Escape the heat for the Queenstown Winter Festival in New Zealand

A slaloming 36 years in the making, the American Express Queenstown Winter Festival 2010, which culminates on the weekend of 3-4 July, is proving to be the biggest yet.

Since its humble beginnings in 1975 as a local racing event, the festival has evolved into New Zealand's biggest winter party -- a celebration of Queenstown's unique culture and jaw-dropping natural assets, with street parties, international and local acts, a Mardi Gras, a Big Air Invitational and plenty of skiing. 2010 will see the town a-buzz with around 60,000 people welcoming the arrival of Winter in true Queenstown style.

Snow party

Firework-fueled revelry at the Queensland Winter Festival.

Elsewhere, take your pick from pool parties to ice hockey games and gigs. Tempting events include the head-pounding Russian Standard Big Chill cocktail party on July 2. If you prefer sedate you might want to hitch a gondola up the Skyline Complex for the Lindauer Jazz Night on 3 July. Check out more free activities at the official Winter Festival website and hit Ticket Direct for tickets. 

If you’d rather just hit the snow yourself, Queenstown is New Zealand’s most famous ski destination, with popular slopes at the Remarkables and Coronet Peak, as well as more chilled-out alternatives at Cardrona and Treble Cone around smaller lakeside town Wanaka, 100 kilometres to the north-east. Local buses and return shuttles run to the ski fields. 

For transport, lift deals and equipment hire, head for Snowrental at 39 Camp Street or Info & Track Centre at 37 Shotover Street. Alpine Sports at number 39 is also good for sourcing the right gear. For off-piste heli-skiing, try Harris Mountains Heli-Ski or Southern Lakes Heli-Ski, which both offer private charters.

Cosy spots to sleep

Fancy waking up in bed with a knock-out view of New Zealand wilderness? Set on a hillside just two miles west of the town centre, Azur Lodge and its nine contemporary private villas command uninterrupted vistas of Lake Wakatipu, the Remarkables range and Cecil and Walter Peaks. The freestanding stone and silver beechwood villas embrace the alpine panorama with floor-to-ceiling windows and sliding glass doors that open onto a spacious sun-deck -- and a spa bath designed to make you feel like you're bathing outdoors. Rates starts from NZ$900–1,300 a villa a night. 

Right in the heart of town, The Spire is an ultra-modern hideaway combining high style with warm service. Hip, contemporary and comfortable, this sleekly designed sanctuary offers just 10 suites and a sexy champagne bar. Rates for a double room a night cost NZ$725–$1,085.

Play year-round

Although the big draw here is the great outdoors, there are a handful of must-see galleries including Toi o Tahuna, at 11 Church Lane, which exclusively represents New Zealand art including contemporary Maori talents.

Queenstown is brimming with adventure and sports stores but there are a few sartorial gems too; at 1, The Mall, Angel Divine (+643 442 8988) stocks hot NZ designers including Kate Sylvester, and ethical fashion label Untouched World (+643 442 4992) creates beautiful Merino wool garments. Kapa, at 29 Rees Street (+643 442 4041), has local and Maori artwork and jewellery. On Saturdays between April and December, a small arts and crafts market is held on the lakeside beside Steamer Wharf. The pretty gold-mining town of Arrowtown, half an hour’s drive from Queenstown, is also good for upmarket boutiques and craft shops.

Other leisurely pursuits include winery tours and tastings, lake walks and boat rides. Fancy something more extreme? The 43-metre-high Kawarau Bridge is the site of the world’s first commercial bungy jump, care of crazy gang AJ Hackett and still going strong.

Eat and Drink

Lakeside Wai Waterfront Restaurant (+643 442 5969) at Steamer Wharf, Beach Street, has one of the best locations and reputations in Queenstown. Known for its seafood, lamb and freshly shucked local oysters, there’s even a seven-course chef’s tasting menu.

Botswana Butchery (+643 442 6994) is known for fine-cut steak and wild, organic food and is set in an old villa at Archers Cottage, 17 Marine Parade, with a large patio outdoors. The Bunker (+643 441 8030), on Cow Lane, is an intimate eatery hidden behind an unmarked door. The space is popular in winter for its hearty local-meets-European fare, roaring hearth and warming single-malt whiskies. With an extensive cocktail list, a good-looking crowd and 1980s tunes, The Boiler Room (+643 441 8066), at 10 Steamer Wharf, makes for a great night out.

Finally, for burgers with attitude, Fergburger (03 441 1232) at 42 Shotover Street is worth a peek, loved by locals for its savvy, satisfying take on fast food.