Macetown 4wd Adventure Tour - Full Day From Queenstown

If you’re lucky enough to have Benji as your guide, you’re in for an unforgettable experience. It’s been seven months since my trip to New Zealand, and I still find myself talking about this tour all the time. Out of everything I did during my travels, this was one of the experiences that has stayed with me the most. Benji has the perfect balance of knowledge, humor, and genuine passion for what he does. He shared so much about the places we visited, kept us laughing throughout the day, and somehow made every stop feel even more special than the last. He also made safety a priority, which let us fully enjoy every adventure without ever feeling worried. What impressed me most was how much we were able to see. The day was so thoughtfully planned, and Benji made the most of every minute without making it feel rushed. It was clear he wanted us to experience as much of New Zealand’s beauty as possible, and thanks to him, we saw some of the most incredible views I’ve ever witnessed. Not to mention has a great eye for a good photo opportunity and captured perfect picture moments! You can tell Benji genuinely cares about creating meaningful experiences for the people on his tours, and that kind of passion is rare. More than half a year later, the memories from that day still make me smile, and I honestly couldn’t recommend this tour more. It was worth every penny, and if I ever find myself back in New Zealand, I’d book another tour with Benji in a heartbeat.

We had a wonderful day exploring this exciting, challenging historic location. Our driver Ben was an experienced and knowledgeable guide, and an accomplished 4WD Driver. Exceeded our expectations.

Nikol is very good guy ,we experience amazing &’thrill ride. He ride on different way like mountains & second most thrilling part is ride through river, it’s thrilling…….

Our guide Justin was the the best. I was scared. He talked me through it and put me at ease. He was friendly knowledgeable and experienced. The trip in to Macetown was nothing short of amazing. The landscape in autumn was so beautiful, and the sheer history was incredible. I am so glad I went. Thank you to Justin for giving us an incredible experience ❤️

Very good activities in Queenstown. Good surroundings view. The guide is really good and kind. He is very friendly and talkative. Will be back again

This trip was the realisation of a dream of returning to the location of family history. The drive out and back was awesome with great views and an excellent commentary provided by our driver, Justin. To revisit the location where family had lived over 150 years ago was unforgettable. The commentary just added to the experience. This is definitely something we would do again - well worth the money.

Peter was our driver for the day and was absolutely wonderful. He was very knowledgeable of the area and the history and a very fun driver! Mace town was one of the least popular trips but due to the mining history the one we chose. This was an actual 4WD adventure with obstacles which was more than I was expecting! The views were amazing and other than a few hikers and campers we had the trail to ourselves. To end it all Peter recommended what turned out to be our favorite meal of the trip at a local winery for dinner. Highly recommend Nomad and Peter as a driver!

We had an absolute blast of a time! We cannot speak highly enough about our experience! If you’re looking for the ultimate 4WD adventure- this is it! We enjoyed every single bump, and our tour guide was the best! Thank you for sharing your beautiful country with us.. we cannot wipe the smiles from our faces - this is one experience we won’t forget! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Outstanding drive Arrowtown Macetown return with Jennie, a super competent driver who shared her local knowledge with historical information & social history, explaining what we saw & informing on what was no longer there to be seen. Highly recommended trip & hostess. Great to meet you Jennie, thanks for making our trip special & memorable. We will plan to do the Skippers run with Nomad Safaris on our next trip to Arrowtown

Rugged 4WD experience with the right amount of difficulty to be interesting. Brent knew the history well and his explanation of life in the day was very enjoyable. His presentation of the detailed history made this an excellent adventure.

This trip has been on my list for many years and I was not disappointed. The trip is not for the faint hearted as you do get bounced around, but it the rugged nature of the area you visit that is a key part of the attraction. Our driver was skilful, knowledgeable and certainly added to the experience. As a photographer Autumn colours were an attraction and although being in the area a week or so after the peak there were certainly plenty of opportunities for capturing good images. Overall a great trip. The only negative were a few sandflies, but they have been there long before us.

We had a great trip to Mace Town this afternoon. It was a beautiful day and the autumn colours were gorgeous. Peter and Albie, who usually works in reservations and was along for the ride today, picked us up from our accommodation in Arrowtown. They were both great company and made an awesome afternoon tea. We thoroughly enjoyed all the sites and points of interest along the way. It was a fun experience and something we would recommend if you are up for a bit of an adventure.

