Queenstown: Skippers Canyon Goldrush Small Group Tour

An outstanding, educational, enjoyable trip through the history of Skippers Canyon. The audio tour along with Cal's narrative made for one of the best tour we have been on. We rode in a comfortable, clean, air conditioned van instead of bouncing around in a jeep. Don't miss this tour or you have missed a wonderful opportunity to view a beautiful part of Queenstown's history. By the way this tour ends with a beverage of your choice in a quaint tavern!

I had been wanting to visit Skippers Canyon for a while now and this tour was perfect to not only see the Canyon but learn so much about the history of Queenstown and the Goldrush. Our guide Cal and his very cute companion Aster were knowledgeable and great to be around. We were able to stop along the way and get some great photos of the views and the pub at the end was a great bonus to sit and soak everything in after such a fun day.

Fantastic! I had been wanting to do this tour for ages and it did not disappoint, absolutely spectacular from beginning to end! Hosts Cal and Aster are just wonderfull, has gone from my To Do list to my To Do Again list!

We recommend this trip to everyone.

What a fantastic experience with stunning vistas everywhere! Cal is an awesome tour guide. He is very informative, and professional, courteous, and a is super experienced driver. My friend and I had an amazing half day of seeing incredible scenery and it was a treat to finish with a beverage at the end. We enjoyed our experience so much that we booked Cal, the owner, for a private tour the next day. He organized a totally different loop that included more incredible landscapes and stories. Cal is a top notch tour guide and individual. I recommend Cal and his company to anyone heading to the Queenstown area in the South Island.

Tour was very informative about the various gold rushes that occurred along Skipper’s Canyon and the scenery was absolutely amazing. Cal was a great host and a very safe driver.

Overall, Cal was a great guide and driver throughout the tour. He was on time at the pickup location and was very friendly and helped provide a true local perspective. We made several stops along the route at beautiful locations for photos or to just take in the stunning views. The trip time was just right and even ended with a cold beverage form a local pub.

My friend and i had an amazing afternoon with Cal and Astra. There were plenty of photostops, the onboard commentary really informative and the scenery was pretty unique too. Cal is very knowledgeable about the Canyon and the surrounding Queenstown area. We booked the tour at short notice and any queries we had were answered promptly. I would definitely recommend this tour to anyone who wants to see a unique little slice of Central Otago. Cheers Cal. An afternoon well spent

We spent a wonderful day with Cal and the best guide in the world, Asta. The morning began with a beautiful view at the start of Skippers Canyon, with a light mist and the sun just beginning to rise—creating a truly dramatic and unforgettable scene. The trip through Skippers Canyon itself was perfect. Cal had prepared audio commentary with interesting information, which made the experience even more engaging. Along the way, we made several stops at breathtaking viewpoints, and at each one Cal shared stories and insights, often supported by photographs. Cal was able to answer every question we had—it’s clear that he is a true expert with extensive knowledge of Skippers Canyon. We finished this fantastic morning at the Tavern, which is a lovely place. We highly recommend this tour with Cal. We enjoyed it immensely and were absolutely thrilled. We leave with beautiful memories and amazing photos from this day. Thank you!

We were treated to a wonderful four-hour guided tour of Skippers Canyon. The operator and guide, Cal, was extremely knowledgeable about the early gold settlers, and the audio presentation was very informative. Although I had visited Skippers many years ago, I hadn’t known much about its early gold-mining history. The road is not for the faint-hearted, as it is narrow and hewn out of the cliff in places; however, this only added to the overall sense of adventure. This tour felt far more personal and offered great value for money compared to the larger companies we’ve used on other tours.

A wonderful trip - full of interest, great driving on a scary road. Well done Cal.

A great morning out visiting this historical treasure coupled with the spectacular landscape and the famous challenging road -- all points covered by our guide who also doubled as a very competent and safe driver. For me this trip was 82 years in the making and I wasn't disappointed! Thank you. Phil

Great tour I highly recommend! The audio history during the tour was a nice addition. Overall great experience!

I was travelling solo and choose to do this half day tour, last minute, instead of hiking since it was raining. I don’t regret it. Beautiful scenary and interesting information provided by the narration and Cal. He also answer every question you can think of during stops. For the price, it’s really worth it!

