchy. With seven days, add a Milford Sound day, and base the night before in Te Anau if you can, since the Department of Conservation recommends returning from Te Anau rather than Queenstown. The Milford Sound from Queenstown guide compares the coach, the drive and the flight.

In winter, swap Day 2 and Day 3 for snow days and keep the driving short. Chains must be carried over the Crown Range, and ski roads may need them too, so ask your rental company what equipment is supplied. If you prefer a coastal Great Walk to an alpine one, the Abel Tasman guide covers the Coast Track in the north of the island.

If it rains, move Glenorchy or the Wānaka walk to a day with a better forecast and use the wet day for Arrowtown's museum, a long lunch or a scenic flight. For booking, book the one thing that sells out, usually a guided trip or a Great Walk hut, and leave the rest open. Before you go, check the NZeTA rules, add data with an eSIM, and make sure travel insurance covers the activities you plan.