Wow!! What an adventure! Peter picked us up in Arrowtown, right on time, and, after we described why we were interested in Macetown, suggested a guidebook at the Museum for additional information and history following the tour. Once we were all seated with seat belts fastened, we entered the Arrow River gorge, and the adventure began. There had been some heavy rains the day before, so the river was running a bit high - Peter felt it was at about 6 meg. So, we had some impressive crossings with water over the hood and a little under the doors. The sun was breaking through the dissipating cloud cover and the hills were a remarkable color between the slight fall colors and patches of blue sky. We stopped at several of the numbered viewpoints marking historic persons and places. We arrived at Smith's Bakehouse and Peter provided hot beverages and biscuits, welcome fare on a brisk day! We could see the newly fallen snow on the crests at Cardrona. What a lovely sight. We visited Anderson's Battery, still in good repair, and chased a few hares off the track coming back. Peter provided a fun ride back, eliciting bursts of giggles from the ladies as the track rippled along. Kudos to Peter for a magnificent trip, full of fun, history and scenery! A wonderful adventure for all of us, one that we want to repeat!

Absolutely loved this thrilling 4WD experience to Mace town. Fantastic driver Joe who made it so much fun and went over an beyond to ensure we had an unforgettable trip. Exciting and adrenaline pumping afternoon - with stunning views and Joe’s knowledge of the history of the area was a real bonus. What a great experience - would recommend to anyone visiting Queenstown who wants a exhilarating experience.

A great guide . Enjoyed the ride thru the rivers . Well worthwhile .Jenny the driver was enthusiastic and a great host .Scenery was rugged and different

Loved travelling with Nomad Safaris. Ended up doing two different tours in different trips to Queenstown. Both Skippers Canyon & Macetown offer fabulous scenery (varies depending on season you go) and the staff are very friendly & knowledgable. It’s true that these tours can be self drive BUT if you’re not familiar with NZ 4wd narrow gravel roads with possible river crossings (again depends on season) I recommend you travel with Nomad Safaris.

What a great day , awesome experience. Jennie’s knowledge was unbelievable, not just information on Macetown or mining , about a great deal more . The kids even had an awesome time . Recommend this experience to everyone.

Absolutely stunning experience. Trip of a lifetime. Outstanding skills from Jenny the driver. Maybe not for the faint hearted or people with back problems, but we had an absolute ball, and were so impressed.

What a fantastic tour! The drive was thrilling, informative and just stunning! Jenny did such an amazing job navigating through the slippery/snowy terrain and also informing us the history of the area. Absolutely fascinating. Her enthusiasm and love of the area was infectious. We looooved the tour. Highly recommend!

This was my favourite thing we did in Queenstown by far!!! Jenny was an incredibly talented and lovely tour guide/ 4x4 expert and made our experience incredible! We were in awe as the terrain went from rocky to icy and Jenny handled it all like a pro whilst also telling us all about the settlement of Macetown. This was the most unforgettable experience and not only would I recommend it to anyone, I will definitely do it again next time we are down!

Peter is an absolute legend! The road was bumpy which was great fun, and the views were breath taking! At our stop in Mace town, the view was majestic yet there was little wind and everything was so quiet I could hear my own thoughts. 10/10! Can't wait to get back to Queenstown for another adventure, maybe the Skipper route next time around.

We had Peter take us on this trip and all had a great experience. Morning tea at Macetown was not expected. When one of our party left his phone on the 4WD the Company were so helpful and popped it into our letterbox.

Amazing scenery and great off-road trip.Jenny the driver was very informative and a great driver. Well worth it!

Jenny was amazing. Our trip to Macetown was incredible from start to finish. Jenny's knowledge of the area and command of her vehicle was excellent. We had so much fun.

Today we had the pleasure of spending 4 hours with Peter on the Macetown trip. However, this is the 2nd trip we have done with Nomad Safaris in the last 2 years with our first trip being with Rob in to Skippers. This has been the highlight of our trip on both occasions. Peter had great chats and was highly knowledgeable of the area and has amazing driving skills! We will definitely be back for another tour next time we are in Queenstown! This is an amazing experience that you won’t regret!

Magnificent 4 Wheeldrive experience to Macetown. Johno is a very talented driver and his knowledge of the history of the area quite impressive. He has a great sense of humour and is a genuine people person. The only disappointment was the lack of building remains - ut you guys cannot help that.

We had wanted to visit Macetown for years and this trip exceeded all our expectations. Jenny was a very knowledgeable and entertaining guide and we felt very safe on what is quite a challenging road. Macetown is well worth a visit and we really enjoyed the trip. It was the highlight of our South Island holiday.

My partner and I loved our tour! Was definitely one of the highlights of our trip to Queenstown. We would definitely be doing another tour if we ever visit again!

