Midday Sailing · Lake Whakatipu
Cross in full daylight, eat a wood-fired buffet above the jetty, and still have time in the gardens before the boat back.
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The Experience
The same buffet as the evening trip, with the farm visible while you are on it.
Half a day, and back in Queenstown with the afternoon still in front of you.
Lunch sittings leave late morning and around midday. The vessel is part of the option you buy — the Spirit of Queenstown catamaran on this listing, or the TSS Earnslaw on the steamship option.
RealNZ Visitor Centre, 88 Beach Street, thirty minutes before departure. It is a five-minute walk from the middle of Queenstown and there is no parking at the wharf.
In daylight you get the whole west arm of Lake Whakatipu — Cecil Peak, Walter Peak itself, and the Remarkables behind you the entire way.
Buffet at the Colonel's Homestead, then the farm demonstration, then the lakeside gardens if your sitting allows — the part the evening trip usually loses to darkness.
Photo Gallery
What the midday crossing actually looks like, from the water and from the shore.
All three cross the same lake to the same jetty. What changes is the light and the meal.
| Feature | SAFEST CHOICE Lunch Sitting | Dinner Sitting | Farm Tour, No Buffet |
|---|---|---|---|
| The meal | Wood-fired BBQ buffet at the Colonel's Homestead | The same wood-fired BBQ buffet, evening service | Morning or afternoon tea in the old woolshed |
| Daylight on the farm | ✓ All year | Summer only — a winter evening lands after dark | ✓ All year |
| Lakeside gardens | ✓ Usually time to walk them | Rarely — the light is gone | ✓ Usually time to walk them |
| Farm demonstration | ✓ Working dogs after the meal | ✓ Working dogs, under lights in winter | ✓ Dogs, plus blade shearing and the farmyard walk |
| The crossing | 45 min each way, full daylight | 45 min each way, golden hour or dark | 45 min each way, full daylight |
| Best for | Families, first visits, anyone travelling in winter | Couples and long summer evenings | Anyone who came for the animals, not the food |
| Free cancellation | ✓ Up to 24 hours before | ✓ Up to 24 hours before | ✓ Up to 24 hours before |
| Starting Price | From $99/per person | From $99 per person | From $82 per person |
| Check Dates | Check Dates | View Options |
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RIDE THE STATIONBefore You Book
It costs the same as dinner, it shows you more of the farm, and it leaves the rest of your Queenstown day intact.
The evening sailing gets the photographs, but the midday one is the trip that does what the brochure says. You are on a working high-country station for about two hours, and lunch is the sitting where you can actually see it.
Three things, in order of how much they matter.
The farm demonstration. A rural host works a mob of sheep with heading dogs and huntaways in an open amphitheatre cut into the hillside. In daylight you can follow what the dogs are doing across a whole paddock, which is most of the point; under lights you can follow what they are doing in the pen.
The gardens. The lakeside gardens between the homestead and the jetty are open to walk if your sitting leaves time, and in summer they are genuinely worth ten minutes — roses, hydrangeas and a view straight back down the lake. Evening sittings rarely get them.
The crossing. Forty-five minutes each way is ninety minutes on Lake Whakatipu, and the west arm has no road on either shore. In daylight that is scenery you cannot reach any other way. In the dark it is a boat ride.
The food. Local meats come off the same open wood-fired grill at the Colonel’s Homestead and are carved to order, with salads, hot vegetables, breads, New Zealand cheeses and a long dessert table alongside. It is a buffet — you serve yourself, you can go back, and nobody has to negotiate a set menu. Drinks are extra on every option, and both vessels are cashless.
The price does not change either. The lunch and dinner sittings of the Gourmet BBQ are the same fare; you are choosing a time of day, not a tier.
This listing puts you on the Spirit of Queenstown, the modern catamaran: quiet, quick to board, lots of glass, and the easier option if anyone in your group would rather avoid steamship stairs. If you specifically want the 1912 coal-fired TSS Earnslaw, book the option that names her — you cannot swap at the wharf. The vessel comparison covers both.
Between about November and February a late sitting crosses in gold light, eats with the lake still bright, and comes home under stars — and that is a better evening than a good lunch. Our lunch versus dinner guide works through it month by month, and the which-cruise guide covers the farm tour and the horse trek if the buffet is not the draw.
Guest Reviews
Ratings and review counts are the tour operators' live figures on GetYourGuide and may shift slightly day to day.
"I was able to enjoy a delicious buffet and see the Highland cattle, and I was satisfied many times over with the value for the price. There was a Japanese staff member who kindly explained things to me. I would like to go again if I have the opportunity."
"Amazing day out. Boat super safe. Lunch was the best meal in Queesnstown."
"Boat was very comfortable and great views. The farm is beautiful and the buffet was fantastic!! Go hungry! The farm show was fun and interesting."
"The weather was fantastic, so the boat ride on the lake was a dream. The farm grounds are very well maintained, and the buffet was superbly organized and delicious. There was sooo much to choose from… it was impossible to try everything, but there was definitely something for everyone. After dinner, there was a show with the German shepherd and the sheep. Perhaps it would have been nicer to have the show at the beginning and then enjoy the food."
"Best buffet over ever had in my life. All the food was incredible and a welcome change from freeze dried food on the hiking trails"
"Short boat trip across the lake with great views. BBQ buffet was spectacular. We had a front view table of lake outside. Farm show was also good. Great day had by all."
"Beautiful food and stunning views on the farm. Loved the show, staff were welcoming and farm staff were friendly and informative"
"We certainly enjoyed the buffet lunch and the boys were happy about the sheep-shearing show"
Read all 82 verified reviews
See All ReviewsA 45-minute crossing in full light, a wood-fired buffet at the Colonel's Homestead, a working farm demonstration and time in the gardens — with free cancellation up to 24 hours before you sail. Starting from $99 per person.
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Midday sailings, what daylight gets you, and how long the whole thing takes.
Three and a half hours door to door — 45 minutes across Lake Whakatipu, about two hours ashore for the buffet and the farm demonstration, and 45 minutes back to Steamer Wharf. A late-morning departure puts you back in Queenstown with the afternoon still ahead of you.
For most of the year, yes — in daylight you can follow the dogs working a whole paddock, the lakeside gardens are open to walk, and the crossing is scenery rather than a dark boat ride. Between November and February the evening sitting has its own case. Our lunch versus dinner guide works through it month by month.
This listing sails on the Spirit of Queenstown, the modern catamaran — quiet, quick to board and heavy on glass. The 1912 TSS Earnslaw also runs midday sittings under a separate option; if you want the steamship, book the one that names her, because the vessel cannot be swapped at the wharf.
Usually, on a daytime sitting. The lakeside gardens sit between the homestead and the jetty, and if your timetable leaves a gap after the farm demonstration you are free to walk them before re-boarding. Evening sittings rarely get the light for it.
Local meats cooked on an open wood-fired grill and carved to order, with salads, hot vegetables, fresh breads, New Zealand cheeses and a long dessert table. You serve yourself and can go back within your sitting. Tell RealNZ in advance about serious allergies — it is a buffet service.
It is one of the better options in Queenstown for them. The crossing is short, the buffet removes any set-menu negotiation, and the farm demonstration is built around dogs and animals rather than commentary. Daylight helps here too.
RealNZ Queenstown Visitor Centre, 88 Beach Street on Steamer Wharf, thirty minutes before departure. It is a five-minute walk from central Queenstown and there is no parking at the wharf.
Still have questions? Email us at info@walterpeakbbq.com
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