Queenstown's AMAZING Indoor Activities

Discover Dozens of Indoor Fun Ideas in Queenstown!

Clip n climb Queenstown

Basecamp Queenstown ~ Clip 'n Climb

You won't be waiting for a rainy day when you see what AMAZING INDOOR THINGS to do Queenstown has got stored up for you!

If the weather isn't so great or even if it is but you just want to experience some of the best range of indoor attractions in the world, STEP INSIDE! Right here in Queenstown and Frankton you won't believe how much there is on offer, and with KIDZ GO you can search our activities by indoors-only.

There is no need to let a rainy day in Queenstown slow down you and your tribe! There has never been so much fun entertainment ~ all under cover!  Check out some of the best indoor family activities and attractions here!

CENTRAL QUEENSTOWN ~ 10 of the best


1. Escape Rooms and Virtual Reality

Solve a goldrush mystery or escape into a complete other world!  Escape Quest run Queenstown-themed escape rooms and also the brand-new VR Escape Room that is just mind-blowing! Or step into new dimensions with Thrillzone’s 360 VR games.
Both Escape Quest and Thrillzone now also invite you to roam the streets of Queenstown whilst solving a fun, interactive outdoor Escape Game!

2. Cinema Experiences

Reading Cinemas Queenstown has the latest releases plus Spit the Dummy Wednesday screenings for parents and bubs. Thrillzone’s Vortex 12d Motion Theatre is a cutting edge, white-knuckle adventure. On Queenstown main pier you’ll discover a Queenstown you never imagined at Time Tripper.  On any visit to Arrowtown you must include stopping by Dorothy Browns boutique cinema.

3. Ice Skating and Ice Bumper Cars

Now open most of the year, Queenstown Ice Arena is centrally located.  Whether you’re a seasoned pro or a first-time skater you will have a blast! Comfy skates, ice sleds, ride-on-seals, penguin pals and learn-to-skate lessons make it easy for everyone. If you’re not keen on skating, you can relax in our alpine-style café, bar and lounge with a view out to the action on the ice. It's fully-licensed with free WiFi.

THIS IS THE ONLY PLACE YOU’LL FIND ICE BUMPER CARS IN THE SOUTHERN HEMISPHERE!

IFLY

4. Indoor Sky Diving

That’s right! Queenstown is the only place in New Zealand you get to experience the feeling of a 13,000ft freefall ~ indoors at iFly Skydiving Centre.  Indoor Skydiving is the most non-scary but most exhilarating experience you can do together as a family - AND you only need to be 5 years old to fly! Blow your mind and your perceptions - things will never be the same once you all experience the thrill of truly flying. There is seriously nothing that is more unique, uplifting (literally), truly thrilling and more bonding that a family could do together.

5. Indoor Entertainment Centres

Right in the heart of Queenstown is Thrillzone Entertainment Centre, with Paintless Paintball, 360 Battleground, Drift Carts, Laser Tag, Race Simulator, Motion Theatre, VR Adventures and more. Next door you’ll find Odyssey Sensory Maze or the crazy SmashIt Rooms!

6. Ice Bars

Check out a world where EVERYTHING is made of ice, even the drinks glasses and chairs!
Queenstown has Minus 5 or Below Zero to choose from for a unique experience the kids LOVE!

7. Fear Factory

Scare yourself to pieces at the hysterical and truly frightening Fear Factory.  Not for the faint-hearted!

8. Shopping

A rainy day in Queenstown is a perfect excuse to explore the shops and cafes! Kids’ friendly shops include The Bead Shop, where you can make your own jewellery and the Remarkables Sweet Shop with free fudge tastings.

Family fun Spirit of Queenstown Scenic Cruise

9. Discover Queenstown

Even if it’s raining you can still explore Queenstown and discover a slice of New Zealand. Take a lake cruise on the Spirit of Queenstown or The TSS Earnslaw. Hop on a 4WD adventure with Off Road Adventures or discover a kiwi at the Kiwi Birdlife Park. Ziptrek Ecotours meanwhile will take you on a zipline adventure under the canopy of the trees. They depart from the top of the gondola, which will also take you to the Skyline complex.
Otherwise you can always go Riverboarding (minimum age 8) as you’re going to get wet anyway!

10. Kiwi Birdlife Park           

Explore our 5 acre oasis at the Kiwi Birdlife Park. A family-owned and operated wildlife center in the heart of Queenstown, dedicated to saving our endangered wildlife species.  

