If you’re visiting New Zealand’s South Island, chances are that you’ll be visiting both Queenstown and Wanaka. Both towns are amazing and getting between the two is easy as they’re located just over an hour apart.

Whether you’re backpacking, traveling by van, or need to get from Queenstown to Wanaka for any other reason, there are actually quite a few ways to travel between these two popular towns on the south island.

The distance between Queenstown and Wanaka isn’t that far and the trip usually only takes just over an hour. In this post, we’ll cover the different options and everything you need to know.

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5 best ways to get from Queenstown to Wanaka

Beautiful viewpoint at Arrow Junction Lookout Point between Queenstown and Wānaka
Beautiful Arrow Junction Lookout Point between Queenstown and Wānaka

Most people who visit the south island either fly into Queenstown (or Christchurch) or take the ferry from Wellington to Picton and then drive down the stunning west coast of the south island where they’ll eventually reach Wanaka and Queenstown.

In this post, we’ll be covering the different ways you can get between these two hot spots on the south island from taking the bus to renting a car or getting a private transfer.

#1 Queenstown to Wanaka by bus

Average price: $30-33 NZD one way 
Average time: 1 hour and 45 minutes
Convenience: 4/5
Where to book: Intercity New Zealand

The bus is definitely one of the quickest and cheapest options if you want to take public transportation between the two cities. The bus from Queenstown to Wanaka departs from Athol Street close to Four Square in Queenstown and drops you off right in front of the lake in downtown Wanaka.

The nice thing about both these stops is that they are within walking distance from any accommodation in Queenstown and Wanaka. Wanaka is an even smaller version of Queenstown so everything is easily accessible and the hotels and hostels in Wanaka are just a short walk from the bus stop.

This is one of the quicker buses and it takes just under 2 hours to get to Wanaka. There aren’t any stops along the way so it is just a direct bus which is convenient if you’re looking to save some time!

One of the downsides is that it doesn’t run every single day and the days it does run it’s only once a day early in the morning. The good news is that you’ll get to Wanaka by 10 am and be ready to explore the coffee shops in town or maybe go for a quick afternoon hike! (Check out this post for inspiration) 😉

You can book your bus ticket to Wanaka here.

#3 Queenstown to Wanaka by shuttle 

Average price: $40 NZD one way
Average time: 1.5 to 2 hours (depending on the specific departure)
Convenience: 4.5/5
Where to book: Ritchies

Ritchies is one of the main shuttle services in New Zealand and offers rides between Queenstown and Wanaka. You can see all the main stops on Ritchies site here to give you an idea where you can hop on and then hop off in Wanaka.

There’s 4 stops in both towns. In Queenstown, the most central location is “Athol Street”. In Wānaka, the most central location is “Lakefront Carpark”.

The shuttle is probably one of the cheaper options and similar priced to the regular bus. The only difference is that it has a few more stops so it adds a bit of extra time to the trip. Some departures are 1.25 minutes, some are 1.55 minutes.

Also the shuttle runs multiple times a day so when you go to book your ticket (try to do it in advance if you can), you’ll be able to see the departure times. Usually it’s something like 3-4 times a day between 9am and 4.40pm.

So with that being said you should easily be able to hop on a shuttle but if you do know a day or two in advance it’s worth booking it to make sure you get a seat! You can book your shuttle to Wanaka here.

#2 Queenstown to Wānaka by rental car

Dom in our car rental in Queenstown

Average price: $40 NZD per day roughly
Average time: Roughly 1.5 hours
Convenience: 4.5/5
Where to book: Use DiscoverCars to compare between companies & for the best price

If you like driving and having the freedom to stop wherever you want whenever you want we 100% recommend renting a car. Especially if you don’t mind driving on the left hand side of the road then having a car in New Zealand is amazing.

If you fly into Queenstown you can rent a car directly from the airport and start the trip to Wanaka. Otherwise, if you’re already in Queenstown you can take one of the buses and pick up the car that way. 

