Walter Peak High Country Farm
A working merino sheep farm reached by historic steamship across Lake Wakatipu.
Walter Peak High Country Farm sits on the western shore of Lake Wakatipu, accessible only by water — which is part of what makes it so special. The farm has been running merino sheep and red deer on the rugged Remarkables-facing slopes for over a century, and today it operates as one of Queenstown's most beloved experiences, combining genuine pastoral heritage with one of the most dramatic lake-and-mountain backdrops anywhere in New Zealand. The journey there is half the experience: you cross the lake aboard the TSS Earnslaw, a coal-fired twin-screw steamship that has been plying these waters since 1912.
Once at the farm, you're met with sheepdog trials, sheep shearing demonstrations, hand-feeding farm animals, and horse trekking options that push further into the high country. The Colonel's Homestead — a beautifully restored Victorian farmhouse — serves buffet lunches and dinners with produce largely sourced from the surrounding region. Evening cruises are particularly atmospheric: the Earnslaw's engine room glows orange, the Remarkables turn pink at dusk, and dinner inside the homestead feels genuinely celebratory. It's a polished operation, but not a theme park — the animals, the land, and the farm work are real.
The booking is handled through Real Journeys (now part of Railcruising/Real NZ), and packages typically bundle the Earnslaw crossing with the farm visit. Go for the evening dinner cruise if you can — it's a step up from the daytime version and the golden-hour light on the lake is hard to beat. Families with young children will find the farm demonstrations especially engaging, but couples who book the dinner cruise will leave feeling like they had a genuinely romantic evening in the backcountry.
