How to get there

Where is Coronet Peak? Coronet Peak ski area is located 18 kilometres to the northeast of Queenstown New Zealand (a 20 minute drive), and seven kilometres west of Arrowtown. Coronet Peak is 76km from Wanaka, a drive that takes about 1 hour to 1:10 hours.

Driving To Coronet Peak Once in Queenstown, it is an easy drive to Coronet Peak on a fully sealed road, which is a major drawcard for the resort. The road even has some safety rails. A paved road and safety rails shouldn’t seem like a big deal (especially to international visitors!), but relative to some of the harrowing New Zealand ski field roads (aka goat tracks!), the drive up to Coronet Peak is an absolute dream. Unfortunately you may get awoken from your dream because some hoons use it as a raceway because they’re so excited there is a sealed road. So you’ll still need to take care!

If you’re renting a car in Queenstown and plan to only ski or board at Coronet Peak, you’ll get away with just hiring a two wheel drive vehicle. Chains will need to be carried (for 2WD and 4WD) and signs on the way up the mountain will indicate if chains need to be put on.

It’s easiest to organise chains when you rent the car, but otherwise chains can be rented from various petrol stations and ski shops around Queenstown.

Even though the road is paved, the carpark is a traditional NZ unsealed carpark that has the potential to turn into a muddy mess. At least they have some stones in the car park, so it’s pretty good compared to some other NZ ski fields.

There are no issues with car park capacity, although if you don’t get there early you’ll have to park a long way from the day lodge. There are shuttle buses that run regularly between the lower car parks and the day lodge.

Shuttle Transport to Coronet Peak If you don’t want to self-drive, there are regular shuttle services between Queenstown and Coronet Peak.

Snowline Express (ie the resort) has shuttles that depart from the Queenstown Snow Centre (Station Building, Duke Street) in central Queenstown. These depart every 20 minutes from 8am to noon and there are pick ups at designated stops along the way (pending space availability!). Return buses commence from 1:30pm. This service costs $15 return, with significant discounts for 5 or 10 multi-ride tickets. The night skiing timetable operates on Friday and Saturday nights. The buses depart from the Snow Centre from 4pm to 7pm on the hour, and they leave Coronet Peak at 5:30pm every hour until 9:30pm.

Snowline Express (NZSki) also provide a hotel pick-up service (for hotels along the route) where you can pre-book your ride and guarantee a seat. This return service costs $30 for an adult and $20 for a youth (2012 rates).

Kiwi Discovery also provides a shuttle service to Coronet Peak from 25 locations around Queenstown. They offer two morning pick ups from Queenstown and two departure times from Coronet Peak in the afternoon. The cost per day (return) for an adult is $24 and $15 for a child (2012 rates). If you don’t want to traipse about Queenstown in your ski boots and want the ultimate in convenience, stay in one of the hotels on their route. Check out our Queenstown ski shuttle packages to book this accommodation.

Other Ski Resorts Nearby The Remarkables, Cardrona, Treble Cone, Snow Park