An old story goes that Queenstown got its name after a local gold digger proclaimed the town to be fit for then Queen Victoria of Great Britain. No queens roam the town currently but it is host to possibly a million or more visitors a year. While there are doubts to the story’s veracity, for sure only a few among that million would disagree with its message. People from all over include this small lakeside community as part of most trips to NZ, making Queenstown the most heavily-visited destination in the South Island.
The town is a tiny urban center of merely 10,000 people but it feels like a much bigger place, owing largely to its popularity as a resort town. It has a compact but relatively dense downtown, a fabulous lake (Wakatipu), majestic peaks across all corners as well as extremely picturesque sites within a few minutes drive.
view of queenstown
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