Cheap Things to Do in Queenstown Under $50 Per Person

At a glance

Prices are in New Zealand dollars. Travel, food and equipment hire are extra unless mentioned. Tap an activity to jump to the details.

1. Play disc golf in Queenstown Gardens

• Cost: around $5 per hired disc
• Time: around an hour
• Car needed: no

This is probably the best thing you can do in Queenstown for under $10.

There’s an 18-hole disc golf course running through Queenstown Gardens, only a few minutes from the town centre.

I had never even heard of disc golf before I came here. I’m still not convinced it is going to be my game for life, but it is a pretty nice way to spend an afternoon.

You can rent a disc for $5 for the day at Small Planet, so it is a cheap way to get outside and do something a bit different. Bring your own discs and the course is free.

There is not much to it. You do not need to know what you are doing — throw towards the basket, count your shots and try not to hit anyone along the way.

2. Walk Queenstown Hill and find the fairy village

• Cost: free
• Time: around 2–3 hours
• Car needed: no

Queenstown Hill is one of the closest proper walks to town, but there is a bit more to it than just climbing uphill for the view.

A nice touch is the little fairy village you pass on the way up. It is easy to miss if you are not looking for it, but it gives the walk a bit more character.

From town it is about a 25-minute walk to the start of the track, then it is steep enough to feel like you have had a proper workout without turning into a full-day hiking mission.

It is also quite popular as a run if you fancy getting a bit sweaty, and on a clear evening it can be a really nice one to do around sunset.

3. Walk the Tiki Trail — or keep going towards Ben Lomond

• Cost: free
• Time: a couple of hours to a full day
• Car needed: no

The gondola is pretty expensive, but you can still get the views for free if you walk up the Tiki Trail. You can also wander around the Skyline building once you get to the top.

The Tiki Trail starts beside the Skyline base and takes you through the forest to the top. From there you can stop, keep going towards the Ben Lomond Saddle, or turn it into a full-day mission and head to the summit.

The full Ben Lomond route is a decent hike, not a casual stroll. It takes around 6–8 hours return from Queenstown and has a lot of vertical.

Check DOC’s track information and the weather before setting off. I’d probably only attempt the full summit in summer unless you really know what you’re doing, as it can get very cold and windy up there in winter.

4. Walk to Sunshine Bay

• Cost: free
• Time: around an hour
• Car needed: no

Walking to Sunshine Bay is a nice little escape from the town centre, and you follow the side of the lake pretty much the whole way.

There are some great views along the route, and you will probably spot a few local fantails in the bush as you go.

There are also a couple of small beaches along the way, and it is often surprisingly quiet compared with the main lakefront in town.

The only downside is the sandflies can be pretty bad, so definitely take some bug repellent.

5. Go out to Moke Lake

• Cost: free to visit
• Time: 2–4 hours
• Car needed: yes

Moke Lake is a dreamy little lake surrounded by mountains and feels properly away from Queenstown — you often do not even have phone signal out there.

There is a nice 6 km loop around the lake that takes roughly 2 hours, or you can bring a paddleboard and head out on the water instead.

It is a great date spot and a really nice place to spend the day with a picnic. The downside is that there are no buses, so you will need a car.

Check DOC’s access information before going, especially if the weather has been bad.

You can also cycle out from town, or start from the car park at the beginning of the 7 Mile Point Track and make a longer ride of it from there.

6. Take the bus to Lake Hayes or Arrowtown

• Cost: from $5 return with a Bee Card
• Time: 2–5 hours
• Car needed: no

The bus network around Queenstown is actually really useful if you are trying to keep costs down, and you can get a surprisingly long way for only a few dollars.

One option is to head out towards Lake Hayes and do the roughly 7 km loop around the lake. It is a nice easy walk with good views, and makes a cheap half-day if you do not have a car.

Another good option is Arrowtown. You can get the bus out, wander around the old town, walk by the river and grab a coffee before heading back.

