A visit to New Zealand's South Island will inevitably include a visit to Queenstown - the rightly named "Adventure Capital of the World."

While Queenstown lives up to its name in this regard, a trip to Queenstown can include more than adrenalinem inducing activities like bungy jumps, skydives or jet boat rides. Queenstown also offers a huge variety of hiking trails, world-class vineyards and wineries, hip waterside cafes and excellent restaurants.

When you visit Queenstown, you'll get lake and mountain views from just about wherever you are - one mountain range that stands out is the The Remarkables.

The Remarkables were named by Alexander Garvie in the late 1800s as they're one of two mountain ranges in the world that run directly north and south. Outside of simply providing a stunning backdrop to the town, the Remarks (as they're locally known) are home to The Remarkables Ski Field - one of the two ski fields most accessible by Queenstown.

During the winter months The Remarkables offers up 540 acres with three main lifts. There is plenty of beginner terrain, as well as an excellent park with jumps, rails and features and also heaps of off-piste hiking available. A quick hike to the top of Shadow Lift gives you this epic view out over Queenstown and Lake Wakatipu.

Over the summer months, you can take a scenic drive up to the ski field base (about one hour from downtown Queenstown) where there are plenty of walking opportunities. You can go for a quick walk up to Lake Alta, or for more keen mountaineers, you can climb to the summit of Single Cone (2319 metres) where there's an outstanding view over all of the Lake Wakatipu Basin. 

Further Reading...

• For more travel ideas for Queenstown, check out our our Queenstown region page.
• You might also be interested in reading about other day-hikes around Queenstown.
• This South Island itinerary includes some time in Queenstown.