Cruise across Lake Wakatipu to Walter Peak High Country Farm aboard the TSS ‘Earnslaw,’ a vintage steamship. Stroll the lakeside gardens and enjoy a traditional morning or afternoon tea and take a walking tour of the farm. You’ll watch sheepdogs in action and see sheep shearing demonstrations. Treat yourself to home-baked goods and alpine views of the Remarkables mountain range. Savor a delicious afternoon tea and an amble through lakeside gardens before heading back to Queenstown by boat.

Cruise from Queenstown to Walter Peak and stroll through a rural New Zealand country farm on this pleasant half-day tour
Board the vintage steamship TSS Earnslaw as it cruises beautiful Lake Wakatipu
Enjoy a scrumptious morning or afternoon tea
Help feed the sheep and watch the sheep dogs in action

What's Included

Cruise on the steamship TSS Earnslaw from Queenstown to Walter Peak
Farm tour at Walter Peak Homestead
Afternoon tea
Live commentary on board

Hotel pickup and drop-off
Food and drinks, unless specified
Gratuities

Meeting and Pickup

Meeting point

88 Beach Street, Queenstown 9300, New Zealand
Please arrive 30 minutes before departure and queue directly outside the TSS Earnslaw, you will be checked in by name. (You are not required to check in at the office prior to this time)

End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

What To Expect

Embark on a scenic cruise by vintage, coal-powered steamship to Walter Peak High Country Farm, where you’ll enjoy home-baked treats with coffee or tea plus a walking tour of the lakeside farm.

Departing Queenstown aboard the TSS Earnslaw, take in the views over sparkling Lake Wakatipu. Sing to favorite old tunes as you’re entertained by the onboard pianist, check out the ship’s original steam engines in operation since 1912, or visit the mini-museum for historical displays about the old steamer.

On arrival at the Walter Peak High Country Farm, enjoy morning or afternoon tea. Soak up the alpine surroundings as you meander through the lakeside gardens before a farmyard walking tour.

Your hosts introduce you to the sheep and other livestock including highland cattle, deer, and goats, and explain mustering practices during a sheepdog demonstration and admire the art of sheep shearing. Afterward, you’ll return across the lake to Queenstown aboard the TSS Earnslaw.

This South Island tourism operator was recognized at the 2007 New Zealand Tourism Industry Awards, winning the Conservation in Action Award and the Qualmark Mark of Quality Award.

Lake Wakatipu

2 hours 30 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Wheelchair accessible
Stroller accessible
Near public transportation

Transportation is wheelchair accessible
Most travelers can participate
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 100 travelers

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.

Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.
Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.

Traveler Photos

Featured review

Mitchel_L

pleasant afternoon steamship ride to Walter peak farm with lovely views of the lake. Farm experience was informative and the farm was charming. Highly recommended as an afternoon tour.

Reviews

4.5

310 reviews

Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews

Reviews by Viator travelers.

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Showing 1-10 of 310 reviews

Great tour

Mai_C, Apr 2024

Great tour. The scenery is hard to beat. The ride on the cruise was pleasant. The farm tour was really fun, great to see such a variety of animals. Overall exceeded expectations, would recommend this to anyone who wants a chill time in Queenstown. The only downside was that there were just too many people on the tour (especially on the cruise), so maybe try to catch other timings beside the 13.00 trip.

Trip was good, but no...

Sean_M, Apr 2024

Trip was good, but no mention was made when booking this trip that I would be paying in USD. From what I thought was good value became a way too expensive excursion. Will not use Viator again

Wonderful time

Kat_T, Mar 2024

The farm tour and demonstration was so fun. Loved the farm animals. The boat ride was very pleasant.

Farm tour

Lachlan_S, Mar 2024

Loved the sheep dog show & getting to pat the deer. Great for families. The boat trip over is also great fun & you can see the workings of the ship as you cruise the lake.

Wonderful experience

John_V, Mar 2024

Great experience, especially the farm tour. Seeing and feeding the cattle, sheep, donkeys, and deer was special. The tour guide was informative and added some fun to the door. Watching the Australian Shepard round up the sheep was amazing.

