Queenstown: Walter Peak Gourmet BBQ & Lake Whakatipu Cruise
From US$99 (October 2026)
See datesLake Wakatipu · 90 minutes on a 1912 steamship · RealNZ · from US$67
Queenstown and Wanaka Lake Cruises: the TSS Earnslaw, Walter Peak and the Islands
The lake cruises you can book from Queenstown and Wanaka: the coal-fired TSS Earnslaw on its own, the Earnslaw with a stop at Walter Peak farm, and the boats out to Lake Wanaka's islands.
From
US$67
per person
Free cancellation
- 4.7 / 5 1,416 reviews
- 90 min On Lake Wakatipu
- 1912 Coal-Fired Steamship
- Free Cancellation
The Experience
What the TSS Earnslaw Cruise Includes
A 90-minute sightseeing cruise with guide commentary, the engine room below decks and a small onboard museum. The boat does not stop at Walter Peak on this ticket.
Highlights
- Sail aboard the historic, coal-powered TSS Earnslaw on a scenic cruise
- Admire spectacular alpine scenery from the vantage point of the lake's waters
- Explore the engine room below decks where stokers feed the roaring coal fire
- Discover a fascinating collection of historical photos in the small onboard museum
- Savor morning or afternoon tea at the charming old woolshed on the farm
What's Included
- Sightseeing cruise
- Knowledgeable guide commentary
Good to know: Cruise is subject to favorable weather conditions. If canceled due to poor weather, you will be given the option of an alternative date or a full refund · If you require more information on the wheelchair accessibility on the TSS Earnslaw, please do not hesitate to ask · Parking is not available, please leave your car at your accommodation · Non-slip shoes are recommended · Not Included: Food and drinks
How the Earnslaw Cruise Works
Four steps, from the wharf in central Queenstown to the stokehold and back.
Board the Steamship in Town
The listing's meeting point is the TSS Earnslaw itself, on the waterfront in central Queenstown; the RealNZ Visitor Centre at 88 Beach Street is a minute's walk away. There is no parking, so leave your car at your accommodation. Non-slip shoes are recommended.
Ninety Minutes on Lake Wakatipu
The cruise heads out across Lake Wakatipu with commentary from a guide on the mountains and the lake's history. On this cruise-only ticket you stay on board: the stop at Walter Peak farm is a separate ticket.
Go Below to the Engine Room
Below decks the stokers feed the coal fire by hand, and you can watch. A small museum on board shows historical photos of the ship and the lake.
Back at the Wharf
You return to the same wharf in town. If poor weather cancels the sailing, the listing offers another date or a full refund; otherwise cancellation is free up to 24 hours before.
Photo Gallery
The TSS Earnslaw in Photos
Book Your Experience
Check Availability & Prices
Select your preferred date and time. The listing's terms: Cancel up to 24 hours in advance for a full refund.
Three Lake Cruises, Side by Side
The TSS Earnslaw on its own, the Earnslaw with Walter Peak's BBQ, and the water taxi to Mou Waho on Lake Wanaka, compared from each operator's listing: time on the water and ashore, cost per hour, start point and the weather terms. Prices as of October 2026.
| Feature | OUR PICK TSS Earnslaw Cruise (RealNZ) | Walter Peak BBQ and Cruise (RealNZ) | Water Taxi and Mou Waho (Wanaka) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starts From | From about US$67 per person | From about US$99 per person | From about US$79 per person |
| Rating | 4.7 / 5 from 1,416 reviews | 4.8 / 5 from 3,194 reviews | 4.9 / 5 from 384 reviews |
| Length | 90 minutes | 3.5 hours | 3 hours |
| On the Water / Ashore | All 90 minutes on board; no landing | 45 minutes each way; about 2 hours at Walter Peak | Water taxi with stops; 2 hours on the island |
| Cost per Hour | About US$45 | About US$28, lunch or dinner included | About US$26 |
| Getting There | In central Queenstown | Central Queenstown; the farm is 45 minutes across the lake | From Wanaka, about 70 km and a little over an hour's drive from Queenstown |
| Meal | None; no food on this ticket | BBQ buffet, lunch or dinner | None; bring water and snacks |
| Ages | No age limit stated | Suitable for all ages | Activity sheets for kids; the island track is steep and rocky in places |
| Start Point | The TSS Earnslaw, central Queenstown | RealNZ Visitor Centre, 88 Beach Street, Queenstown | Wanaka Marina, Lakeside Road |
| What It Includes | Cruise, guide commentary, engine room, onboard museum | Return cruise, BBQ buffet, farm demonstration, commentary | Water taxi, commentary, self-guided island walk, walking poles |
| Weather | Another date or a full refund if weather cancels | Another date or a full refund if weather cancels | Warm layers advised in every season |
| Cancellation | Free up to 24 hours before | Free up to 24 hours before | Free up to 24 hours before |
| Best For | The steamship itself, in the least time | A meal ashore and the farm show | An island walk and the weka |
| Check Availability | See the BBQ Cruise | See the Island Trip |
Seven More Lake Trips
Other Lake Cruises From Queenstown and Wanaka
Three Walter Peak farm trips, a shorter Lake Wakatipu boat, and three boats to the islands of Lake Wanaka.
