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Best winter sports destinations in Oceania

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Queenstown
Adventure capital with alpine beauty
8.5
Gold prospectors flooded into the Queenstown area during an 1860s rush along the Shotover River. Coronet Peak opened as a ski field in 1947, among New Zealand's earliest commercial resorts. Steamships once carried miners and supplies across Lake Wakatipu to the settlement. Queenstown later became an adventure tourism base built on that mining-era infrastructure.
Highlights:
  • 🚤 Cruise Lake Wakatipu on the historic TSS Earnslaw
  • ⚡ Zipline through the pine trees at Bob's Peak
  • 🚡 Ride the Skyline Gondola for panoramic views
Wanaka
Alpine Adventure, Lakeside Serenity
8.6
Sheep farming shaped the Wanaka basin for decades before skiing arrived on nearby slopes. Treble Cone opened in 1967, developed on farmland above the lakeside town. Cardrona followed in 1980, built around an old gold-mining settlement nearby. Wanaka's ski history remains closely tied to the pastoral land it grew from.
Highlights:
  • 🧗‍♂️ Climb the world's highest waterfall via ferrata at Wildwire
  • 🌳 Snap photos of the iconic Wanaka Tree by the lake
  • 🥾 Hike Roys Peak for breathtaking lake and mountain views
Perisher
World‑class slopes amid snow‑capped peaks
8.7
Miners and graziers crossed the Snowy Mountains near Perisher long before skiing arrived there. Ski clubs began building huts and tows in the valley during the 1950s. Several smaller resorts later merged to form Perisher, among Australia's largest ski areas. A rack railway built in the 1980s replaced the resort's original access road.
Highlights:
  • 🐟 Savor fresh trout at a mountain lodge
  • ❄️ Explore alpine meadows on a guided snowshoe trek
  • ⛷️ Ride the iconic Perisher Ski Lift to summit
Mount Cook National Park
New Zealand’s alpine wonderland
8.8
Sir Edmund Hillary trained on Aoraki/Mount Cook's glaciers before his 1953 Everest ascent. Mountaineering clubs used the surrounding Southern Alps as a proving ground from the 1880s onward. The Hermitage, a hotel built in 1884, has hosted climbers and skiers for generations. Glacier skiing and ski-plane access still draw visitors to the peaks here.
Highlights:
  • 🛶 Kayak on Tasman Lake near the majestic Tasman Glacier
  • 🚁 Take a scenic helicopter ride above Mount Cook
  • 🥾 Hike the stunning Hooker Valley Track for glacier views
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