Justin was an excellent driver on a really interesting part of NZ. Very glad we chose to do this activity

Such a cool track, the river crossings were my favourite Bill was our driver 10/10 recommend!!! 🙌🏼

Fantastic experience with a fantastic guide. Would highly recommend & the 4WD was next level & a real skill. I grew up in central, and holidayed in Arrowtown, and already knew a bit about goldmining in and around the area, but learnt so much more. If your wondering whether to do it with or without a guide, do it with the guide, their experience in the track makes it completely safe, but they add so much more knowledge than you'll ever read about in a book.

Had a awesome afternoon put to Macetown with driver Jenny, very knowledgeable with the history and information about the area. Thanks Jenny we had an amazing time put. David and Robyn Semaine

Wonderful way to experience Otago mountains and history bouncing through rivers and deep rutted trails with an experienced driver. Loved every minute. Fabulous photo ops

Thanks Peter great adventure and awsome drive. Lookforward to our next adventure with you Great to see this area in winter.

We had an amazing time driving up the Arrow River in Macetown and through Skippers Canyon. The views and skill of our female driver were incredible! Well worth doing as you wouldn't want to try this without the right vehicle or driver.

Awesome experience, very memorable, would highly recommend it. Some parts are mildly terrifying and reminiscent of a roller coaster ride, but we always felt totally safe in the skilled and capable hands of our guide Jenny. We all enjoyed the commentary and conversations, and learned a lot of the history of the area as well as the flora and fauna. A great family adventure on a frosty June morning!

Peter gave us a great experience he went the extra mile to make it a fun day .A really good time had by all

Pete gave us a day to remember! We were super happy with the gold nugget he found & let us keep..can retire now thanks to him! His photo skills were better then mine, tea miking better then my grans & local quiz night recommendation an added bonus. Give that man a call for your guided tour..you won't be disappointed .

Bloody bumpy ride but definitely one to tick off your bucket list. The guide Andre was the best guide we have ever had. Told us a million stories and was happy to help my husband with the drone shooting. He went wherever my husband wanted (safely Ofcourse) and gave him tips on where to take the best photos. We had our 6 year old twins with us , they were champs. Wouldn’t say it’s a comfortable ride by any means, but definitely an adventure to do.

Going through the river crossing and the expertise of Peter the driver, made it an outstanding trip.

I’ve got to say the driving skills of Jenny, her ability to manoeuvre the Landcruiser around and over rocks, through the river and around that one way track was done with such precision and confidence that I, a 75 yr old woman, was able to sit back, albeit had to hold on at times, but I could thoroughly enjoy the adventure. Also her knowledge of the area and her commentary was clear and easily heard, even at the back of the vehicle, thankyou, Jenny. A very memorable day.

Jenny was amazing very knowledgeable and not a dull moment at any time. make sure you strap in as this can be as exciting as a rollercoaster loved every minute and recommend to all

We did the Macetown 4WD tour with Nomad tours in March 2021. Fantastic trip and our guide Graham is very experienced. His obvious experience of the "road", knowledge of the area and commentary was great which added to the wonderful trip. A true 4WD adventure to the historic ghost gold mining town on Macetown. Highly recommend.

Fabulous day out. Lots of exciting river crossings. Jenny our driver and guide was well informed. nothing was to much trouble . Had a beautiful spot for a cuppa. Would recommend this company and trip to anyone. My 91 yr old mother in law has not stopped raving about what a great day out it was. So a big thank you!!

Great trip! Our driver (Jenny/Jackie?) sure knew how to handle the Defender 4WD and was very knowledgeable about the location and history. Plenty of rugged 4wd action. Thoroughly recommend this trip!

We did the Queenstown- Macetown trip with Nomad Safaris and it was an amazing experience! The off-road adventure was definitely worth our money and time. A special shout-out to Our driver/guide Marcello who was super friendly and exceptionally great during the trip. He taught us gold panning and he even knew the exact spots for us to find gold. An experience that will be cherished forever!

We jumped on board the Nomad Safari's Defender and headed out to Macetown in early December for our staff Christmas Day out. What an amazing experience and adventure we had. From the river crossings to the exceptional scenery and the fantastic narrative from our driver Graham the whole team had an excellent day. It was great for our team to experience something that visitors to Queenstown get to do. Would definitely recommend Nomad's and this excellent experience.

We've just returned from the Macetown 4x4 trip with Graham - what a fantastic day for all ages. Myself, hubby, 12 yr old daughter and 70 something Nana all thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. As a host, Graham is knowledgeable, articulate and obviously very experienced - we all felt perfectly safe and at ease. Beautiful scenery, some pretty hairy corners and river crossings, lots of gold history and we came out feeling like millionaires with our tiny specks of gold dust. If you have the opportunity, take it - you won't regret it.

Wow! What a great adventure crossing rivers and driving over the Brittania range on what seemed like a goat track - but was supposedly a road. Our guide Peter was awesome with huge local knowledge.