The town sits on the shore of Lake Wakatipu, a long, dark, glacier-carved lake shaped like a lightning bolt, with the Remarkables mountain range rising straight from the far side in a wall of grey rock and snow. A Māori legend says the lake is the burnt outline of a giant, Matau, whose heart still beats under the water, and the lake level does rise and fall in a slow rhythm, a seiche caused by wind and pressure, which is the scientific explanation for the legend. The old coal-fired steamship TSS Earnslaw, launched in 1912, still crosses the lake to a high-country farm.
The gold rush brought the first crowds. In 1862 gold was found in the Arrow River, and the tiny town of Arrowtown boomed, with thousands of miners including a large group from China. The wooden cottages of the Chinese settlement have been restored, and the autumn colours of the poplars and birches along the river are famous in April and May. The modern age gave Queenstown its commercial bungy, which began at the Kawarau Bridge in 1988.
The Crown Range Road is why a rider is here. It climbs from the Wakatipu basin in a series of tight switchbacks with views down to Queenstown, then crosses a high saddle at 1,076 metres, the highest sealed main road in the country, before descending to the Cardrona valley and Wanaka. The surface is good, the corners are tight in the climb and open on top, and the views across the Pisa Range are huge. Ice and snow can close the road or require chains in winter, so check the conditions, and the temperature can drop ten degrees between town and summit. Take care on the descent, because oncoming vehicles and cyclists cut corners.
The best months are December to March for a dry road and long days, and April, when the leaves turn. Winter is for ski traffic and caution. The Cardrona Hotel, a gold rush-era pub on the other side of the pass, is a popular stop for a pie and a pint of local beer.
Queenstown has plenty of fuel stations and Arrowtown has a few too, so fill up in town before climbing, because the summit has no services.