Exploring the rugged back country

Four wheel drive vehicles provide access to some of the district's scenic and unspoiled valleys. You can raft down remote rivers or ride horseback to old mining areas.

Skippers Canyon. Best known of the back country excursions is the trip up historic Skippers Canyon. The narrow, single lane road snakes high above the Shotover River, where a century ago miners panned for gold. Rock monoliths jut above the craggy terrain. Intense sun scorches the parched valley in summer; biting winds and snow ravage the gullies in winter.

You'll see stretches of the pack horse trail to the Upper Shotover gold fields and part of the narrow road built by Chinese workers, who were lowered over the cliff to hammer out the route. Occasionally, you pass the dilapidated remains of a long abandoned building.

Other day trips. From Queenstown you can also arrange excursions by four Wheel drive vehicle to Moke Lake, the ghost towns of Macetown and Sefferton, and up the Rees and Dart river valleys. Most trips stop for billy tea (brewed in a can over an open fire); day long trips include lunch.

Trail riding. Escorted trips on horseback follow trails used by miners more than a century ago. On half day and full day excursions, you ride up the Shotover Gorge and on longer journeys into the Moke Valley to the site of Sefferton. Other trips traverse the Wakatipu farmlands.

Hiking and rafting excursions. Danes Back Country Experiences (P.O. Box 230, Queenstown) offers longer cutback safaris that explore the remote valleys of the Upper Shotover, Matukituki, Hunter, Dart, Rees, and Landsborough rivers. Operated between October and April, the trips range from 2 to 5 days in length. Participants are transported into the valleys by four wheeldrive vehicle or helicopter, then continue on foot or by raft. Groups camp in tents and cook over open fires.

A good opportunity to learn about New Zealand's beef and dairy industry is at the Cattledrome 7 km/4 miles north of Queenstown. Shows are held daily at 9:30 A.M. and 2:15 P.m. at the exhibition center on Skippers Road. You'll see trained pedigreed cattle walk to their places on stage and watch cows being milked with glass milking machines. You can even try your own hand at milking.