These Airbnbs in Queenstown, New Zealand, Are Your Key To Adventure

Queenstown, New Zealand, wouldn’t be Queenstown if it weren’t far away from everything—more than three hours’ flight from the closet foreign city of Sydney, a long transpacific slog from the west coast of the U.S., a diabolically long distance from western Europe. (This part of the world is called the Antipodes for a reason.) But being tucked away in the snowy mountains at the bottom of the world is what gives it its character: It’s a cosmopolitan frontier town, full of ruggedly individualistic locals and generous transplants, ski bums and worldly chefs, shepherds and sommeliers.

In Lonely Plan-It, we take you step by step through how we planned some of the most complicated travel adventures. Here, Craig McLachlan explains how to make the most out of your biking adventure to this South Pacific paradise’s deep south.

New Zealand’s southwest corner is where the roads run out — leaving some 4,500sq miles of forest, fjords and jagged mountain chains that make up the country’s largest area of wilderness. Three of New Zealand’s 10 officially recognised Great Walks take dedicated hikers through the northern interior of this region, along the Routeburn, Milford and Kepler tracks. Soon, the coastal south will get its recognition too, as the Hump Ridge Track becomes the newest member of the top league of Kiwi hikes. 

Thanks to Hyatt's newest Bonus Journeys promotion, World of Hyatt members can earn 3,000 bonus points for every three eligible nights on select stays at more than 1,250 Hyatt hotels and resorts from Oct. 6-Nov. 30.

Young travelers are hungry for adventure, and it’s taking them to Africa. 

When it comes to flying, jeans are an absolute no for me, I wouldn't consider wearing shorts, and even leggings aren't my go-to clothing choice when I'm on a plane. 

Once you’ve made it all the way to New Zealand, you may want to ease up a little on the flying and find a more sustainable way to travel around the country. Riding New Zealand’s scenic trains is the best option in this case since it’s less harmful for the environment (train travel emits much less CO2 per passenger than flying), it’s reliable and efficient, and it will give you a front-row seat to the country’s amazing scenery. The best of Kiwi Rail’s route is the TranzAlpine train, a journey that take you right across the South Island, from the Pacific Ocean to the Tasman Sea, through the picture-perfect Southern Alps.

In November 2016, a 7.8-magnitude earthquake struck and ravaged the region around the town of Kaikoura on the east coast of New Zealand’s South Island. The earthquake and the ensuing landslides killed two people, and demolished homes, roads, and railway tracks. Indeed, parts of the Main North Line, one of the most scenic rail routes in the world, slid into the ocean, forcing the Coastal Pacific train to stop its operation. In 2018, the line was repaired and the magnificent train journey between Christchurch and Picton resumed. Today, the Coastal Pacific still runs along the Pacific Ocean, allowing travelers to see New Zealand’s beauty, the slow and comfortable way.

Flying across the world just got more affordable thanks to an Air New Zealand sale that has flights from the United States to Auckland and beyond starting at less than $1,000.

Virgin Voyages, the cruise brand from Richard Branson’s Virgin Group, said on Friday it has raised $550 million in fresh capital to expand into new international markets.

Delta Air Lines is rolling out the deals to the South Pacific. 

Backroads, the world’s leading active travel company, has just announced Women’s Adventures, a new collection of trips just for women. These new departures feature 26 of Backroads’ most popular walking & hiking itineraries, from Yosemite and Yellowstone to England, Peru, and Bhutan. Founded in 1979 by Tom Hale, these women-only adventures debut at a time when more than 50 percent of the company’s executive team and trip leaders are women. The driving force behind the new trips is Hale’s wife, Liz, and daughter, Avery, now EVP of Backroads.