Cal was a great, informative, guide showcasing Skippers Canyon. The views are spectacular and the beer at the end topped off a great tour!

Stunning scenery in the Skippers Canyon - great size tour, great tour leader. Would certainly recommend. They audio on the headset is triggered by GPS as you drive throughout the canyon - pretty neat!

Cal was a great host and the recorded stories that were synced to vistas were well done. We had a great experienced and learned a lot. Bonus is Cals great dog that accompanied us. Highly recommended

We had a fantastic tour through the canyon with Cal. Lots of knowledge and stories told, some in person some by headphones. The scenery is stunning and there is loads of places to take pics. The voices on the headphones were deeper tones and easy to listen to. We also got to stop at a great pub when the tour was over. Highly recommend, and a great price. Been there...... Bought the t shirt!

The trip was well organized and researched and led by Cal. We were driven in new Toyota van, during segments of the trip, we listened to well researched accounts of the gold rush of Skippers. We pulled off many times for photos and further explanations and questions. The views were exquisite. If you’re in Queenstown you really must do this to get a sense of Queenstown’s origin story and drama of the prospectors of Skippers Canyon. As an added bonus, a well behaved golden retriever named Aster is in the trip and makes the experience all the more fun.

Incredible experience! Great day trip out to Skippers Canyon with stunning views at every corner. Perfect if you are looking for something different to do in Queenstown and also interested to learn about the history of the place. Very informative guide and interesting stories onboard. Easy pick-up and drop-off in Central Queenstown.

Fantastic few hours and incredible scenery and photo opportunities. Great guide and very interesting to learn about the Gold Rush. Easy meeting point centre of town. And a drink at a historic pub on the way back, included.

We had an amazing experience with The Goldrush Tours. The tour was very informative and truly impressive from start to finish. Cal was fantastic — very helpful, easy-going, and made everyone feel comfortable throughout the journey. We especially enjoyed the trip to Queenstown. Everything was well organised, and Cal shared so much interesting information that made the experience even more meaningful. It was a wonderful tour and created great memories for us. Highly recommended for anyone looking for a professional and enjoyable tour experience!

Fantastic tour! Cal (owner/driver with his trusted dog) has developed a Skippers Canyon tour with a difference. As well as the awesome and thrilling scenery, Cal has a number of stop points in the canyon where you can get out and learn about important historic events and buildings. Old photos are shown for each point so you can get a feel of the past. An excellent narrative with headphones from the beginnings of the region and Queenstown. To top it all, the final stop at the Gantley's Tavern at Arthurs Point on the way back for an included beer tasting or wine. Great merch as well. Brilliant all round, thanks Cal!

As a well travelled 79 year old Aussie I have seen all 7 Continents and the sights of many countries. Also not prone to other than honesty and facts, I am pleased to be able to recommend the Skippers Canyon Goldrush tour as hosted by Cal and his young golden retriever puppy. The use of a prerecorded commentary via headphones provided plenty of the historical and other detail whilst allowing Cal to concentrate on the driving which was critical given the incredibly scenic, spectacular and potentially perilous road that we travelled. The landscape and views were outstanding, as was learning about the opening up and development of the area by intrepid miners across the goldrush era which was fascinating. Cal’s tour was spot on for length, rounded out by a complimentary drink to celebrate at the end and confirming that Cal has put together a very positive enjoyable and certainly most memorable experience that my wife, Carol and I were pleased to have done and would absolutely recommend it to anyone else as both good value and very well done. Thanks Cal - Col and Carol Fraser

Had a great time on the goldrush tour, would recommend to anyone wanting to see some amazing scenery and hear some interesting stories about the goldrush days. Cal was great and very informative and Asta (the dog) was a very cute and entertaining. Would definitely do it again!

Wonderful experience exploring & learning of the early gold explorers along the Shotover River - upstream from Queenstown. Living the history & being able to see the amazing sights of the mighty Shotover a special experience. We certainly recommend this afternoon adventure ex Queenstown.