The beauty of renting your own car is that it gives you the freedom to stop in places like Arrowtown and Cardrona along the way or Cromwell and Lake Dunstan if you decide to take the other road.

If you do decide to rent a car there are two different ways to get between the two cities so you can pick and choose which way you prefer based on our description of the two routes!

Queenstown to Wanaka via Cardrona road

This is the quicker and more efficient way to get between the two towns (and our preferred route). It takes just over an hour without any stops and is a pretty direct route to Wanaka.

You can still easily stop by Arrowtown and at the Arrowtown Junction Lookout Point and get a nice view overlooking Queenstown!

You’ll also be in for a surprise when you drive through Cardrona and see the iconic Bra Fence! Yes, there is a full farmer’s field fence that is full of bras! It also has the nickname “Bradrona” and is quite an interesting attraction to stop by.

So if you want to take this route from Queenstown you can follow it here.

Queenstown to Wanaka via Highway 6

This is the slightly longer journey and definitely the more scenic way out of the two. Because of that it does add an extra 20-30 minutes to the trip – if not more because of the stops along the way that you can make. 

You’ll drive next to the beautiful Kawarau Gorge (which is where people usually go bungy jumping near Queenstown) before you turn into Cromwell and drive parallel to Lake Dunstan. This is where the scenery really comes to play on this drive and it is absolutely amazing.

It’s almost worth taking this scenic route just for the views! Make sure to stop at the Freeway Orchard or one of the other fruit shops if you decide to go this way. You can find the directions here.

Book your rental car from Queenstown Airport here.

Queenstown Car Rental widget.

#4 Queenstown to Wanaka by taxi/private transfer 

Average price: $250+ NZD for the one-way
Average time: Roughly 1.5 hours
Convenience: 5/5
Where to book: Book in advance via Viator

This is probably the quickest and most convenient way to get to Wanaka if you don’t drive – and that’s why it’s also the most expensive. You can easily book the transfer/taxi in advance if you already know which day you’re flying into Queenstown or which day you’re going to Wanaka.

Otherwise you can easily hop in a taxi either in town or at the airport and they’ll drive you straight to Wanaka. Taking a taxi or a private transfer to Wanaka is the best option if you’re not in the mood to drive on your own or sit on a bus or shuttle with a bunch of other travellers!

You can see the price & book your private transfer here.

#5 Other ways to get from Queenstown to Wanaka

There are a few other more uncommon ways to get from Queenstown to Wanaka – like hitchhiking. In the past, hitchhiking was very popular in New Zealand and almost considered an official way of transport.

We used to hitchhike all the time when we lived in Milford Sound and we’ve also picked up our fair share of hitchhikers throughout the years. When we went back to New Zealand in 2024, we noticed that, sadly, it has definitely slowed down – but there are still people that do it every day.

Of course you have to be careful and cautios if you hitchhike (especially if you’re a solo female traveller). It’s always good to hitchhike with at least one other person – and trust your gut before getting into a car!

Another option is to check out the rideshare apps and websites like CoSeats, YourRide, and WakaRider.

Lastly, you can look on Facebook and find groups like New Zealand RideShare to see if there’s any people going in the same direction as you from Queenstown to Wanaka or the other way around. Who knows, you may even make a new friend or two out of it!

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Then check out our New Zealand Maps with +200 locations around the country that we have visited during our 8 months of living and travelling in NZ! 🗺️

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Recap on how to get from Queenstown to Wanaka

Dom at Lake Wakatipu in Queenstown

As you can see, there are quite a few ways to get between Wanaka and Queenstown. New Zealand is one of those places that is fun to explore on your own in a car or campervan and having the freedom to stop wherever.

But if you’re just looking to get from A to B without having your own mode of transport, there are buses, shuttles, and private transfers available which is great.

If you have any questions about Queenstown or Wanaka or New Zealand in general, feel free to DM us on Instagram or leave a comment below.

New Zealand is one of our favourite countries in the world and this part of the south island is remarkable! We’re excited for you and we hope you have the best time exploring Wanaka, the coffee shops, and the hikes in the area!

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