Queenstown, New Zealand

Queenstown or Tāhuna is a resort town in Otago in the south-west of New Zealand's South Island. It has an urban population of 14,300 (June 2016), making it the 27th largest urban area in New Zealand. In 2016, Queenstown overtook Oamaru to become the second largest urban area in Otago, behind Dunedin.

Because of its relatively moderate altitude (310 metres) but with high mountain surroundings, it has an oceanic climate. Summer has long warm days with temperatures that can reach 30 °C while winters are cold with temperatures often in single digits with frequent snowfall, although there is no permanent snow cover during the year. As with the rest of Central Otago, Queenstown lies within the rain shadow of the Southern Alps, but being closer to the west coast the town is more susceptible to rain-bearing fronts compared to nearby Cromwell, Wanaka and Alexandra. The hottest recorded temperature in Queenstown is 34.1 °C (93 °F), while the coldest is −8.4 °C (17ºF).

Queenstown, New Zealand