Otago
Crown Range Road runs Queenstown to Wanaka in Otago, New Zealand. The road is at its best before the first coaches arrive, so staying within a few minutes of the start is worth more than a smarter hotel an hour away. Check the season before you book. Snow and ice, chains may be required in winter.
Base town
Queenstown
Road length
43.5 mi
Driving time
2 hr 11 min
Rating
9.5 / 10
Checked by the Drivers Atlas desk
Scored and written by the Drivers Atlas editorial desk, drawing on driven routes across the UK and Europe, mapping data and member road reports. Hotel results are live and filtered for parking, late arrival and an early start. How we score roads.
Last reviewed 29 March 2026
Hotels
Tracing the road between your start and finish
0%About 20 seconds left
The road
New Zealand's highest sealed road with a hairpin stack above the Cardrona valley.
Snow and ice, chains may be required in winter
Nearby
46 mi away
A glacial valley run to the Homer Tunnel and a fiord surrounded by vertical rock.
60.9 mi away
Rainforest and waterfall canyon roads link the lakes to the wild West Coast.
192.6 mi away
Braided rivers, beech forest and the dramatic Otira viaduct across an alpine fault.
335.5 mi away
Marble mountain switchbacks between Tasman Bay and Golden Bay.
648.1 mi away
A narrow shoreline road under pohutukawa trees with the Firth of Thames alongside.