BBQ BUFFET AT WALTER PEAKQueenstown: Walter Peak Gourmet BBQ & Lake Whakatipu Cruise
A 3.5-hour trip from the RealNZ Visitor Centre on Beach Street: 45 minutes across Lake Whakatipu each way and two hours at Walter Peak for a BBQ buffet and a farm show.
GUIDED FARM TOUR AND TEAQueenstown: Queenstown Lake Cruise and Walter Peak Farm Tour
A 3.5-hour trip from the RealNZ Visitor Centre in Queenstown: a cruise to Walter Peak High Country Farm, a guided farm tour with a nature guide and a morning or afternoon tea.
HORSE TREK, AGE 7+Queenstown: Walter Peak Horse Trek & Queenstown Lake Cruise
A 3.5-hour trip from Queenstown: a return cruise to Walter Peak, a 40-45 minute horse trek for small groups with a guide, and morning or afternoon tea at the farm.
90 MINUTES, BAR ON BOARDQueenstown: Lake Whakatipu Boat Trip
A 90-minute cruise on Lake Whakatipu from the RealNZ Visitor Centre in Queenstown, with the skipper's commentary and an onboard cafe and bar selling drinks and platters.
TWO HOURS ON MOU WAHOWanaka: Water Taxi & Mou Waho Island Tour
A 3-hour trip from Wanaka Marina by water taxi with commentary, then two hours on Mou Waho Island for a self-guided walk to its hidden lake, with walking poles provided.
GUIDED ISLAND WALKMou Waho Island: 3-Hour Cruise and Guided Nature Walk
A 3-hour trip from the Wanaka lakefront near 100 Ardmore Street by fast boat to Mou Waho Island, with a guided walk to the lake on top and Department of Conservation fees.
SHORT WALK, AFTERNOON TEAStevensons Island 2-Hour Cruise and Nature Walk
A 2-hour catamaran cruise from the Wanaka lakefront near 100 Ardmore Street to Stevensons Island, with a short guided walk to the top and afternoon tea.
Choosing a Lake Cruise
The Steamship, the Farm, or the Islands?
What each lake trip spends its time on, which ones put you ashore, and what the listings say about weather and the Earnslaw's winter maintenance.
There are two lakes to cruise on from the South Island’s busiest bases: Wakatipu at Queenstown and Wanaka at Wanaka. On Wakatipu almost every trip is on the same ship, the coal-fired TSS Earnslaw, and the choice is whether you stay on board for 90 minutes or step off at Walter Peak farm for a meal, a farm tour or a horse ride. On Wanaka the boats are small and the point is the islands. Our pick is the Earnslaw on its own, from US$67 and rated 4.7 from 1,416 reviews: the ship is the reason most people book, and this is the cheapest way to spend time on her.
See dates for the Earnslaw cruise →
Is the TSS Earnslaw worth it?
Yes, if you want the ship rather than a destination. For 90 minutes and about US$67 you get the lake, the mountains, the engine room and the stokers. What you do not get is a meal or time ashore: people who search for an Earnslaw lunch or dinner cruise mean the Walter Peak trips, which use the same ship and cost from about US$79 with tea, or US$99 with the BBQ buffet. If you have a free half day and want to eat, book the BBQ; if you have 90 minutes, book the cruise.
See dates for the 90-minute cruise →
Lake Wakatipu: the steamship, or the steamship and the farm
The Earnslaw is a twin-screw steamer, which is what “TSS” stands for. She was built in Dunedin by McGregor and Company, launched on the lake in 1912 and named after Mount Earnslaw at its head. At 51.2 metres she was the biggest vessel on the lake and the largest steamship built in New Zealand. She ran a regular service on the lake until the road to Glenorchy was finished in 1963, and has run for visitors since 1969. Wikipedia calls her the only remaining commercial passenger-carrying coal-fired steamship in the Southern Hemisphere, and on the cruise-only ticket you can watch the stokers shovel the coal.
