The Queenstown gardens are a great place to stop if you want to get away from the crowds in this busy tourist town.  Grab a picnic and head here for some relaxation.

If you are wondering where it is exactly, Google Maps to the rescue.

Dogs are permitted within the gardens as long as they are a on a lead.

There a great views from within the gardens down to the lake.  You can’t see much of the mountainous scenery surrounding you though due to the huge trees in the gardens.  This would be a very cold place in winter.

There are a couple of maps but it’s not that big so you’d have to try very hard to get lost!  The dotted red/yellow line on the map only takes about 20 minutes to walk around.

The lily pond is beautiful.  I actually spotted a couple of trout in here but they were quick to swim away and I was too slow with my camera.

Also a reminder to keep a close eye on children – with the pond, lake and also a small stream, there are a lot of water hazards! 

The Frisbee Golf course touches on the garden so you’ll see these cages around as you explore.

Again there are lots of great places to sit or have a picnic.

A warning about the Frisbee Golf – but only useful if you speak English – non-English speakers are on their own…

The Queenstown Lawn Bowls Club was established 1904 and is in the middle of the gardens.

And is right next door to the tennis courts.

The rose garden set out in traditional style with a lot of New Zealand varieties.  Some beautiful roses and it smelled wonderful on the hot evening I was there!

A memorial to those who perished on an expedition to the South Pole is prominently displayed.

There were other more personal memorials around this area too for those who were lost in the mountains.

This Frisbee Golf is new to me, I’d never heard of it until last week but this is what the par info tells you on the tee.