About Queenstown

Nestled on the shores of Lake Wakatipu, the second largest of the glacial lakes, Queenstown, New Zealand is a mecca for outdoor activities for residents
and visitors a like. From its early beginnings as a gold mining town Queenstown has developed into an internationally renowned tourist destination.

The spectacular Remarkable ranges dominate the landscape on the shores of Lake Wakatipu. The Remarkables are an iconic image often the focal point for
many photographers. The rugged pristine environment of the area facilitates a wide variety of activities from bungy jumping to wine trails, jet boating to
tramping, dining out to skiing, catering to a wide range of tourists from the adrenaline seekers to the more laid back visitor.

Queenstown was named so because “it was fit for Queen Victoria”. Experiencing the majestic beauty of the area first hand leaves no doubt of this.
Panoramic views of spectacular mountain ranges ensures where ever you are the view will take your breath away. Queenstown has a reputation
for having a permanent ‘buzz’ of excitement, making it a lifestyle choice for many home owners.

Queenstown serves as a gateway to the Fiordland National Park, home to Milford and Doubtful Sounds. You will never run out of places to explore.
The area has captured the hearts and imaginations of humans since the first Maori settled here.

Queenstown History

The Maori people were the first to inhabit the area, they came in search of food, fibre, pounamu (greenstone) and the large, flightless Moa bird. The
garden peninsula was the site for a Maori Pa occupied by the Katimamoe tribe.

Maori legends tells of Hakitekura, the daughter of Tuwirioa a Katimamoe chief, who was the first women to swim across Lake Wakatipu. Determined to
out-swim all the girls in the village she rose early and set out across the Lake towards Refuge Point, a distance of some 3 kilometres.

Hakitekura was able to navigate by keeping an eye on Cecil and Walter Peaks whose tops, glistening in the rising sun twinkled and winked at her. After
successfully swimming across the icy lake Hakitekura lit a fire and as legend has it blackening the rocks at Refuge Point to this day.

A number of Maori legends are associated with Lake Wakatipu and how it originated. Perhaps the most popular credits the creation of the Lake to the
famous chief and explorer of the South Island, Te Raikaikaitu. Legend has it that Te Raikaikaitu armed with a wooden spade (ko) from his former home
in the tropics, dug the lakes in the Southern District.

Lake Wakatipu was said to be the most difficult to dig because of the rocky surrounds, the depth of the lake bed and the high mountains. The name
Wakatipu is said to be shortened from “Wakatipuwaimaori” although its meaning appears to be unknown.

It is often stated that the proper form should be “Waka-tipua”, meaning “trough” and “goblin” respectively. The trough is the lake and the goblin (or monster)
rests in the lake, his breathing causing the regular rise and fall of the water.

As the search for pastoral land expanded, the Southern Lakes area was explored by white settlers. In 1860 William Gilbert Rees and Nicholas Von
Tunzelman came to the Southern Lakes region, they burned much of the beech forest and shrub land to open up grazing land.

Thomas Low and John MacGregor discovered gold in the Arrow which later led to discoveries in the Shotover in 1862. The goldrush peaked in 1863, but
by 1865 the Westland goldrush had began and many people moved on from Queenstown leaving about two-thirds of the buildings vacant. The areas rich
gold mining history is still evident today and many of the historic sites have been preserved and are now established tourist attractions. For more information
about the goldmining history of the Southern Lakes area visit www.museumqueenstown.com