Walter Peak High Country Farm is across the lake, 45 minutes each way. RealNZ sells three trips there, all 3.5 hours from its visitor centre on Beach Street, and all on “your vessel of choice”: the Earnslaw, or the Spirit of Queenstown catamaran. The BBQ buffet spends about two hours at the farm with lakeside dining and a farm dog show. The farm tour adds a nature guide and morning or afternoon tea. The horse trek is a 40 to 45 minute ride for small groups, open to first-timers from age 7, with height and weight limits in the listing.
Queenstown: Queenstown Lake Cruise and Walter Peak Farm Tour
From US$79 (October 2026)
See datesQueenstown: Walter Peak Horse Trek & Queenstown Lake Cruise
From US$158 (October 2026)
See datesIf the Earnslaw does not matter to you, RealNZ’s Lake Whakatipu boat trip runs on a different boat: a 90-minute cruise from the same visitor centre, with the skipper’s commentary and a bar and café on board, from about US$45.
Lake Wanaka: three boats to the islands
Lake Wanaka has four significant islands, and two of them are on these trips. Mou Waho is a 120-hectare predator-free reserve with a lake on top, Arethusa Pool, about 150 metres above the main lake. It is a lake on an island in a lake. Buff weka, a flightless bird long gone from the surrounding mainland, were moved to the island in 2004 and now number about 200.
Wanaka is about 70 km from Queenstown over the Crown Range, a drive of a little over an hour; in winter the Crown Range road can ice up and close, and the route through Cromwell takes about 1 hour 20 to 30 minutes. Three operators go out. Wanaka Water Taxi’s trip gives you two hours on Mou Waho to walk to the hidden lake at your own pace, with walking poles, 3 hours in all. Lake Wanaka Cruises’ Mou Waho trip is the guided version, a 1 km walk rising 150 metres, with Department of Conservation fees included. Its Stevensons Island cruise is the gentle one: 2 hours on a catamaran, a 10-minute walk up a 50-metre rise, and afternoon tea. The Wanaka page sets these beside the town’s waterfall climbs and trails.
Wanaka: Water Taxi & Mou Waho Island Tour
From US$79 (October 2026)
See datesMou Waho Island: 3-Hour Cruise and Guided Nature Walk
From US$101 (October 2026)
See datesStevensons Island 2-Hour Cruise and Nature Walk
From US$50 (October 2026)
See datesWeather and the Earnslaw’s winter break
Both lakes are mountain lakes, and the listings are honest about it. RealNZ’s cruises are “subject to favorable weather conditions”, and a weather cancellation gets you the choice of another date or a full refund. The Earnslaw also comes out of service each year for maintenance: in 2026 it was 18 May to 27 June, when the Walter Peak trips ran on the Spirit of Queenstown. If the steamship is the point, avoid that window. The Wanaka trips ask for warm layers in every season and rugged shoes for the island tracks.
Which to book
The steamship, 90 minutes
Queenstown: TSS Earnslaw Cruise of Lake Whakatipu
The 1912 coal-fired steamer on her own, with the engine room, the onboard museum and commentary; you stay aboard.
Check dates →Lunch or dinner at the farm
Queenstown: Walter Peak Gourmet BBQ & Lake Whakatipu Cruise
The most-reviewed tour on this site: 45 minutes across the lake each way and about two hours at Walter Peak for the buffet and the dog show.
See this tour →An island walk on Lake Wanaka
Wanaka: Water Taxi & Mou Waho Island Tour
Three hours, two of them on Mou Waho to walk up to Arethusa Pool and meet the weka, with a swim in the island's lake if you want one.
See this tour →Prices, ratings and review counts from our October 2026 data check.
Two cruises that are not lake cruises are covered elsewhere. Kaikōura’s whale-watching catamaran is on the Kaikōura page. Milford Sound is a fiord cruise reached by coach or plane from Queenstown or Te Anau, and milfordcruises.com compares those day trips in depth. The Queenstown page has everything else the town sells, from wine tours to the jet boats.
Guest Reviews
What Guests Say
4.7/5
from 1,416 reviews
"This ship is amazing and I’d reccommend it to anyone who’s visiting Queenstown. The scenery the fact you can see people stoking the coal engines it’s an awesome way to cruise the lake 10/10."
"was a nice and relaxing cruise, views were stunning"
"absolutely amazing. Staff were so awesome 👌 fantastic experience"
"Highly recommend if in Queenstown NZ, great experience, well worth the money!"
"Really enjoyed the cruise . Great way to see the town and the mountains from the water"
"Excellent tourist attraction well worth doing this if you visit Queenstown"
"We did an independent trip on the Earnslaw, it was not part of a tour. We arrived at the dock and saw big queues, but once the boat got underway and people started moving about the boat didn’t seem so busy. Its a great boat which gives you a beautiful window into a bygone era of boat building quality, with beautiful wood and brass fittings. We loved the fact that the inside of the boat is hollow so you can see down into the engine room at marvel at the incredible workings of the steam engine. From above you can even watch the man shovelling coal into the furnace. We never got off at Mt Walter station (though it looked a spectacular experience, but we didnt have the time or money) . The return journey had less people,. I would highly recommentvthis trip."
