Walters Peak Farm is one of the most unique places on Lake Wakatipu and it is well worth a visit during your time in Queenstown.
To get there, you’ll have to get on the famous TSS Earnslaw from Queenstown which will take you across Lake Wakatipu for 45 minutes before you end up at this beautiful lakeside property.
While all tours to the farm will take you on TSS Earnslaw, each of them includes different activities upon arrival – so which one should you choose?
In this post, we dive into the three best tours to Walter Peak Farm. We go over what is included, how much they cost, who the tour is four, and then we share which of the tours we went on ourselves!
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3 of the best Walters Peak Farm tours
On our recent trip to New Zealand, we had the chance to go on the TSS Earnslaw Dinner Cruise to Walter Peak Farm and it was such a cool experience!
After going on the one tour we realized that there are multiple other tours you can do from Queenstown to the farm.
In this post, we’ve highlighted the 3 best tours that will take you to Walter Peak Farm and highlight what makes each of the tours great.
The three tours include a farm tour, a horseback riding trip, and an evening tour with dinner + farm show.
Whichever one you end up going with, we’re sure you’ll get an awesome experience sailing on the TSS Earnslaw on Lake Wakatipu and enjoy the beautiful lakefront homestead and everything it has to offer!
#1 TSS Earnslaw Cruise and Walter Peak Farm Tour
🚢 Book your cruise and farm tour on Viator or GetYourGuide
⏰ Time: 3.5 hours
💸 Cost: $145 NZD
⭐️ Rating: 4.5 out of 5
On this guided tour (like on all the other tours), you’ll take the iconic century-old coal-fired steamship – the TSS Earnslaw – from Queenstown to Walter Peak Farm.
At the farm, there’s a wide variety of attractions and things to do. Our personal favourite was the sheep roundup!
You’ll see firsthand how a farmer rounds up sheep from a distance with the help of a sheep-herding dog as well as how they shear the sheep.
After the traditional farm experience, you’ll have the chance to walk around the farm and see the beautiful property.
On the farm tour, you’ll see sheep, deer, and even Scottish Highland Cattle! It’s a great tour for the whole family.
Depending on the time of day you come, you’ll finish the trip off with morning or afternoon tea. If there’s any time left, you can walk through the property garden, take in the views over the lake, and visit the souvenir shop.
When you’re sailing back to Queenstown on the TSS Earnslaw, make sure to make your way to the bottom deck where you can visit the museum that has some awesome information about the ship.
You can book the Walter Peak farm tour here.
#2 Walter Peak Horse Trek and TSS Earnslaw Cruise
🚢 Book your cruise and horse trek here
⏰ Time: 3.5 hours
💸 Cost: $219 NZD
⭐️ Rating: 4.8 out of 5
⚠️ Please note that this tour is likely to sell out – so if you know you’re going, it is good to book it in advance!
After sailing across Lake Wakatipu and you arrive at the lakefront property on this guided tour you’ll be introduced to a horse and a tour guide!
For about 45 minutes, you’ll travel on horseback through New Zealand farmland. The rolling hills, greenery, and farm animals are the ideal New Zealand experience.
It’s a very relaxing horseback ride which is great for a date or for anyone who loves horses!
You’ll truly get to experience the best of New Zealand’s countryside and get to see what this part of ‘the land of the long white cloud’ (Aotearoa) is all about!
One thing which is quite unique about this tour is that you’ll ride to a viewpoint that offers an incredible view overlooking Lake Wakatipu (the only one of these tours that goes to this viewpoint).
After the horse ride you’ll go back to the homestead restaurant and have morning or afternoon tea.
The view of Lake Whakatipu (Whakatipu Wai-Māori) from the restaurant is amazing as well. It’s lakeside and on a nice warm day, you can sit outside and enjoy the sun while taking in the view of the lake.
Before heading back on the TSS Earnslaw you’ll have a bit of time to enjoy the farm, check out the shop, and walk around the local garden that belongs to the property!
To finish the tour you’ll sail back on the Earnslaw to Queenstown where the trip ends.
You can book the Walter Peak Horse Trek tour here.
#3 TSS Earnslaw Dinner Cruise to Walter Peak Farm
🚢 Book your cruise & dinner tour here
⏰ Time: 4 hours
💸 Cost: $189 NZD
⭐️ Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
This is the tour that we did as we were looking for a unique dining experience in Queenstown!
We actually got the trip as a delayed Christmas present from Jo’s dad and we thought it was such a nice gift. We got to spend time together while enjoying a delicious dinner and the beautiful surroundings.
It’s a nice tour if you’re looking for a unique date idea or you just want to experience something a bit special.
We really enjoyed taking the TSS Earnslaw across the lake and getting out of the busy-ness of Queenstown for a few hours.
Once you disembark the Earnslaw you’ll be assigned to your table where you’ll be able to enjoy a nice glass of wine, beer, or drink of your choice (not included in the price).
There’s a delicious buffet that offers a wide variety of BBQ dishes and salads! When we went there was anything from salad, soup, potatoes, etc. to pork, meat, chicken, fish and seafood. It was a serious feast!
Oh, and did we mention all the delicious desserts!?
You have a decent amount of time to enjoy the buffet and all the yummy food before heading to the next part of the tour.
This next part is a local New Zealand experience where you’ll learn all about sheep herding and even see it on full display!
We were not expecting this part of the tour as we hadn’t looked too much into the details.
It was such a neat experience to see the connection between the farmer and the dog and how they heard the sheep down the mountain.
We wrote a whole blog post on the Dinner Cruise to Walter Peak Farm here where you can learn more about what the whole trip is about.
You can also book the same tour we did here.
📍 Want to know about all the best spots in Aotearoa New Zealand?
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! 🗺️
Other related questions about Walter Peak Farm
How to get to Walter Peak High Country Farm?
There are a few ways to get to Walter Peak Farm and they all include traversing Lake Wakatipu by boat.
There’s the option to take the iconic vintage steamship, TSS Earnslaw or the more modern catamaran across the lake.
We personally prefer the TSS Earnslaw tour but both of these are wonderful experiences where you’ll get to explore this beautiful farm.
How long is the TSS Earnslaw Cruise?
The cruise from Queenstown across Lake Wakatipu to Walter Peak Farm takes about 45-50 minutes one way.
In total, the guided tours range between 3.5 to 4 hours depending on which one you decide to go on.
Where is Walter Peak?
Walter Peak is a mountain located near Queenstown on the South Island of New Zealand.
The peak is famous for the Walter Peak Farm homestead which is located at the lakefront at the bottom of the mountain.
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Recap of the different tours to Walters Peak Farm
Walter Peak Farm is absolutely worth the trip if you get the chance while you’re in Queenstown!
As you can see, there are multiple different tours you can do to this Kiwi farm where you’ll get a cultural experience – no matter which of the tours you decide to go on.
With horseback riding, a dinner cruise, or a kid-friendly farm experience, there’s a tour for everyone!
If you have questions about which tour to book or how, feel free to leave a comment below. You can also DM us on Instagram and we will try our best to help you out.
We love this part of New Zealand and after spending 8 months here, we should hopefully be able to help you out.
Enjoy Walter Peak Farm and this beautiful lakefront homestead! We hope you have an amazing trip on the TSS Earnslaw and enjoy the stunning views from Lake Wakatipu!
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