Year 13 Geography – Exploring Tourism in Queenstown

By Andrea Yetter | Posted: Wednesday March 11, 2026

Our Year 13s have been busy learning about tourism in Queenstown and the Whakatipu Basin.

They developed their own research questions and surveys before hitting the streets to talk to tourists and find out more about why they were visiting the area.

Day 1: 3.5 Ready to Get Into It!
We made our way over to Queenstown, stopping in Arrowtown for lunch and completing our first set of surveys. After fuelling up and collecting some data, Amanda at the Arrowtown Museum provided us with insights into tourism processes over the last 150 years in the region. Students had an engaging session mapping, asking questions, and learning about what makes the region unique and how changes in tourism have impacted the area.

We then made our way to Shotover Jet to take a thrilling ride on the Shotover River! Students experienced adventure tourism first-hand and learned a little about the history of the Shotover enterprise. That evening, Cabin Group 1 made a hearty meal of burgers and wedges.

Day 2: Survey City
Day 2 saw us ready to tackle a big portion of mahi and collect as much survey data as we could. The boys did a great job approaching tourists in the CBD, at the lakefront, in the Gardens, and at the Gondola. We met for lunch in the park to refuel with some Domino’s. The weather was hot, but the boys persevered, with some groups collecting nearly 100 surveys!

In the evening, we all headed back into town where the stakes were raised as the boys entered the Fear Factory for some jumps and scares. We topped the evening off with some ice cream and a birthday celebration for Leo before heading to bed after another busy day.

Day 3: Economic Insights
Our final day started early with a quick brekkie and a clean-up of the camp. Teams rolled up their sleeves to get the place sparkling, and we were on our way in no time. We headed to the council buildings where we heard from the Queenstown Lakes District Council about many of the economic factors affecting the area and what can be expected in the future. The students had some great questions following the discussions they had the day before with tourists.

Our final stop on the way out of town was at the Kawarau Bridge, where students surveyed adventurous tourists and onlookers alike. Nobody was ready to take the plunge, but they had good fun watching some brave souls dive off the bridge, zipline, and white-water raft below. After our final survey location, we packed up the vans and headed back to Dunedin, with a quick lunch stop in Alexandra.

With a successful trip under their belts and plenty of survey data gathered, the students are now ready to put their research questions to the test in their reports.

Thank you to Mr Harvey and Mr Brown, without whose help this trip would not have been possible.