Riding the Kingston Flyer

by

History in New Zealand doesn’t get much more interactive than the Kingston Flyer, an old steam train which does short tourist trips near Queenstown. It has recently returned after being out of action for almost a decade — we went to Kingston to check it out.

All Aboard

We arrived at Kingston Station 15-minutes before the train was scheduled to leave, giving us time to look around a bit and get some photos. The Kingston Flyer was the name given to a number or routes to and from Kingston to places like Invercargill and Dunedin. It started in the 1890s and operated as a typical scheduled service until the 1970s when it became a tourist train much like it is today. It has come and gone since then and reopened again in 2022.

The grand old train, next to the historic Kingston Station and with rugged hills for a background, is quite a sight. There’s a coffee cart outside and a café inside the station if you’re keen for a meal before or after the trip.

Then it was all aboard for the short journey to Fairlight Station. As the Flyer crawled through the tiny village of Kingston, locals offered waves and smiles — they must love having the train up and running again.

Riding the Kingston Flyer

Once you leave Kingston the speed picks up a bit, but it definitely doesn’t “fly” in any sense of the word. It takes around 45 minutes to get to Fairlight Station. You’ll get some views of Lake Wakatipu early on and hills / mountains on either side for the rest of the way.

The scenery is pretty good although not the main reason to do the trip — you’ll get far better views on the drive between Queenstown and Kingston for example.

Fairlight Station

The Kingston Flyer goes to Fairlight Station, stops for 20 minutes or so, turns around and goes all the way back. It’s a cute little station with some (very) light snacks and drinks for sale as well as free tea, coffee and water. The coffee cart from Kingston followed the train to Fairlight Station, which we thought was cool. If you’re not riding the train but still want to see it you could research the times and go to either Kingston or Fairlight Stations for a look.

The Details

  • The Kingston Flyer runs on Sundays from September – June. There are also tours on some public holidays and special occasions. 
  • You can book it at their website. We paid our own way for this trip and have no affiliation with the Kingston Flyer.
  • Kingston is a 40-minute drive from Queenstown and the road skirts Lake Wakatipu for most of the journey. Definitely one of the most scenic drives in Queenstown, there are a few though!

READ MORE: 6 of the Best Scenic Drives in Queenstown

Other Things to Do in Kingston

There’s a beach right in front of town, a hike above the lake (Shirt Tail Track) and a couple of cafés. Kingston makes for a fun day trip from Queenstown or as a stop-off on the drive between Queenstown and Te Anau / Milford Sound.

Are you planning a trip to Queenstown? Check out our three-seven day Queenstown itinerary!

The following two tabs change content below.
My Twitter profileMy Facebook profileMy Instagram profile

Jon Algie

I'm a South Island local -- born in Timaru and raised in Dunedin. I left the island in 2006 and returned 10 years later. Having seen a good chunk of the world I realised how special this place is -- the most beautiful island in the world! Seven years (and almost 400 posts) later I'm still helping locals and tourists alike plan their trips around the South Island.
My Twitter profileMy Facebook profileMy Instagram profile

Latest posts by Jon Algie (see all)