Hand-picked by our editors — only the best 5 Lake Wakatipu Cruise to Walter Peak Farm tours from 140 reviewed.
Verified partners for every tour, free cancellation where available, and instant confirmation on every booking.
3 hr 30 min
Cruise scenic Lake Whakatipu to a high country farm for a gourmet BBQ and sheepdog show.
Reserve
3 hr 30 min
Cruise scenic Lake Whakatipu, meet farm animals, watch demos and enjoy afternoon tea at Walter Peak.
Reserve
3 hr 30 min
Cruise scenic Lake Whakatipu by catamaran to a high country farm for a wood-fired BBQ buffet.
ReservePrices from verified partners. Availability updates in real time at checkout. Free cancellation policies apply where shown.
The landmarks, rooms, and views travelers on this tour remember — all visible on a single visit.
Relax in this historic building featuring beautiful gardens and high-country charm.
Witness skilled farm dogs in action as they muster sheep in the open paddocks.
Travel on the 1912 steamship, the oldest passenger-carrying commercial steamship in the Southern Hemisphere.
Get an up-close look at the iconic Scottish Highland cows during your farm visit.
Stroll through the award-winning gardens with views looking back toward Queenstown.
They serve different purposes; most visitors who do both find the steamship excursion to be a relaxing scenic journey, while jet boat tours offer a high-intensity adrenaline rush. Choosing the right lake wakatipu cruise to walter peak farm tour ensures your Queenstown visit matches your preferred tempo.
| Feature | Top pick Walter Peak Farm Cruise | Lake Wakatipu Jet Boat |
|---|---|---|
Pace |
Leisurely and relaxed | High-speed and intense |
Primary Focus |
Heritage farm visit and scenery | Adrenaline and rapid maneuvers |
Family Suitability |
High for all ages | High for older children and adults |
Physical Effort |
Minimal walking | Moderate due to bracing |
Heritage Factor |
High historical steamship relevance | Modern commercial experience |
| See tickets → |
Verdict: Select the lake wakatipu cruise to walter peak farm tours for a tranquil, historic afternoon, or opt for jet boating if you seek fast-paced excitement on the water before looking into lake wakatipu cruise to walter peak farm tickets for a quieter follow-up.
Choose your ticket, select your date, and reserve in under two minutes. Secure checkout handled by our verified partner.
Instant confirmation by email, with a mobile voucher you can save offline. No printing, no queuing at a collection desk.
Arrive at the entrance, show your voucher on your phone, and walk in. Most tickets include priority or skip-the-line access.
Practical details for your visit straight from our verified partners — hours, access, rules, and how to get there.
88 Beach St, Queenstown
Main departure point for all vessels
The Steamer Wharf is located in central Queenstown and is easily accessible on foot from major hotels.
Wear comfortable layers and a windproof or waterproof outer layer regardless of the season. Closed-toe shoes are recommended for walking on the farm grounds.
Small day packs are permitted on board. Larger luggage should be stored at your accommodation or within Queenstown town centre lockers as there is no storage on the farm.
Photography is encouraged throughout the lake wakatipu cruise to walter peak farm tour, especially at the sheepdog demonstrations. Please respect the animals and do not use flash near the livestock.
Vessels are boarded via ramps, but the farm itself features gravel paths and uneven terrain. Aided wheelchair users may struggle, and the site is not fully accessible for all mobility levels.
Mobile phones may be used to capture photos, but coverage can be spotty on the lake. Please keep devices on silent during farm presentations.
This is a family-friendly attraction suitable for all ages. Children often enjoy the interactive animal feeding and sheepdog demonstrations included in the lake wakatipu cruise to walter peak farm experience.
Complimentary tea and snacks are included with standard farm tours, while the Homestead Restaurant offers gourmet BBQ dining options. Outside food is not permitted in the dining areas.
No pets are allowed at the farm or on the vessels, with the exception of registered assistance dogs. Please notify the operator in advance.
The lake wakatipu cruise to walter peak farm operates in most weather conditions. In the event of severe weather, tours may be rescheduled or refunded.
Best time to go, insider tips, nearby landmarks, and the cancellation fine print — flip through to skim what matters to you.
How crowds, weather, and events shift across the year.
Lambing season is perfect for families and seeing young animals on the farm.
Small details that turn a good visit into a great one.
Experiences frequently sell out during peak season, so book your lake wakatipu cruise to walter peak farm tickets in advance.
Non-bookable sights within a short walk — free to visit, easy to pair.
Botanical gardens located on the peninsula with lake views.
Gondola ride offering panoramic views of the region.
