7 REASONS TO VISIT QUEENSTOWN IN SEPTEMBER

Queenstown in September is awesome. The peak ski season has finished, the sheep will be shorn, newborn lambs will frolic and the cherry blossoms will bloom. What a month!

Here are seven reasons to visit Queenstown in September.

7 REASONS TO VISIT QUEENSTOWN IN SEPTEMBER

1. SPRING SKI PASS PRICES

If you’re planning to go skiing in Queenstown, be prepared to fork out lots of cash (alternatively, head to Snow Farm which is more affordable).

But come September, you’ll find there are some cheaper options available to you with spring passes available which can work out less than $100 a day.

When locals fork out for their season passes to Coronet Peak and The Remarkables, they’ll often refer to the $1000+ as a ‘Queenstown tax’. It’s a great place to live, especially being so close to two skifields, and if you want to ski, you simple have to pay up.

If you come here in spring, you might well get some of the best snow of the year. But there’s no guarantees!

2. HIKES ARE STARTING TO OPEN UP

For those who enjoy hiking and tramping, the winter months aren’t ideal for lots of hiking in the region. Popular tracks like the Routeburn and Rees Dart track are simply no goes for 99% of people.

But come September, while the avalanche risk can be high, more hikes are going to be possible compared to peak winter.

Ben Lomond for example will often see enough snow melt that there’s no need for ice axes or crampons required to summit (but do check with DOC).

At worst you’ll be able to get to the Saddle which is awesome in its own right. And the Greenstone Caples hike is a great September option with no real avalanche risk if you’re looking for an awesome multiday hike.

3. IT’S SHOULDER SEASON

If you’re like me and aren’t a fan of massive crowds when you can avoid them, on the best times to visit Queenstown is in September. The peak ski season has finished, with August being the safe option for those booking a ski holiday from outside of the area. And there are no school holidays in September (they sometimes catch the end of the month).

So there’s a little bit of a lull, and you’ll notice that when you’re getting around Queenstown too…the traffic isn’t so bad coming into town. But it’s still not great a lot of the time :p

4. DAYLIGHT SAVINGS FINISHES

I’m so glad the short days don’t last too long here compared to other places around the world…but that said, when daylight savings time kicks in, the days are getting noticeably longer. It’s epic.

Suddenly it’s getting light around 7 am, and it’s not dark until 8p m! How good. It seems like just the other day when it was getting dark well before 6 pm.

So with the longer daylight hours, there’s more time to fit even more super fun outdoor activities into your day.

5. THE WINTER GAMES ARE ON

If you’re a fan of the Winter Olympics and/or snow sports in general, the Winter Games which usually start in late August but carry well into September are awesome (note: they’re held every two years).

As they call it, it’s Southern Hemisphere’s biggest snow sports event.

Throughout the two week event you’ll see alpine skiing, freeride, freeski, stomp, and snowboard events.

You can find more about what’s what at WinterGamesNZ.kiwi.

6. PEAK TO PEAK IS HELD

This is a fun annual event that you can take part in as an individual or a team. It does take a bit of gear, so you’ll need to be into this kind of adventure. It starts from The Remarkables and finishes at Coronet Peak. In between you will:

• Stage 1: Ski/board from Remarkables Ski Field to Remarkables Road
• Stage 2: Bike from Remarkables Road to Frankton Beach
• Stage 3: Kayak from Frankton Beach to Queenstown Beach
• Stage 4: Run from Queenstown Beach to Arthurs Point
• Stage 5: Arthurs Point to Coronet Peak Base Building

All in all, it’s a fun day out for the multi-sport athletes out there.

You can find out more at PeakToPeak.nz.

7. SNOW MACHINE GOES OFF

If you’re after a Queenstown music festival to attend, it would appear Snow Machine is going to be one that sells out quickly in the future. The 2022 Snow Machine was the first time it was staged and received positive reviews from all involved.

There was the main stage close to town, and I was stoked to be able to hear a little bit of one of my favourite kiwi bands Fat Freddy’s Drop as I ran past one evening. They also have some music happening up at the skifields. I thought Queenstown would be absolute chaos with this event going on, but everything seemed to run pretty smoothly.

If festivals/music events are your thing, keep an eye on when tickets are available at Snow-Machine.nz.

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And there we have it. Seven pretty sweet reasons to visit Queenstown in September, on top of all the usual things to do in Queenstown. If you’ve got any questions about things to do in Queenstown in September, let me know in the comments below or email jub@churnewzealand.com

p.s. Queenstown doesn’t have too many Cherry Blossoms, but if you’re looking for some in Queenstown, head to the Village Green. on the corner of Camp Street and Ballarat Street.

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