We hadn’t actually planned on doing this tour, but after seeing it at the visitor centre, we decided it would be a great way to spend our afternoon—and it turned out to be a highlight of our trip! Cal picked us up right from the town centre, which was very convenient. Driving to Skippers Canyon is definitely not something you should attempt on your own; the road is narrow and carved into the cliffs, so having Cal’s expert driving skills was a huge relief. The views along the way are absolutely spectacular, and Cal is incredibly knowledgeable and humorous, sharing great stories that brought the history of the gold rush to life. A special mention must go to his dog, Aster, who was the most wonderful company throughout the journey! We finished the tour at the historic Gantley’s Tavern with a drink and a lovely chat with some new friends we made during the trip. If you are in Queenstown, I highly recommend this experience—it was a wonderful way to spend 3-4 hours!

Cal was a great tour guide with a lot of experience and provided an excellent tour of Skippers Canyon. He was very knowledgeable and was able to answer all the questions we had about Queenstown and Skippers Canyon. The audio guide was timed perfectly at each point on the tour, and we also found out he had written this himself over 8 months. It was also very handy that he picked us up from a convenient location and, to top it off, stopped for a drink at a lovely pub on the way back. Would definitely recommend Goldrush as the tour to choose.

Brilliant trip with Cal, very knowledgeable with the local queenstown area as well as the history of skippers canyon. The van trip and audio was superb with Cal adding in his extra information and was able to answer any questions we had. The whole experience was brilliant, with excellent views from a road I didn't want to take my personal vehicle down to finishing off at a lovely pub for a drink. Many thanks, 10/10.

It was an adventurous, awesome experience with THE GOLDRUSH TOUR. Today's 3.5 hour-long trip in sunny weather, including hop-on hop-off at lookout points with historic photos and guided information, made it worth it.

It was a great half-day trip if you are not sure what to do in queenstown and dont have access to cars. The guide was pre-recorded, and Cal (the driver, owner) talks more details when we stop.

Very friendly guide, very accommodating, did everything to make us have a great time. The views were superb and the history fascinating

My family and I really enjoyed the tour as we were not rushed and got to enjoy the beautiful views. It is a very informative tour as there were multilingual guides explaining the story behind each scenery. Skippers canyon is definitely a great place to explore and would definitely recommend taking the tour with Cal which makes the trip much easier and comfortable.

Great trip into fantastic views and a window into the past. Hard days. Very comfortable transport driven by a very competent and experienced driver who is a wealth of knowledge. Can highly recommend to anyone.

What a fantastic experience. Spectacular views to relate with the gold rush history. Highly recommended for anyone visiting Queenstown.

This tour was absolutely amazing! So exciting and interesting at the same time. We are so glad we decided to go and would recommend this experience to anyone. Callum is clearly passionate and knowledgeable about Queenstown history and the running commentary (in your first language if you prefer) was superb.

We had a fabulous tour with Cal and his adorable Labrador Aster. The tour was suitable for anyone interested in the history of Queenstown Gold mining. The scenery and views in skippers canyon are amazing. Suitable for all ages. Highly recommend.

Thanks Cal, Tracy and I had a fantastic afternoon. Loved the history and scenery not to mention your safe driving and puppy.... and beer tasting at the end. Would highly recommend this experience.

An excellent tour with multi language translations. The commentary is interesting and describes the hardships and stories of the gold miners and early settlers. The road itself is a fantastic experience! Cal and his dog pal Asta were very welcoming. The final touch is the beer tasting and optional beverages at the historic Gantleys tavern. A wonderful afternoon, thank you!

Loved the tour. Very informative and such beautiful scenery. Highly recommended. The glass of wine was appreciated and super cute tour operator side kick puppy was a gorgeous bonus

During our stay in Queenstown, we booked the Skipper Canyon Goldrush Tour at the information center. We were picked up promptly at 8:00 AM as arranged by the hotel. To our surprise, we and the guide's dog, whom we immediately took a liking to, were the only guests. Our guide Cal safely drove us through the canyon, even though the track was very narrow in places. His explanations vividly illustrated the life of the gold miners, the dangers, and hardships they faced. He showed us filming locations and answered our questions very clearly. At the end of the tour, we enjoyed hot chocolate in a historic restaurant. We can highly recommend the tour.