Skyline Gondola

At the top you’ve got options. Take in the lookout, pair a ride with the Skyline Luge (two tracks totaling over 1.6 km), grab a drink or meal, or start a short walk. The gondola also serves the Queenstown Bike Park in season (with the right pass) and gives hikers a head start toward Ben Lomond.

A small chalet opened on Bob’s Peak in 1964. The gondola itself launched on November 17, 1967, with major upgrades in 1987 and a big redevelopment wave from 2019 onward. New cabins arrived after a nine‑week closure in 2023, a new base terminal opened late 2023, and a five‑level car park followed in early 2024. The system also began carrying mountain bikes in 2011—New Zealand’s first gondola‑assisted uplift for riders.

Using the gondola trims a hefty chunk off the Ben Lomond climb, letting you focus on the alpine views rather than the grind from town. Riders can use gondola uplift for the bike park when it’s operating, often pairing laps with a luge session or a sunset meal.

From Bob’s Peak you’re looking over a landscape shaped by fast‑rising Southern Alps and ancient glaciation that carved the deep basin now filled by Lake Wakatipu. The surrounding ranges are largely greywacke sandstone—hard, ancient rock that builds the craggy skyline you’ve come to see.

Project‑style upgrades are ongoing at the upper complex. Facilities remain open, but expect occasional detours or scaffolding routes. Campervans can’t use the base garage; use the nearby Boundary Street Carpark instead.