Gibbston

Why it matters

It began with gold. The discovery of gold in 1861 transformed New Zealand, the Department of Conservation (DOC) says, and the goldfields of Otago needed roads, one of them chipped out of the rugged Kawarau Gorge. Its bridge was the problem. The gorge funnelled destructive side winds, and the engineer Harry Higginson knew that near-new bridges overseas had been destroyed by high winds, so he combined a range of strengthening ideas, among them inward-sloping cables, to span 120 metres. The design proved economical and enduring. It won a Telford Premium, a top engineering award, in 1882, and when a new road bridge opened in 1963 the old one was kept for its historic value.

Then it became famous for letting go. By the AJ Hackett company’s own account, on 12 April 1988 AJ Hackett and Henry van Asch launched the world’s first commercial bungy jump from the bridge, 43 metres above the water, and it is still the home of that original jump. The company counts more than a million jumpers, swingers, zipriders and spectators since. The bridge is a protected heritage structure in DOC’s care, and DOC notes that it and its surroundings featured in the Lord of the Rings films and that it is a Tohu Whenua heritage site.

The wine came at almost the same moment. Destination Queenstown, the region’s tourism body, calls Gibbston the Valley of the Vines and says it has some of the region’s oldest vineyards: Gibbston Valley Winery released its first commercial vintage in 1987, the same year a small family winery was founded across the road from the bridge. Destination Queenstown says the valley is famous for award-winning pinot noir, and the Queenstown Trail says the seasonal extremes of winter and summer and the dry, stony soils make the valley a perfect place to grow pinot.

And now the night sky is protected too. In May 2024 DarkSky International designated the Kawarau Gibbston Dark Sky Park, 25 square kilometres between Queenstown and Cromwell. The Gibbston Community Association, founded in 1999, applied after unanimous community approval at its annual meeting in June 2023, and the NZ Dark Sky Reserve says the park is protected by a unique geography of gorges and high mountains.

What it’s like

The bridge comes first. Entry to the Kawarau Bungy Centre is free, and its viewing deck sits directly above the jump zone, so you can watch jumpers freefall from just a few metres away, and there is a licensed café on site. DOC likens the drop to leaping from a ten-storey building; AJ Hackett puts the freefall at two to three seconds, with a water touch as an option.

There are other ways to leave the ground. The Kawarau Swing drops from the same 43 metres, with the same two to three seconds of freefall, then swings out over the Kawarau River, and two can ride it together. The Zipride is a 130-metre double zipline by the river that AJ Hackett pitches at families, with a minimum age of eight.

Then the valley opens out. The Gibbston River Trail starts at the eastern end of the bungy centre car park and follows a terrace high above the river. Kawarau, the Queenstown Trail says, translates as channel between rocks, and the river lives up to it, luminously green in sunshine or muddy and churning in flood. Vineyards run across the valley and into the foothills to the south, and there are benches and picnic spots along the way.

The cellar doors each have a character. One of the first, across the road from the bridge, is a small family winery reached by a scenic private road above the river. Gibbston Valley Winery, at the gateway to the valley, has a restaurant, a tasting room, a wine cave that Destination Queenstown calls the country’s largest, a cheesery and a bike centre. Further along are a tasting room designed to mimic a falcon’s wing in flight, beside a historic woolshed; a tavern across the highway with a tasting room in its stables; and, at the end of the trail up the Gibbston Back Road, a cellar door in a renovated woolshed on a station where merino sheep still roam.

How to visit

By car. Head east from Queenstown on State Highway 6, through Frankton and past Lake Hayes; the bungy centre is signed on the left about 23 kilometres out. AJ Hackett allows 25 to 35 minutes depending on traffic, or 10 to 15 minutes more if you go the scenic way through Arrowtown, and parking is free. That is close enough to be part of a stay in Queenstown rather than a trip away from it. We have not been to Gibbston ourselves, so this page is research, not a visit.

Without driving. Destination Queenstown suggests designating a driver, or taking a shuttle, a bike or a guided tour instead. Gibbston Valley Winery runs a shuttle from Queenstown two or three times a day; hop-on hop-off wine shuttles leave town several times a day; guided wine tours range from group trips to private ones; and if you have booked a jump, swing or zipride, AJ Hackett’s bus leaves from its Queenstown Bungy Centre on the corner of Shotover and Camp Streets, with check-in 30 minutes before departure.

By bike. Destination Queenstown gives the ride from Queenstown as 40 kilometres and six to eight hours, and from Arrowtown as 13 kilometres and two to three hours. Bike tour operators can collect you at the end of the day so you need not ride there and back, and Gibbston Valley Winery hires bikes if you would rather start in the valley.

What there is to do. Prices are from AJ Hackett’s website, and trail details from the Queenstown Trail and Destination Queenstown.

Making the most of it

Take the day in order. The bungy centre opens at 9.30am, so the bridge makes a good start, whether you are jumping or watching. Then the trail, lunch at a cellar door, and the shuttle or a pick-up home. The Queenstown Trail notes benches, tables and picnic spots with views along the way, if you would rather carry your own lunch.

Check the days. Of the five cellar doors in Destination Queenstown’s guide that we read, three open daily for tastings, one opens Monday to Saturday, and one mentions appointments. Check the ones you have in mind before you plan the day around them.

Ride one way. Once you have ridden the length of the valley, the Queenstown Trail suggests a bike shuttle for the return to Arrowtown or Queenstown, though you can also ride back along the trail and, from the bridge, on to Arrowtown by the Arrow River Bridges Trail. If you still have legs, it also recommends climbing the Gibbston Back Road from the end of the trail to Coal Pit Road, for a long downhill on a quiet sealed road.

Stay for the dark. Destination Queenstown lists boutique lodges, a historic cottage and B&Bs among the vines, and the Queenstown Trail calls an overnight stay a spectacular treat. The dark sky park was recognised, it says, for the exceptional quality of its starry nights; what it asks of you is a clear one.

Watch for the gorge trail. The Queenstown Trail says a new Kawarau Gorge Trail, where work is under way, will join the Gibbston River Trail near the Nevis Bluff, and expects it to open to the public in 2026.

Nearby

Queenstown is 25 to 35 minutes back along the highway, and Arrowtown, which Destination Queenstown calls a historic gold mining town, is linked to the bridge by the Arrow River Bridges Trail. Back in Queenstown, the gondola climbs 480 metres over Lake Wakatipu to Bob’s Peak, for the view across the town to the Remarkables. In Gibbston itself, Destination Queenstown also lists jet sprint boats, off-roading and canyoning, for those who want more adventure than a tasting. Further east, the highway runs on towards Cromwell.