Queenstown’s History

The Queenstown Gardens occupy a peninsula extending into Lake Wakatipu, defined by a dense, protective forest of mature Douglas firs and other exotic trees. This botanical landscape was established in eighteen sixty-six, when the borough’s…

Williams Cottage stands out as a modest, single-story timber dwelling against the backdrop of modern commercial Queenstown. Built in eighteen sixty-four, it is widely recognized as the oldest surviving wooden house in the town. John Ralph…

The bronze statue of William Gilbert Rees stands upon a stone boulder along Marine Parade, overlooking the waters of Lake Wakatipu. Rees, who lived from eighteen twenty-seven to eighteen ninety-eight, was an explorer and surveyor who…

Eichardt's Private Hotel sits directly on the waterfront of Lake Wakatipu, defined by its textured stone exterior and classic proportions that distinguish it from the surrounding buildings. This site was originally the location of a…

The TSS Earnslaw is a twin-screw steamer with a black hull and white superstructure, easily recognized by the thick plumes of coal smoke rising from its funnel. Built in nineteen twelve by John McGregor and Company in Dunedin, the ship is…

The building at forty-five Ballarat Street is constructed from local schist, a stone often found with traces of gold—the very industry that built Queenstown. Completed in eighteen seventy-six, this structure served as the town’s stone…

Hulbert House is a Victorian villa on Ballarat Street, recognizable by its steep, elevated position and traditional timber architecture overlooking downtown Queenstown and Lake Wakatipu. Built in eighteen eighty-eight, the house was…

The Arrowtown Chinese Settlement consists of a cluster of low-slung stone and corrugated iron huts nestled on the banks of Bush Creek. Established in the eighteen sixties after the Otago Provincial Council invited Chinese miners from…