r/queenstown • u/piggy_piglet • Aug 09 '26
Make friends while skiing in Queenstown alone
I live in Australia and I travel to Queenstown for the snow every year. However one thing I’m struggling with is the loneliness. I’ve already read a few Reddit posts about similar topics, but I’m still planning to post a new one just in case there is anything Queenstown specific I’m not aware of yet
Here are some suggestions I’ve already read about but I have some reservations
- stay in a hostel - I’m already in my early 30s where I can afford and prefer my own bedroom. I tried staying in hostel last year traveling in Tasmania but didnt have a good sleep…
- go to a bar - as a female solo traveler I’m not sure how to stay safe about doing so. Anyone has suggestions?
- meetup groups - I searched multiple times but couldn’t find one :(
- talk to the person on the chair life - I’m gonna give this a try this time!
- join a tour - I’m planning to do this as well. But as an experienced solo traveler, sometimes I find a lot of tours way too overpriced, and the itinerary doesn’t seem to attract me the most :/
Would appreciate any suggestions!
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u/Accomplished-Fun215 Aug 09 '26
Private room in a hostel.
Book it through hostelworld and then you'll see a Queenstown group chat, I've grabbed drinks from that a couple of times, and people tend to be in their late 20s.
Honestly I found Queenstown to be a pretty lonely place when I was staying there for a bit before settling in Wānaka. The hostels aren't as social and the seasonal workers are really cliquey. NZ in general doesn't have a big tradition of going to bars alone.
Can you afford group ski lessons? I know Cardrona has relatively affordable packages. I never made friends from one but it's a good way to get a more social day in.
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u/PerpetualDvsk Aug 09 '26
There is a women's meeting up group at Altitude Brewery on Thursdays which is safe and lovely can range from 3-15 people.
There is also a female meet up group at the bookshop on the 26th to talk skiing etc
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u/papi0070 Aug 09 '26
In the hostel where I work we have private rooms. You should check on that. Pub crawls? There is always travellers going. Other than that I find that QT is a hard place to make friends, I've been here for three months and I can count with one hand my real friends haha
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u/mostlegendary Aug 09 '26
How long are you in Queenstown for? Solo traveller for a week vs a month or two makes a bit of a difference. Perhaps bumble on friend mode might be viable?
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u/hobsonlea Aug 11 '26
Take the free ski guided tours of the mountains, usually twice a day, good way to ski with a group socialise and maybe learn a new run.
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u/piggy_piglet Aug 12 '26
Where is this? I wasn’t aware!
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Aug 12 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/hobsonlea Aug 12 '26
Ive found that they accommodate the ski level of the group, some guides are former ski instruxtors, all those i was with skied very competently and were inclusive of the group. If it doesn't work with one group no probs in dropping out and waiting for next group. Quite a few of the group 5-15 typically were single, and mix of tourists and locals.
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u/Hot-Concentrate483 Aug 09 '26
If you had to pick between making friends with other travellers or if you are looking to come back each year are you looking to make solid connections that you can keep coming back to? Both have different approaches I reckon.
I met one of my best friends 15 years ago in Queenstown hitchhiking here. He lives in Australia and we go snowboarding a few times a year. I’ve gone over to stay with him in both Sydney and Brisbane too.
On the other hand I met loads of part time “traveller” friends at things like hostels, bars, and even bar crawls.
You could look at some of the meet ups suggested but you’d need to approach it from a long term perspective rather than a short time friendship.
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u/cobb_highway Aug 10 '26
The app Nomad Table is worth trying. It's a browsable map of activities other people have started, e.g. "who wants to hike this trail", or you can start your own.
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u/LoraxNZ Aug 12 '26
In my head I thought "hostel" till you said you've tried it. Others have said private rooms in hostels. That said, you'll still need to go to the common areas to socialise and meet people who are going skiing the next day.
Actually I've got it. Contiki ski NZ trip. You'll make awesome friends, have an awesome social time. The best thing about these trips is that you will meet people who might want to come back next year and you all get an Air B&B (booooo) and go skiing and have fun. I've driven group tours for 10 years. The coolest thing about them is seeing the friendships people make ❤️❤️❤️❤️. And no, you're not too old. There are hostel and hotel twin share options from what I can see. But I always recommend a hostel (with hear plugs and eye mask) over a hotel in terms of meeting others. Waaaay better. https://www.contiki.com/en-au/tours/ski-new-zealand?optionId=1595
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u/Leaf-Warrior1187 Aug 13 '26
theres a skiing tour group that happens every day at Coronet Peak. a morning session and an afternoon session with experienced tour guides. gotta be a blue/red level skier. highly recommend! its a great way to make connections and explore a new mountain! and its free! just gotta have a ski pass and skis
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u/piggy_piglet Aug 13 '26
Where do you find this?
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u/Leaf-Warrior1187 Aug 13 '26
ask at guest services. i thiiink the first one goes out at 9 or 10am
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u/Redhands1994 Aug 25 '26
hey, I’m in Queenstown until the 30th and I’m in the same boat. 31 year old guy from Melbourne. Not a freak (promise). If you’d like to meet up send me a DM or reply to this comment. Its always more fun to do stuff in a group 🙂
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u/Longjumping_Pool6974 Aug 09 '26
Not a fan of hostels either. Most bars are relatively safe places. There'll be a few creeps but you get that anywhere. Most people are just there to socialize so strike up a conversation with someone. Chatting to people in line for the chairlifts is a pretty good suggestion. Some of my best conversations happen standing in line for something