The Goldrush Tour

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The Goldrush Tour Sightseeing Tour @ Skippers Canyon, Queenstown, New Zealand

The most detailed historical experience!

02/10/2026

Skippers Canyon
Queenstown's best kept secret.
With more historical content and photo stops than anyone else.
www.goldrushtour.co.nz

We're Back!Queenstown's most detailed historical experience is now open for the 26/27 season.Its felt like a long winter...
22/09/2026

We're Back!

Queenstown's most detailed historical experience is now open for the 26/27 season.

Its felt like a long winter not doing tours down the beautiful Skippers Road but I'm very excited to get back in to it now, with 3 new languages to add the to tour.

English, Spanish, Chinese, Korean, Japanese, French, German and Italian.

Experience more than just a sightseeing tour and discover the stories of Skippers Canyon.

History comes alive in Skippers Canyon, Queenstown—with stories and photos you won’t forget, no one else delivers the hi...
16/03/2026

History comes alive in Skippers Canyon, Queenstown—with stories and photos you won’t forget, no one else delivers the history like we do.

Book online: www.goldrushtour.co.nz

🇳🇿

Heavens GateJust a few meters past Hells Gate, the second rock gap was a welcome sight, a threshold of relief after the ...
13/03/2026

Heavens Gate

Just a few meters past Hells Gate, the second rock gap was a welcome sight, a threshold of relief after the trials below. It came to be known as Heavens Gate.

Follow for more untold stories — or experience the most in-depth history tour in Queenstown.
Book online: www.goldrushtour.co.nz

Photo Reference: Modern Photo - joshua_yates_photography, Historic Photo - Hocken Collections, University of Otago Library

Hells GateThis section of Skippers Road was carved by hand. Men worked in pairs — one steadying a star drill while the o...
10/03/2026

Hells Gate

This section of Skippers Road was carved by hand. Men worked in pairs — one steadying a star drill while the other swung a heavy hammer, striking it again and again, driving the steel inch by inch into solid rock.

Once the holes were deep enough, they were packed with explosives and blasted, slowly forcing a road through the canyon walls.

Imagine building this road in the 1880s. The work was slow, dangerous, and unforgiving.

The miners had a saying — going down into the canyon to work was like “descending into hell.”

Follow for more untold stories — or experience the most in-depth history tour in Queenstown.
Book online: www.goldrushtour.co.nz

Photo Reference: Historic Photo - Hocken Collections, University of Otago Library, Modern Photo - joshua_yates_photography

🇳🇿

John and Margaret Balderson, like many others, came to Skippers Canyon chasing the dream of striking it rich on the gold...
06/03/2026

John and Margaret Balderson, like many others, came to Skippers Canyon chasing the dream of striking it rich on the goldfields. But as they soon discovered, fortunes in gold were hard won and rarely found.

In 1864, they changed direction and built The Greengates Hotel along the old pack track, serving weary miners and travelers passing through the canyon.

Unfortunately for them, completion of the Skippers Road in 1890 diverted traffic away from their door step. With the hotel no longer viable they decided to retire and built the small cottage that still stands today.

Follow for more untold stories — or experience the most in-depth history tour in Queenstown.
Book online: www.goldrushtour.co.nz

Photo Reference -

The Shotover River – Named after Shotover Park near Oxford, England, this powerful river stretches around 75 kilometers ...
03/03/2026

The Shotover River – Named after Shotover Park near Oxford, England, this powerful river stretches around 75 kilometers and is fed by more than 100 tributaries. During the height of the gold rush, it was famously dubbed the richest river in the world.

Follow for more untold stories — or experience the most in-depth history tour in Queenstown.
Book online: www.goldrushtour.co.nz

After exploring Skippers Canyon on The Goldrush Tour, there’s no better place to unwind than Gantley’s Tavern — a histor...
26/02/2026

After exploring Skippers Canyon on The Goldrush Tour, there’s no better place to unwind than Gantley’s Tavern — a historic gold mining pub dating back to 1863.

Step inside a piece of history… and enjoy a drink on us 🍻🍻🍻

Follow for more untold stories — or experience the most in-depth history tour in Queenstown.
Book online: www.goldrushtour.co.nz (or link in bio on Instagram)

Bullendale — originally known as the Phoenix Mine, it was home to around 350 people at its peak and was the hardest to r...
22/02/2026

Bullendale — originally known as the Phoenix Mine, it was home to around 350 people at its peak and was the hardest to reach settlement in Skippers Canyon.

The Phoenix Mine holds an important place in New Zealand history, being the first quartz reef mined in the South Island.

Follow for more untold stories — or experience the most in-depth history tour in Queenstown.
Book online: www.goldrushtour.co.nz (or link in bio on Instagram)

Photo Reference - Hocken Collections, University of Otago Library

Address

Skippers Road
Queenstown

Opening Hours

Monday 7am - 8pm
Tuesday 7am - 8pm
Wednesday 7am - 8pm
Thursday 7am - 8pm
Friday 7am - 8pm
Saturday 7am - 8pm
Sunday 7am - 8pm

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