Adult fares are $2.50 each way with a Bee Card, or $4 cash. If you do not already have a card, it costs $5 with a minimum $5 top-up.

7. Do the UrbanFox scavenger hunt

• Cost: $15 per team
• Time: around 1–2 hours
• Car needed: no

Full disclosure, this one is mine.

I originally built UrbanFox as a scavenger hunt for my workplace social club and people enjoyed it enough that I ended up spending months turning it into a proper public experience.

You follow a roughly 3.6 km route around Queenstown, solve 14 clues, complete challenges and learn a bit about Queenstown along the way.

It costs $15 for the whole team, not per person. So if there are four of you, you are paying less than $4 each.

I built it because I wanted there to be something cheap to do in Queenstown that was not just another walk.

Have a look at UrbanFox. If you are organising a work social, the team-building page explains how to split a group into teams. The FAQs cover the practical details.

8. Hit some balls at the Frankton driving range

• Cost: $9.50–$17 for balls
• Time: 30–90 minutes
• Car needed: no

The Frankton driving range is a really cheap way to kill an hour.

A small bucket of balls is under $10, and even the large bucket is still well under $20.

You do not need to be any good at golf. In fact, if you are terrible, it is probably more entertaining.

Frankton’s published prices are $9.50, $12 and $17 for small, medium and large buckets. Club hire is $3, or included with a large bucket.

9. Play a round at Frankton Golf Course

• Cost: $22 green fee
• Time: around 1.5–3 hours
• Car needed: no

Frankton Golf Course is not one of the fancy Queenstown courses, which is exactly why it is so cheap.

You can play 9 or 18 holes for $22. If you need to hire clubs, that is another $23, bringing it to $45 before any transport or extras.

If you like golf but do not fancy spending a fortune at Jack’s Point or one of the other premium courses, this is a much cheaper option.

Check the course’s current fees before going.

10. Play lawn bowls in Queenstown Gardens

• Cost: $20 per person
• Time: 1–2 hours
• Car needed: no

Most people probably do not come to Queenstown thinking about lawn bowls.

But the bowling club is right in the Gardens and the backdrop is ridiculous.

It is cheap, social and easy to do with a group.

And no, you do not need to already be a bowls person. Queenstown Bowling Club lists casual rink bookings at $20 per player.

11. Hire a cheap bike and go exploring

• Cost: $19–$49
• Time: 2 hours to a full day
• Car needed: no

This is probably my favourite thing to do since living in Queenstown.

We are ridiculously lucky with the number of bike trails around here, from easy gravel and lakeside tracks to proper mountain bike trails, and I spend a lot of summer exploring them.

Renting a fancy bike can get expensive pretty quickly. A full-suspension e-bike can easily cost $200+ for the day, but you do not need anything like that if you just want to get out and explore.

Green Toad rents basic hardtail bikes for $19 for two hours, $29 for half a day and $49 for a full day.

They are not amazing bikes, and I would not use them for technical trails, but for riding the Frankton Track, heading towards Kelvin Heights or just seeing more of Queenstown than you can on foot, they are absolutely fine.

This is my pick for the best cheap half-day without a car.

There is a signed detour along the Frankton Road footpath during the 2026 works. Storm damage is also affecting parts of the wider network, so check Queenstown Trail’s current notices before choosing your ride.

12. Take the ferry to Kelvin Heights and walk the peninsula

• Cost: $20 return with a Bee Card; $28 by bank card
• Time: 2–4 hours
• Car needed: no

One of my favourite walks is around the Kelvin Heights peninsula.

You can either start near the Hilton and walk all the way around the golf course, or take the ferry across and join the track from the jetty.

I like using the ferry because it makes the whole thing feel a bit more like an outing, and it is still much cheaper than doing a proper lake cruise.

There are great lake views, another disc golf course, and some very expensive houses to look at if you fancy seeing where the richer end of Queenstown lives.

Ferry fares are $10 each way with a Bee Card or $14 by bank card. The cost of buying a Bee Card is extra if you do not already have one.