Flexible, no hidden fees.
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund. Farm access requires purchase of a cruise or tour package.
Hand-picked options within walking distance — pick a district for vibe, or a specific hotel for convenience.
Historic waterfront boutique hotel.
Central hostel with convenient access to the wharf.
The TSS Earnslaw was launched at Kingston in 1912, the same year the Titanic went down, and she still burns coal — roughly a tonne of it an hour, shovelled by hand. Built in sections in Dunedin, carried inland by rail and riveted together on the lakeshore, the twin-screw steamer was commissioned to move sheep, mail, coal and settlers to high-country stations that no road reached. Walter Peak Station was one of them. The Lake Wakatipu Cruise to Walter Peak Farm is the direct descendant of that supply run. Hermann von Tunzelmann took up the run on the western shore in the early 1860s and named the mountain above it for his brother-in-law, Walter. The property later passed to the Mackenzie family and grew into one of the largest sheep stations in the Wakatipu basin, worked entirely by water. Wool bales went out by barge; stores came in the same way. The original homestead burned in the late 1970s, and the lakeside building that receives Lake Wakatipu Cruise to Walter Peak Farm tours today is a reconstruction in the same colonial-Victorian idiom, its garden planted to English lawn and copper beech. The steamer nearly ended as scrap. Withdrawn in the late 1960s, she was bought by Fiordland Travel — the company Les and Olive Hutchins founded in 1954, now RealNZ — and returned to service as a passenger vessel. That decision is why Lake Wakatipu Cruise to Walter Peak Farm tickets still involve an open furnace door rather than a diesel engine. The Earnslaw is the last coal-fired passenger steamship in commercial service in the Southern Hemisphere, and the Whakatipu steamship crossing she makes each day is unchanged in route, if not in cargo. Her engine room remains open to anyone who walks down the companionway. The lake beneath her is 291 metres deep at its deepest point, its floor lying well below sea level, and it bends through 80 kilometres in a long S between the Remarkables and Cecil Peak. The water rises and falls about twelve centimetres every twenty-seven minutes, a standing wave that Ngāi Tahu tradition reads as the heartbeat of Matau, a giant asleep beneath the surface. A Lake Wakatipu Cruise to Walter Peak Farm tour therefore crosses one of the strangest bodies of water in the country to reach one of its oldest working farms. Highland cattle, red deer and merino still run on the terraces, and the sheepdogs still work to whistle. Few Queenstown landmarks have changed so little.
"The last coal-fired passenger steamship in the Southern Hemisphere still crosses to a farm the road never reached."
A step-by-step walkthrough of the visit — what you'll see, how long each stage takes, and the details that matter.
You walk onto Steamer Wharf at 88 Beach St and hear the Earnslaw before you see her — the low idle of a coal fire and the slap of water against a black-and-white hull. You board, and the deck vibrates underfoot. Down a companionway the engine room stands open: brass rods turning, a stoker swinging a shovel into a furnace mouth, the pressure gauge holding steady. Upstairs a pianist plays and half the saloon sings along, badly. You go out to the bow instead. Forty minutes of open water. Cecil Peak to one side, the Remarkables falling away behind, the wake folding into a lake so clear you can count stones ten metres down. The jetty at Walter Peak arrives with a bump of fenders. You step onto grass. A Scottish Highland steer stands still enough to photograph; a sheepdog runs a line of merinos across the paddock on two whistles. In the woolshed you watch a ewe shorn in under three minutes, then hold the fleece — warmer and greasier than you expected. You feed a lamb from a bottle. You walk the homestead garden to the water's edge, where the lawn runs straight down to the shore and the mountains do the rest of the work. Then the whistle sounds twice, and your Lake Wakatipu Cruise to Walter Peak Farm turns back toward town.
The visitor centre is open daily from 07:30 to 21:00. Please plan to arrive for your cruise between 08:30 and 16:00.
While vessels have ramps, the farm itself has gravel and uneven terrain. Contact the operator in advance to discuss mobility support.
Bring a windproof jacket, closed-toe shoes, and sunscreen for your time at the farm.
It is highly recommended to book your lake wakatipu cruise to walter peak farm tickets in advance as departures often sell out.
Yes, tours include morning or afternoon tea, and gourmet BBQ dining options are available at the homestead.
A typical lake wakatipu cruise to walter peak farm tour lasts approximately 3 hours 30 minutes.
There is no parking at the wharf; use public car parks in Queenstown.
Yes, this is a family-friendly activity suitable for all ages.
You may cancel your lake wakatipu cruise to walter peak farm tour up to 24 hours in advance for a full refund.