Campervan Wine Trips from Queenstown: Gibbston on the Doorstep

Quick summary: Queenstown is the gateway to Central Otago, the world’s southernmost major wine region, and an ideal place to begin or end a campervan wine trip. The Gibbston Valley is around 25 km away through the Kawarau Gorge, the vineyards of Cromwell and Bannockburn are around an hour’s drive, and Wānaka’s lakeside cellar doors are close by. Tours from town make it easy to taste before you collect the campervan or motorhome, or after you return it.

At a glance
Depots	At or near Queenstown Airport
Nearest wine area	The Gibbston Valley, around 25 km
Other nearby areas	Cromwell and Bannockburn (around 60 km), Wānaka (around 70 km)
Further afield	The Waitaki Valley, around 260 km via the Lindis Pass
Taste before or after the hire	Wine tours from town
Tours	Queenstown wine tours

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Why start or finish a wine trip in Queenstown?

Because Central Otago’s vineyards are so close that you can taste without any planning around the vehicle. Many wine tours collect from Queenstown and Arrowtown, so you can spend a day in Gibbston before pickup, or after you’ve returned the campervan at the end of the trip. Queenstown is also where many one-way South Island trips finish, making a wine tour the perfect last day.

How can you fit tasting around the RV hire in Queenstown?

• Before pickup: take a Gibbston or Bannockburn tour from town while you’re staying in the city.
• During the hire: park up in Arrowtown or Cromwell and take a local tour or ride the Gibbston River Trail.
• After drop-off: finish with a wine tour on your last day, before you fly home.

See Queenstown wine tours and Central Otago and Gibbston by campervan.

Where can you stay on the first night?

• Arrowtown, around 20 km from the airport, close to Gibbston.
• Near Gibbston, at a campground in the Kawarau Gorge.
• Cromwell, around an hour away, for Bannockburn and Lake Dunstan.

Which routes lead to other wine regions?

• To Wānaka, over the Crown Range or via Cromwell. See Wānaka by campervan.
• To the Waitaki Valley, over the Lindis Pass and down the valley from Omarama to Kurow. See the Waitaki Valley and Oamaru.
• North to Christchurch on a one-way trip, following our South Island wine trail in reverse.

For general advice on collecting a vehicle here, see our sister site’s Queenstown pickup guide, and for a regional loop, our Central Otago wine loop.

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Frequently Asked Questions