Read all 1,416 reviews
See All ReviewsBook the TSS Earnslaw Cruise
A 90-minute cruise on Lake Wakatipu aboard the coal-fired TSS Earnslaw from central Queenstown, with guide commentary, the engine room and a small onboard museum. Rated 4.7 by 1,416 guests. Free cancellation up to 24 hours before. Starting from US$67 per person.
Check Availability & BookCan't Make These Dates?
Browse More Available Options
More tours here. Each listing states its own cancellation terms.
Lake Cruises FAQ
The questions people ask before booking a cruise on Lake Wakatipu or Lake Wanaka, answered in the first sentence. Tour details come from each operator's listing; the ship's history from NZHistory and Wikipedia; the islands from the Department of Conservation.
Yes, if the ship is what you want: the 90-minute cruise-only ticket is the cheapest way aboard, from about US$67 in October 2026. You see the lake and the mountains, watch the stokers in the engine room and look round a small museum on board, but you do not land. If you want to step ashore, the Walter Peak trips use the same ship, or the Spirit of Queenstown catamaran, for 3.5 hours. Compare the three cruises.
Twin-screw steamer: the Earnslaw is driven by two propellers, and her boilers burn coal. She was built in Dunedin by McGregor and Company, launched on Lake Wakatipu in 1912 and named after Mount Earnslaw at the head of the lake. At 51.2 metres she was the largest steamship built in New Zealand. See the Earnslaw cruise.
About 45 minutes each way across Lake Wakatipu. That is the crossing time RealNZ's Walter Peak listings give, and all three of its Walter Peak trips run 3.5 hours in total, with about two hours at the farm on the BBQ trip. The cruise-only Earnslaw ticket does not stop at Walter Peak. See the Walter Peak BBQ cruise.
From about US$67 per person for the 90-minute cruise in October 2026. The Walter Peak trips that use the Earnslaw cost more because they add the farm: from about US$79 with a farm tour and tea, US$99 with the BBQ buffet and US$158 with a horse trek. Operators set seasonal prices, so check the calendar for your date. See the Earnslaw dates.
Not quite: she comes out of service each year for maintenance. In 2026 that was 18 May to 27 June, and RealNZ ran the Walter Peak trips on the Spirit of Queenstown catamaran instead. Weather can also cancel a sailing; the listings then offer another date or a full refund. Weather and the winter break.
Eat, watch the farm at work, or ride: RealNZ sells a BBQ buffet, a guided farm tour and a horse trek there. The BBQ trip includes a farm dog show. The farm tour meets sheep, alpacas, highland cows and farm dogs with a nature guide, then morning or afternoon tea. The horse trek is 40 to 45 minutes for small groups, from age 7. The farm tour.
Not on any trip sold here: all three Walter Peak listings are 3.5-hour day trips from Queenstown and back. The farm is across the lake from town and reached by boat, which is why every trip is sold with the cruise. If you want a longer day on the lake, the BBQ trip spends the most time ashore. Everything sold from Queenstown.
Yes: three boats go out to its islands from the Wanaka lakefront. Wanaka Water Taxi's trip gives you two hours on Mou Waho on your own; Lake Wanaka Cruises runs a guided Mou Waho walk and a 2-hour catamaran cruise to Stevensons Island with afternoon tea. All three include the boat ride with commentary. See the Wanaka page.
Arethusa Pool, on Mou Waho Island in Lake Wanaka. Mou Waho is a 120-hectare predator-free reserve, and the pool sits about 150 metres above the main lake. A track of about 200 metres from the island's wharf climbs past it to a high point. The island also holds about 200 buff weka, moved there in 2004. See the Mou Waho water taxi.
Yes, on the Mou Waho water taxi trip: its listing invites you to swim in the lake on the island. You have two hours ashore to walk up to it and back. Bring warm layers: the operators of both Wanaka trips advise a jacket in every season, and rugged shoes for the island track. What the trip includes.
The Walter Peak BBQ cruise, which its listing calls suitable for all ages. It is also the most-reviewed tour on this site, rated 4.8 from 3,194 reviews in October 2026. For young children on Lake Wanaka, the Stevensons Island cruise has the shortest walk, 10 minutes up a 50-metre rise, and children must be accompanied by an adult. The BBQ cruise.
Still have questions? Email us at info@southislandguidedtours.com