Fun on the Farm!!!

Lauren_L, Mar 2024

The boat ride alone was stunning and you can see how it works and a history of the ships. We loved feeding all the animals, especially the funny Highland cows, and the show was wonderful. We learned so much and had a great time. Great family activity!

A must do

Donna_M, Mar 2024

Fantastic afternoon on this amazing old steamer, farm visit and exquisite afternoon tea, a must do. Make sure you get a hot scone or two :)

Excellent 3+ Hours

David_M, Mar 2024

Sun shining, interesting boat ride, good overview to a working ranch, knowledgeable staff - even smarter dogs.

You have to go here

cheryl_c, Mar 2024

The Farm tour was incredible and so much fun with feeding animals. The afternoon tea exceeded our expectations and the border collie Spree and handler /tour guide Kevin put on a great show

Absolutely stunning - amazing day out

Tania_H, Feb 2024

WOW - What an amazing day and beautiful place. So well organised and everyone was so welcoming and friendly. The farm was just gorgeous and we all simply loved it.

Highly recommend this enjoyable experience.

KERRY_L, Feb 2024

The farm tour and guide were very interesting and entertaining. Well organised and just the right amount of time to enjoy all on offer. A lovely afternoon tea.

Great experience but dependent on the respect of others

Cath_H, Feb 2024

Journey on the steamboat interesting and being able to look down into the engine room was special. Pity that some fellow travellers weren’t prepared to listen to any commentary which meant no one could hear. Arriving at the farm our first port of call was our afternoon tea. The idea was that we were welcomed by two people who would check us off on their list. This became an impossibility as the majority of the “guests” just charged in and dived for the food as if they’d never seen food for days. The queue for the buffet resembled a rugby scrum! So disrespectful! On the farm tour the guide struggled to talk over the noise of people who were more interested in taking pictures of each other and wandering on ahead or lagging behind than listening to some great anecdotes and information. The sheep shearing demonstration had to be paused several times as the shearer asked for quiet. He complained about the lack of respect shown by many. Apparently not an uncommon occurrence!!! It’s beyond me why people go on trips like this if they’re not interested! What was on offer was good but somewhat tarnished by the rudeness of others.

Beautiful place and nice experiences

Namgyu_P, Feb 2024

Sail around 20 min with enjoying piano music and reach beautiful place. 2hours is not enough. Good afternoon tea.

Great trip for all age groups

Catherine_L, Feb 2024

I have done this trip twice with different family members. Highly recommended. Great for older and younger parts of families and friends.

Stunning farm in amazing surrounding

Karen_M, Jan 2024

Although the weather wasn’t playing we managed to do everything with our getting to wet. Some of the animals didn’t want to come and be fed but that’s ok. The shearing and mustering demo were great. What a beautiful place to visit. The Earnslaw was nice and relaxing as well.

Good guided tour at the...

Mike_C, Jan 2024

Good guided tour at the farm; love the sheep shearing and herding show; good afternoon tea; great event for families

Worth it

Weetau_O, Jan 2024

Wonderful experience. My 6 year old son loved getting to see the engine room and watching the crew shovel coal. Beautiful views all around. My parents sat inside while my hubs and I enjoyed the fresh air out on the deck. The farm is stunning. Nice little walk around to see the animals with our entertaining guide. The working dog demonstration was probably my favourite bit. Highly recommend.

I (peters wife) did the...

Peter_W, Jan 2024

I (peters wife) did the tour with two granddaughters aged 10 and 7 and we all thoroughly enjoyed the experience. Recommend it.

Scenic experience.

Aslinda_A, Jan 2024

Very nice ship ride. Super scenic. Farm was beautiful. Guides were friendly, funny and entertaining. Sheep dogs were super awesome. Nice tea and snacks too.

Afternoon bliss on TSS Earnslaw and Walter Peak farm

Mitchel_L, Jan 2024

pleasant afternoon steamship ride to Walter peak farm with lovely views of the lake. Farm experience was informative and the farm was charming. Highly recommended as an afternoon tour.

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