Steepest Gondola in Southern Hemisphere

Another gloriously sunny day in Queenstown. This time however, sunglasses, hats and sunblock were necessary. We had breakfast down by the lake which was quite delightful followed by a short walk into town and a walk up the hill to the bottom of the gondola. We had two options. A steep set of stairs straight to the top or around the back on the road and footpath.

Queenstown has made the most of their infrastructure. In summer the gondola takes you to the top where you have the option of going down the luge in a plastic sled like bucket, mountain bike riding to the bottom or simply walking around the viewing platform at the top. In winter of course this is a ski slope. The gondola will hold three, usually teenagers, with mountain bikes and thrill seeking intentions. The price per day for any number of trips was relatively modest. One trip to the top for us however came in at around $100. Still it was worth it. We got to the top and had coffee and walked around. Not too many people and the view both from the top and from the gondola was spectacular. You get a sense of the size of the lake which was not possible from the bottom.Read more