13. Split the cost of Deer Park Heights

• Cost: $75 per car
• Time: a few hours
• Car needed: yes

Deer Park Heights is a privately owned scenic farm on the hill above Queenstown, with big views over the lake, farm animals and several Lord of the Rings filming locations spread around the property.

It can seem a bit expensive at first, but if you can get four of you together, it works out at less than $20 each.

You need your own car to visit. You drive around the property, stop at the viewpoints, get out for short walks, see the animals and visit the filming locations.

If you already have a car and a few people to split the cost with, it becomes really good value.

Admission is $75 per private vehicle, with a maximum of eight seats, including the driver’s seat. You need to book online, and taxis, Ubers and commercial tours are not allowed.

14. Have a BBQ at St Omer Park

• Cost: free + food
• Time: 1–3 hours
• Car needed: no

This is probably the best cheap chill activity.

Grab some food from the supermarket, use the public BBQs and sit by the lake.

This is much closer to what locals actually do when the weather is good than booking another activity.

If you are having a beer or wine, check the council’s alcohol-free areas and signs first. The usual restriction is 6pm to 6am, but Christmas/New Year and other temporary bans can apply during the day too.

15. Grab a coffee or ice cream and sit by the lake

• Cost: whatever you spend
• Time: entirely up to you
• Car needed: no

Even though I have lived here for a while now and love all the outdoor stuff, nothing quite beats just sitting by the lake.

Take a book and a coffee, find a spot on the beach and just chill for a bit.

Look at the view, watch the other tourists trying to get the perfect Instagram shot, and if the weather is good, go for a dip.

It is simple, but honestly it is still one of my favourite ways to spend an hour in Queenstown.

If you fancy a wander first, the free Queenstown walking guide links the waterfront and Gardens together.

16. Have a beer at Altitude and head to Frankton Beach

• Cost: price of a drink
• Time: 1–2 hours
• Car needed: no

Altitude Brewing is one of my favourite places to have a beer in Queenstown.

It is down at Frankton Marina and has great views over the Frankton Arm towards The Remarkables.

The pizza place mentioned in the Where to Eat guide is also just nearby, so it is an easy spot to combine with food.

Frankton Beach is right next door too, and it is a nice place to sit with a book, go for a swim or take a paddleboard out when the weather is good.

Have a beer, then wander along the waterfront towards the beach.

It also works well if you are already out that way for golf, the driving range or a bike ride.

Lord of the Rings locations you can add to other days

I would not make a whole day out of chasing filming locations unless you are a massive fan.

It makes more sense to add them to places you are already going.

• Deer Park Heights — several Rohan scenes
• Arrow River — used around the Gladden Fields
• Kawarau Gorge — used for the Anduin
• Twelve Mile Delta — used for Ithilien

That way you see some Lord of the Rings locations without turning the whole day into a film-location mission.

My picks

Best under $10

Queenstown Gardens disc golf

Best under $20

UrbanFox

Best chill activity

BBQ at St Omer Park

Best half-day without a car

Hire a bike and go exploring

Best big free day

Tiki Trail + Ben Lomond

Best for a group with a car

Deer Park Heights

Best lazy option

Coffee or ice cream by the lake

FAQ

What are the best cheap things to do in Queenstown?

If you want to keep it really cheap, I would look at disc golf, Queenstown Hill, Sunshine Bay, the Frankton driving range, UrbanFox and St Omer Park.

What can you do in Queenstown for under $20?

Disc golf, UrbanFox, the driving range, bus trips, walks and plenty of lakefront activities all come in under $20.

Can you get around Queenstown without a car?

Yes. Town is easy to walk around and the bus network gets you to places like Frankton, Arrowtown and Lake Hayes.

You only really need a car for places like Moke Lake or Deer Park Heights.

What is the best cheap half-day activity?

I would hire a bike and explore the Frankton and Kelvin Heights trails.

What is the best cheap activity for a group?

UrbanFox is $15 per team, and Deer Park Heights gets very cheap if you split the car entry between several people.