FURTHER AFIELD

Arthurs Point and Arrowtown
Hop on a bus or drive to Arrowtown and visit the shops and cafes, along with the interactive Lakes District Museum, complete with kids’ treasure hunt! Also in Arrowtown the kids will love the Remarkables Sweet Shop, or check out a movie at the quirky, must-visit Dorothy Browns cinema. Just want to chill? Take in the spectacular Shotover River from your private family hot pool at Onsens Hot Pools in Arthurs Point.

Site Trampoline

Frankton
Frankton is an entertainment hub with the popular Site Trampoline, and right next door is Chipmunks kids-only indoor playground. You just can’t go past Basecamp Adventures, in the same block with climbing walls and the super-fun Clip N Climb experience that is built for kids!
Not far from there is Game Over indoor Karting. Just minutes away you’ll find Alpine Aqualand indoor pool with lane swimming, hot pool and hydroslides. Also in Frankton is the funky Buzzstop Bee and Honey Centre.

Check out more family fun activities, both indoor and outdoor at Kidz Go Queenstown on the website or app.

The Best Indoor, Fun, Family Activities in Queenstown

The Bead Shop, Queenstown
Create your own wearable art or gifts to take home.
    
Below Zero Ice Bar, Queenstown     
Visit the biggest Ice Bar in Australasia where EVERYTHING is carved from ice!    

Escape Quest                            
Unravel the mystery and escape the room in one hour.  A fun, bonding family experience where you embrace kiwi ingenuity to hunt for clues and solve the puzzles.

Fear Factory    
New Zealand's scariest haunted house!  Spine-tingling surprises and lots of fun – if you're brave enough!           

iFly Indoor Skydiving                                     
Experience the rush of 100% pure human flight at New Zealand’s only indoor skydiving attraction.

Minus 5° ICE BAR, Queenstown     
Come inside, drink from ice glasses and marvel at a
Winter Wonderland of ice architecture!                            

Odyssey Sensory Maze
Feel your way from one illusory room to another - each of the zones is different, exciting and unexpected!

Odyssey SmashIt Room
Let loose and smash it up at SMASHIT!

Queenstown Ice Arena            
Comfy skates, sleds, ride on seals and other fun accessories. Great cafe and spectator area. Free WIFI.
    
Reading Cinemas                   
Three screens and all the latest blockbusters, plus Wednesday morning movie session for parents.

Thrillzone – a World of Thrills!      
Fun and adrenaline with 360° Drift and 360° Battleground including Paintless Paintball, Laser Tag and Hero Blast.
Also home of Kidz Club and Vortex 12D Motion Theatre plus 360 Virtual Reality Gaming.        

Vortex 12D Motion Theatre/360⁰ VR   
State-of-the-art motion theatre; a white-knuckle adventure with lots of surprises!

Ziptrek – Flying Fox Ecotours, Queenstown             
Harness up and fly through the air while keeping dry under the tree canopy – a guided ecological adventure.

Frankton Entertainment

Just 15 minutes drive from Queenstown town centre is the fantastic entertainment and shopping hub of Frankton, basking at the base of the dramatic Remarkables Mountain Range.

Alpine Aqualand, Frankton     
Leisure pool, lazy river, hydroslide, lap pool,  hot pool.   

Basecamp Adventures - indoor climbing
Indoor climbing and bouldering walls plus the fantastic fun of Clip 'n Climb.

SITE Trampoline Playground                       
Have fun and build confidence at SITE trampoline. 

Out of Town Adventures


Day Trip to Wanaka      
Visit Puzzling World, National Transport & Toy Museum, Basecamp Adventures - Clip ‘N Climb, Cinema Paradiso or have a play at the Wanaka Pool Recreation Centre and Pool.    

Day Trip to Milford Sound     
It may be fine at Milford Sound even if it’s raining in town. Otherwise the waterfalls are spectacular in the rain.

Discovery Day – Queenstown Sightseeing                
Half or full-day family adventures!

Dorothy Browns, Arrowtown
Gorgeous boutique cinema, open from 10.30am daily.          

Lakes District Museum, Arrowtown
A lively museum with a kids' treasure hunt.  

Off Road Adventures Quad Bike or Buggy Tours    
Even more fun in the wet!  We have kids' quads, a tour that is tailor-made for families and wet weather gear. 

Off Road Adventures 4x4 Scenic Tours    
Stay inside a warm vehicle on our exciting 4x4 adventure.

Southern Discoveries Mt Nicholas Farm Experience        
A great boat trip combined with farm tour.    

Riverboarding
Come riverboarding – you're going to get wet anyway!

