The miners, and especially the Irish, had taken an interest in the ceremony held for a town called Cobh in Ireland (then part of the United Kingdom) which was renamed Queenstown in honour of Queen Victoria in 1850.

Kāi Tahu say that the lake was dug by the Waitaha ancestor, Rākaihautū, with his kō (digging stick) named Tūwhakaroria.

[8] The first non-Māori to see Lake Wakatipu was European Nathanael Chalmers who was guided by Reko, the chief of the Tuturau, over the Waimea Plains and up the Mataura River in September 1853.

[9] Evidence of stake nets, baskets for catching eels, spears and ashes indicated the Glenorchy area was visited by Māori.

William's Cottage, the Lake Lodge of Ophir (now Artbay Gallery), Queenstown Police Station, and St Peter's Anglican Church lie close together in a designated historic precinct.

There was a severe weather event in the South Island in November 1999, bringing torrential rainfall in the catchments of Lake Wakatipu.

Below the lake lies the deep Kawarau Gorge, and there are nearby plains suitable for agriculture[citation needed] and viticulture.

As with the rest of Central Otago, Queenstown lies within the rain shadow of the Southern Alps, but being closer to the west coast the town is more susceptible to rain-bearing fronts than nearby Cromwell, Wānaka and Alexandra.

Residential housing in the Queenstown area is expensive due to factors such as the town being a tourist destination, its lack of land and its desirability to foreigners and investors.

[39][40] In October 2022, Environment Minister David Parker confirmed that the New Zealand Government had fast-tracked the Te Pūtahi project at Lake Hayes Estate to build 748 more homes, a public transport area, and a possible school.

[42][43][37] The Herald also reported that some workers in Queenstown were asking local rental agents if they could stay in vacant properties being sold.

[37] In late March 2023, 100 people participated in a protest at Queenstown's waterfront to raise awareness of the resort town's acute rental housing shortage.

The protest was attended by National Party Southland electorate Member of Parliament Joseph Mooney and Queenstown Lakes District Councillor Craig Ferguson.

The exemption applies to all shops within a 35-kilometre (22 mi) radius of the intersection of Camp Street and Ballarat Street (the location of the Queenstown post office in 1986), and makes Queenstown and the Lake Wakatipu basin one of only three areas in New Zealand where shops may open on Good Friday (the other two are Picton and Paihia).

[50] Queenstown is a major centre for snow sports in New Zealand, with four main mountain ski fields: Cardrona Alpine Resort, Coronet Peak, The Remarkables and Treble Cone.

[51] A heritage steamship, the twin screw coal fired steamer TSS Earnslaw operates on Lake Wakatipu.

[53][54][55] The Two Paddocks vineyard is owned by internationally known New Zealand actor Sam Neill, and neighbouring, historic Arrowtown features restaurants and bars.

[56] Other tourist activities include Ben Lomond, a nearby mountain with a panoramic outlook on Bob's Peak, and its Skyline Queenstown gondola.

[64] Jane Campion's six-part drama mystery Top of the Lake was shot during 2012 for pay TV release in 2013.

Queenstown became popular in South Asia after the release of Bollywood blockbuster Kaho Naa... Pyaar Hai, which was partially shot there.

Starring sensational debuts by Hrithik Roshan and Amisha Patel it was this film that opened the doors for both tourists and filmmakers from India to New Zealand with Queenstown being the most sought-after destination.

A 1989 TV Commercial for the Toyota Hilux starring Barry Crump and Lloyd Scott in which the two drive off the cliff was filmed at nearby Queenstown Hill.

The 2017 Filipino drama film Northern Lights was shot entirely on location in Queenstown substituting for the setting of Alaska.

[69] In 2017 the Korean variety show Running Man shot an episode in Queenstown, where Haha and Yang-Se Chan took a penalty at the Nevis Swing.

The series focuses on events that take place at a bridge over the Dart River / Te Awa Whakatipu.

In September 2023, there was an outbreak of illness caused by cryptosporidium in Queenstown, with most cases located in the central business area and affecting people under the age of 40.

[108] Queenstown was one of the last towns in New Zealand to rely on a manual telephone exchange, requiring all calls had to be connected by an operator.

Despite long-standing promises of an upgrade, progress was slow, prompting growing concerns and calls for urgent action.

Temporary measures, such as additional switchboards and staff, provided limited relief, but fears persisted that the new system would be inadequate upon installation.

[109][110] Fibre to the premises was rolled-out in Queenstown as part of the Fifth National Government's Ultra-Fast Broadband programme, with the rollout completed in July 2016.