Summary

If you want a single destination in New Zealand – as opposed to visiting a few different mountains on your travels – Queenstown is probably it, especially if you can cope with the cost of a few heli-drops. Although the resorts of North Island are impressive, the Southern Alps are, in the end, more compelling – and their resorts are free of volcanic interruptions.
Although Queenstown isn’t actually a ski resort, from here you have a choice of the two nearby ski areas – Coronet Peak and The Remarkables – plus the option of an outing to Cardrona (shown in our heading photo) and Treble Cone, perhaps with a few nights in the up-and-coming lakeside town of Wanaka. You can fly to Queenstown from various airports in Australia as well as New Zealand.