North Island

South Island

Map of New Zealand
  • Auckland
  • Central Otago
  • Bay of Plenty
  • Christchurch
  • Coromandel
  • Dunedin
  • Gisborne
  • Fiordland
  • Hawkes Bay
  • Marlborough Sounds
  • Manawatu
  • Nelson & Golden Bay
  • Northland
  • North Canterbury
  • Rotorua
  • Queenstown
  • Taranaki
  • South Canterbury
  • Taupo
  • Southland
  • Waikato
  • Wanaka
  • Wellington
  • West Coast
  • Whangarei
  • Bay of Islands
  • Tauranga
  • Gisborne
  • Hamilton
  • Napier
  • Kapiti
  • Palmerston North
  • Whanganui
  • New Plymouth
  • Arrowtown
  • Te Anau
  • Akaroa
  • Ashburton
  • Hanmer
  • Kaikoura
  • Methven
  • Mt Cook
  • Oamaru
  • Tekapo
  • Timaru
  • Abel Tasman
  • Motueka
  • Nelson Lakes
  • Blenheim
  • Picton
  • Catlins
  • Gore
  • Stewart Island
  • Central Plateau
  • Invercargill
  • Cromwell
  • Greymouth
  • Hokitika
  • Westport
  • Glenorchy

Our favourite destinations…

Auckland destination2

Auckland

New Zealand’s economic heart and biggest city is also an exciting family visitor destination, situated on a sunny harbour with city beaches just minutes away from the CBD. Orientate yourself by heading down to Viaduct Harbour, wandering the waterfront, checking out the super yachts or enjoying the waterfront restaurants. Nearby is the must-visit Sky Tower along with excellent and kid-friendly museums and tons of exciting activities!

Wellington

Wellington is New Zealand’s capital. Here you will find New Zealand's parliament buildings, including the 'Executive Wing', more well-known as 'The Beehive' due to its distinctive shape. Another icon to look out for is the Wellington Tram, which was the main means of public transport between 1878 and 1964.

Christchurch

With a population of around 400,000 Christchurch, in Canterbury, is the South Island ’s largest city, yet much of it has the feel of a small town. Perhaps that’s why it’s known as the Garden City but with the expansive Hagley Park, Botanic Gardens, Port Hills, River Avon and numerous beaches the city certainly has an open, relaxed feel that’s hard to beat.

Queenstown

With its well-deserved reputation as New Zealand’s activity adventure capital you’ll never run out of activities and things to do in Queenstown, but you may run out of time! With breathtaking scenery, activities and festivals, cafes and restaurants, skiing and snowboarding, shopping and wineries, this lakeside alpine resort rates as one of the world’s top vacation destinations for all ages and seasons.

Rotorua

Rotorua sits on the shore of Lake Rotorua, one of sixteen lakes in the area formed by hundreds of thousands of years of eruptions from the Taupo Volcanic Zone. The area is renowned for its geothermal activity and top of any activity list is to see the bubbling mud pools that are around the region for yourself. The Waimangu Volcanic Valley offers a first hand insight into the devastation caused by the 1886 eruption of Mount Tarawera and is a great place to discover steaming volcanic craters and bubbling, spitting  pools of mud!

Nelson and Golden Bay

The Nelson and Golden Bay regions, at the top of the South Island, boast enviable sunshine hours, glorious sandy beaches, safe swimming spots, lots of wildlife to look out for, and Abel Tasman National Park - an absolute must to explore, on foot, by kayak, your own craft or watertaxi.  Nelson is home to a vibrant arts and crafts community with a fabulous Saturday market, and is close to award-winning wineries and family-friendly bike tracks to take you around the coast.

Hawkes Bay

Napier was rebuilt after the 1931 earthquake and is now known as NZ's Art Deco City.  The Art Deco influence has created a unique city – nowhere else can you see such a varied concentration of art deco style. With over 2,200 sunshine hours a year, Napier is a year-round holiday destination with countless activities to entertain the kids – there's days of entertainment on Marine Parade alone, plus numerous other family-friendly trips and activities.  Add to that the beaches, walks and flat cycle paths, outdoor cafes and entertainment, and you have a perfect holiday destination!

Northland

Beautiful, unspoiled beaches, fishing, historic gum fields, kauri forests – the Far North has it all. With subtropical temperatures, it's often known as ‘the Winterless north', with warm, humid summers and mild winters.
Gateway to the Bay of Islands, Paihia is a pretty, lively beachside town and a perfect base for your family holiday. It’s your start point for Bay of Island adventures including day cruises, sailing, kayaking, swimming with dolphins and reef or wreck diving.