Immerse yourself in a unique experience where conservation, horticulture, and eco-tourism meet on an epic cruise aboard the iconic century-old coal-fired steamship...
Situated on the picturesque shores of Lake Whakatipu, with a colonial homestead and beautiful lakeside gardens, Walter Peak High Country Farm is the perfect place to spend a relaxing few hours. The Walter Peak Eco Experience allows you to immerse yourself in nature and learn more about conservation throughout New Zealand.
Begin your trip with a 45 minute cruise across Lake Whakatipu onboard the iconic TSS Earnslaw Vessel (launched in 1912). You will be greeted by our rural hosts holding an Eco Tour sign upon disembarking the express vessel. Our fantastic team will welcome you, and give you a tour of the stunning Restaurant Garden and showcase the beautiful native plants.
You will then have the opportunity to have a hands on role in Walter Peaks land restoration project by planting a native tree or shrub from our nursery. As a visitor and contributor, you will learn about the removal of wilding pines and the importance of planting natives into the area to bring back bird life, create habitats and develop natural vistas
Finish off the experience with a walk to the rustic Walter Peak buildings for a delicious light meal made up of homegrown and local produce. Stroll through the lakeside gardens before you cruise back across Lake Whakatipu onboard the historic TSS Earnslaw.
All prices are shown in NZD ($)
I thought we were signing up for the farm tour which I’ve done many times but accidentally signed up for the eco experience. It was the best! The high tea was incredible and I enjoyed seeing the garden. My kids still got to feed the animals. So great!
Great cruise and generous morning tea, nice garden and tree planting experience
From booking to getting on board, the staff at RealNZ were awesome and are just a call away for any issues. We loved the cruise and the eco experience, we got to plant a tree each and check out their new gardens. I was a bit disappointed with the afternoon tea ----- the staff were rushing and I did not expect a "high tea" kinda "lunch" ......... Highly recommend the lovely lady who showed us around on the eco tour (sorry I forgot your name) and her friendly dog.
Had a lovely time, enjoyed tasting the vegetables fresh from the garden. Was with a small group of 4 which made the experience even better! After planting my choice of native plant/tree we were treated to an afternoon tea using some of the local grown produce. Guide was great too.
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Tammy Parker from New Zealand wrote on 12 January 2025
Outstanding
This was a last minute booking for our last day in Queenstown and we are SO glad we did it. The TSS Earnslaw is a beauty, the crew attentive and the captain's narrative unobtrusive yet interesting. Our tour guide (Sarah-Jane I think, apologies if I've got that wrong) was welcoming and full of information. She dealt sensitively with those who had English as a second language and cheerfully gave a considered response to any question posed. The high tea was outstanding, beautifully presented, plentiful and predominantly sourced from the kitchen garden on site. It was awesome go be able to help woth reforestation although we were a little surprised a the number of our group who chose not to do this. Thankyou RealNZ for a great afternoon- we have already decided that we will return next year with our (grown-up) kids.