Moving to Queenstown

Our team’s view is simple: Queenstown is an exceptional place to live. Locals tend to live in the suburbs situated around Frankton, which boasts a variety of shops and services similar to those found in larger New Zealand towns, meaning you don’t have to rely on tourist centres. It’s also home to an international airport, giving you access to easy trips within the country or overseas. Queenstown has a high proportion of GPs and medical specialists in the region, although most are associated with private clinics and hospitals.

While Queenstown does offer all the amenities and trappings of a first-class tourist destination, the reality is that it also has a higher cost of living than most other parts of the country. Groceries tend to be a little more expensive, and public hospital facilities are currently lacking. Surgery and obstetrics cases are usually referred to Invercargill or Dunedin, although this is expected to improve over the next few years.

If you want to see how daily life works and your potential neighbourhood, we offer an orientation tour to help you settle in. This covers shops, services, and medical care, plus anything else you’re wondering about life here.

The long-term rental market is extremely competitive, and there are never enough homes to go around, since a lot of properties are only let to holidaymakers. Availability gets even worse in the summer (December-March) and then again during the ski season (July-September). You can rent short-term until you find a permanent home, but the search can take weeks, and the costs add up quickly.

The market as it stands is quite varied, ranging from shared flats to luxury homes, with thousands of new homes slated for development over the next few years to meet ongoing demand. Properties that are insufficiently insulated or on a shaded lot will cost you significantly more in heating bills over the winter, so check the insulation and the winter sun before you sign.

Our home-finding service can help you narrow down your options for a permanent home, and uncover any hidden costs. Need time to think things over? We can sort out temporary accommodation as well. Once you’ve found a place, arrange your essential services with Fast Connect.

Locals tend to live in Queenstown’s surrounding suburbs and nearby towns, as Queenstown itself, including Queenstown Hill, is dominated by holiday homes and short-term rentals. Popular places to live include Frankton, Fernhill, Sunshine Bay, Kelvin Heights, Jack’s Point, Arthurs Point, Lake Hayes Estate, Lower Shotover, Hanley’s Farm and Arrowtown. Each one has pros and cons, but a guided look around the suburbs is the best way to find out more. There aren’t many alternative routes in the area, so it’s important to know what the drive between home, school, and work might look like.

Once you’ve got an area in mind, we can also help with finding the right house. Got more questions? Get in touch with our local branch.

It is indeed. Weekends here are built around the trails, lakes, and ski fields, and there’s no shortage of other families ready to join an adventure. Education-wise, most of the suburbs have their own primary school, but things get trickier when it comes to high school: there’s only one state high school, which is nearing full capacity. There’s also a private alternative education provider in Frankton. There are no school buses, so plan for the school run and the traffic that comes with it.

Our school search service helps you compare the options near the homes you are looking at. You can also read our New Zealand education guide or find a school on the Education Counts website.

Clubs, groups, classes, and special events are where most people start, and there’s no shortage of affordable, accessible options. People in Queenstown are generally very friendly and open to getting together with newcomers. The weekly newspaper is often a good place to find out what’s on around town, and community Facebook groups are a great way to connect with people and find activities. The cultural arts hub Te Atamira is a good place to get started. It offers free community events and workshops that are inclusive and fun. For those with kids, there is no shortage of families to connect with for weekend adventures.

For more help finding your way into local life, reach out to our friendly intercultural support team. If you’re moving here with children, see our tips for helping them adjust, so they can settle in and start making friends.

Shipments bound for Queenstown usually clear Customs and biosecurity at Port Chalmers in Dunedin. From there, your shipment travels to Queenstown by road. If you haven’t found a home yet when it arrives (a common occurrence in Queenstown), we’ll put your belongings into short-term storage first, ready to come out when the house keys do. Storage is available all year round.

If you do manage to find somewhere more permanent before your shipment arrives, we can provide rental furniture to make the in-between period less stressful.

You should bring documents, medication, clothes for the first two weeks, and the children’s essentials with you on the plane. Once your shipment has set sail, you can track it at any time.