If you’re looking to hitchhike from Queenstown, you’re in luck.

It’s easy to hitchhike from Queenstown in all directions. Having hitchhiked 10+ times out of Queenstown I’ve only had good hitchhiking stories to report. Most of the time I’m picked up within 10 minutes.

This will give you a brief rundown on the best places for hitchhiking Queenstown (I’ve written about hitchhiking around NZ previously).

Note:

• If you’ve got additional experiences about hitchhiking in Queenstown, please leave a comment at the bottom of the post.
• There are some bus rides to get to most of the Queenstown hitchhiking spots. The bus is super cheap in Queenstown at $2 per ride (with a Bee Card¹).
• Hitchhiking isn’t for everyone. Don’t feel any pressure to hitchhike, ever. Please don’t go blaming me for any negative experiences.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. West Towards Glenorchy/Routeburn Track
2. East Towards Cromwell/Wanaka etc.
3. South Towards Te Anau/Milford Sound etc.

WEST TOWARDS GLENORCHY/ROUTEBURN TRACK

When hitchhiking to Glenorchy, the best spot to stand is about ~1.2km from Fergburger. It’s just on the Glenorchy side of the One Mile Car Park roundabout.

The cars need to slow down for the roundabout and there’s plenty of room for cars to pull over safely so you shouldn’t wait long. You also get an awesome view while you wait.

If possible, try and get here before 9 am as that way you’re more likely to catch those leaving on Queenstown day trips to Glenorchy as well as the tradies heading out that way. And don’t leave it too late to get back from Glenorchy as there’s minimal traffic after 6 pm.

I do know some people will hitchhike from this bus stop closer to town. But unless you’re going to Fernhill or Sunshine Bay, it’s easier to walk the extra 10 minutes to the roundabout spot.

If you decide hitching isn’t your thing, there are various other ways to get from Queenstown to Glenorchy, which is one of the most beautiful roads in the world.

EAST TOWARDS CROMWELL/WANAKA ETC.

You’ve got two good options here. Personally, I prefer option 2.

Option 1: You can hitchhike from Frankton. Catch the #2 or #5 bus from Queenstown and get off at this bus stop. Then walk back the way you came past the roundabout, and you’ll see a bit more space for cars to pull over.

I’ve only hitched from this spot a couple of times and didn’t like it. The traffic can be chaotic across the two lanes and it feels like you’re going to cause an accident if anything. That said I didn’t need to wait long either time.

Option 2: Catch the #2 bus from Queenstown to the Amisfield Winery bus stop next to Lake Hayes.

Once off the bus, walk back towards the highway and turn left. Walk up the hill about 200 metres and you’ll find there’s a place where cars have space to stop. The hill isn’t super steep so cars are still going at a good speed, but they’ve got plenty of time to see you and pull over (there’s only one lane).

If you’re looking to go from Queenstown to Arrowtown, catching the bus is easier than hitchhiking.

READ MORE: 6 WAYS TO GET TO WANAKA FROM QUEENSTOWN & TO CROMWELL

SOUTH TOWARDS TE ANAU/MILFORD SOUND ETC.

It’s time to catch one of the three buses to the Frankton Bus Hub:

• #1 – Remarkable Shops
• #2 – Arrowtown
• #5 – Lake Hayes

From there, you’ve got two options. I prefer option 2.

Option 1: You can walk across the road from the main Frankton Bus station and hitchhike along here. There’s plenty of room for cars to pull over but the biggest drawback is most of the cars are only going a short distance (to Frankton/Queenstown Airport etc).

Option 2: You’ll want to transfer to the #4 bus to Jack’s Point.

Note:

• You get a free bus transfer if you tag on within 45 minutes of tagging off from the previous bus.
• Try and time your bus from Queenstown to leave yourself a minimal waiting time before the #4 bus departs from Frankton. Or hang out and do some of these Frankton activities.

Get off here on Maori Jack Road. Then you’ve got a 650 metres/8-10 minute walk back to the highway where you can stand just south of the T-junction.

It’s not the best spot as cars are going to be travelling 100kph along here. So I prefer walking another 500 metres or so south from the junction where at the bottom of the dip there’s plenty of space where cars can pullover and they’ll see you well in advance.

The reason for going all the way out here is to avoid all the traffic turning off beforehand. Especially all the tradies that head to/from Jack’s Point during the day. All the traffic beyond this point will be able to give you a decent ride, ideally all the way to Te Anau!

I’ve also written about other ways to get from Queenstown to Te Anau.

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HITCHHIKING QUEENSTOWN SUMMED UP

As I’ve mentioned, hitchhiking from Queenstown is one of the good way to get around town thanks to the affordable public transport making it easy to get to the edges of town.

If you’ve had any Queenstown hitchhiking experiences you’d like to share, drop a comment below.

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The Wanaka Skyline Track

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