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Voykit pocket guide · New Zealand
Kingston
Skip as a base: Kingston is a 306-person village with one steam train and a lake shore. Stop 1–2 hours on the SH6 drive, or sleep one night if you want the Flyer.
Kingston sits at the southern tip of Lake Wakatipu, about 40 minutes' drive south of Queenstown on State Highway 6. It exists for travellers as a fuel-and-coffee pause on the Queenstown–Te Anau–Invercargill road, and as the home of the Kingston Flyer, a vintage steam train that runs on a short stretch of the old gold-rush line. There is no town centre to speak of: a few streets, a hall, a wharf and a lot of lake. Treat it as a leg-stretch, not a destination, unless the train is running and you want to ride it.
- Country
- New Zealand
- Best months
- Dec–Mar (long days, warm lake); the Flyer runs on selected dates, mostly in the warmer months
- Avoid
- Jun–Aug (cold, short days, some services closed)
- Stay
- 1 night
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- NZD
- Money
- Currency is the New Zealand dollar (NZD, NZ$). Cards and phone payments are accepted almost everywhere; some small rural stalls and honesty boxes are cash.
- Daily spend
- Budget NZ$80–130 excl. bed · Mid NZ$130–220 excl. bed · High NZ$220+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- One NZ, Spark and 2degrees sell tourist SIMs at Auckland and Christchurch arrivals and in supermarkets; passport not required.
- Emergency
- Police, fire, ambulance 111 · Non-urgent police 105
- Plugs
- Types I · 230 V · 50 Hz · Same angled two- or three-pin plug as Australia, Fiji and China; switch the socket on at the wall.
- Tipping
- Café or restaurant: Nothing expected; 10% for very good service at dinner is a bonus.; Taxi / Uber: Nothing; round up if you like.; Guide or tour: Optional NZ$10–20 for a day guide.; Hotel: Nothing.; Public holidays: Cafés may add a 10–15% holiday surcharge to the bill; it is legal and shown on menus.
- Water
- Tap water is safe almost everywhere; follow boil-water notices in small rural schemes. Treat stream water in the backcountry.
- Toilets
- Free public toilets in every town and at most lookouts; DOC long-drops on tracks. Carry paper; never use the roadside.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Coffee | NZ$5–7 |
| Pie or sandwich | NZ$6–12 |
| Fish and chips | NZ$15–25 |
| Kingston Flyer adult ticket | NZ$75 |
| Petrol, per litre | NZ$2.50–3.00 |
| eSIM or data SIM, about a week | NZ$20–40 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- ZQN · Queenstown Airport
- About 45–50 min drive north on SH6; the nearest commercial airport.
- IVC · Invercargill Airport
- About 2 h 15 min south; useful if you are driving the Southern Scenic Route.
Typical fares
- Queenstown → Kingston by car
- about 40–50 min on SH6 (check)
- Kingston Flyer adult ticket
- NZ$75; concession NZ$65; children 5–16 NZ$25 (check)
- Kingston → Te Anau by car
- about 2 h on SH6 and SH94 (check)
Get around
You need a car. There is no town bus service; SH6 is the only road through, and the village itself is small enough to walk in 10 minutes. Fuel up in Queenstown or Lumsden — Kingston has limited services.
See and do
Known for
- Kingston Flyer steam train
- Southern end of Lake Wakatipu
- SH6 stop between Queenstown and Te Anau
- Fishing, kayaking and lake views
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Queenstown | Drive north on SH6 | About 40–50 min |
| Glenorchy | Drive via Queenstown then the Glenorchy–Queenstown Road | About 1 h 30 min |
| Te Anau and Milford Sound | Drive south on SH6 then SH94 | About 2 h to Te Anau |
| Invercargill | Drive south on SH6 | About 2 h 15 min |
Sleep
- Kingston village
- A handful of holiday homes, a motel and a camping ground near the lake; book ahead in summer.
- Queenstown (base instead)
- 40 min north, hundreds of beds, restaurants and tours; most travellers sleep here and visit Kingston as a drive.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Kia ora — hello | Kia orakee-ah or-ah |
| Thank you | Ngā mihingah mee-hee |
| Please | Koakoh-ah |
| Where is the toilet? | Kei hea te wharepaku?kay heh-ah teh fah-reh-pah-koo |
| How much is it? | E hia te utu?eh hee-ah teh oo-too |
| Can I pay by card? | Ka taea te utu mā te kāri?kah tah-eh-ah teh oo-too mah teh kah-ree |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: Kia ora or a handshake; first names from the start; avoid: Formal titles; overlong small talk before business
- Marae visit: Wait to be called on, follow your guide through the pōwhiri, remove shoes before the meeting house; avoid: Eating or drinking inside the wharenui; walking in front of speakers
- Tables and heads: Keep bottoms off tables and hats off tables; food stays away from heads; avoid: Sitting on tables or kitchen benches; touching people's heads
- Roads: Pull over at slow-vehicle bays to let queues pass; wave thanks; avoid: Stopping on the road for photos; drifting right after a stop
- Outdoors: Carry out all rubbish; use toilets; stick to tracks; avoid: Feeding kea and other birds; toileting outside
- Talk: Self-deprecating humour and understatement; avoid: Calling New Zealanders Australians; boasting
- Home visit: Bring wine or something to share; shoes off if the hosts do; avoid: Arriving empty-handed to a 'bring a plate' event
- Names: Use Māori place names and pronounce them with care; avoid: Joking about Māori words or haka
Scams and watch-outs
- Very limited food, fuel and phone coverage; carry water and snacks.
- The Kingston Flyer runs on selected dates only — check the official site before driving down.
- SH6 has one-lane bridges and winter ice; allow extra time in Jun–Aug.
- Sandflies near the lake edge in summer.
Very safe. The real risks are the drive (one-lane bridges, ice, tiredness), no phone coverage in patches, and cold water — the lake is deep and rarely above 15°C.Very safe. The real risks are the drive (one-lane bridges, ice, tiredness), no phone coverage in patches, and cold water — the lake is deep and rarely above 59°F.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Kingston yet. Suggested stay: 1 night. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Kingston Flyer steam train
- Southern end of Lake Wakatipu
- SH6 stop between Queenstown and Te Anau
- Fishing, kayaking and lake views
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Kingston Flyer official site: thekingstonflyer.nz/
- Destination Queenstown — Queenstown-Lakes region: www.queenstownnz.co.nz/
- Wikivoyage: Kingston (New Zealand), revision 4690300 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=4690300
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Kingston
Ki tēnei wāhi, koa
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
No embassies in Kingston; the US, UK, Canada and Australia have embassies in Wellington and consulates in Auckland. Check the address before you travel.
Print this card before you drive SH6 — coverage is patchy south of Queenstown.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/kingston-new-zealand). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.