What to wear in Queenstown in autumn

Queenstown, New Zealand is jam-packed with natural beauty.

It sits companionably next to the calm waters of Lake Wakatipu, with the spectacular peaks of The Remarkables rising from the shore. Queenstown entices you out into the autumn sunshine with crisp, clean air and skies filled with paragliders.

With hubster doing a charity bike ride through the South Island of New Zealand, I had the opportunity to visit this adventure-loving town. For more info on what I got up to, see the top things to do in Queenstown with kids.

What to wear in Queenstown in autumn

Queenstown weather in autumn

Packing for Queenstown weather in autumn was a little bit tricky. While the forecast high at the moment seems to range from about 13-21°, it can get down to about 3° at night. A typical day while we were there looked like this – 8am – 6° (sunrise), 11am – 7°, 2pm – 11°, 5pm – 17°, 8pm – 19° (sunset)

I’ve become lazy here in Sydney where you can put on a summer dress on a warm day and leave home at 8am without being cold. The temperature just doesn’t drop down as far at night as it does further south. And Queenstown, I quickly learnt, is quite a bit further south than Tasmania!

What to pack?

Although I expected to be freezing when heading out in the morning, I didn’t really think I needed to take all my winter woollies. So, when wondering what to wear in Queenstown in autumn, layers is the answer.

Into the suitcase went a few short sleeve or sleeveless tops, a jacket, a couple of scarves, a couple of pairs of jeans/leggings and two pairs of shoes – one to pack, one to wear. Plus a warm anorak to fortify against early morning chills. At the last minute I threw in this t-shirt. I always take it and I always end up wearing it.

I was worried that I would be cold, but the weather was spectacular! We had almost 4 days of clear blue sunny skies with just some cloud and a brief shower one morning. So lucky!! So while it was fresh first thing, whenever we were outside we were walking and there’s some pretty decent hills in Queenstown, so I was warm pretty quickly. A lot of the time I was in t-shirt and jeans. The sun was hot and had some sting in it like a Melbourne sun. Yes, I got sunburnt again. One day I will learn that it doesn’t have to be hot to get sunburnt. And that anorak never made it out of the hotel room.

For some autumn-friendly long-sleeved dresses, jackets, raincoats and ankle boots, read What to wear in Melbourne in autumn.

Day 1 – Travel day

When I did this post on wearing compression socks, I fell so in love with one of those outfits that I bought the featured top and put it with items that I already had. I highly recommend these pleather jackets that Katies does. Beautifully soft, I think they look like leather and the designs are very stylish.

Top from French Connection, pleather jacket from Katies, scarf from Katies, jeans from Seed and boots from Therapy.

Day 2 – Exploring Queenstown

Monochrome is everywhere at the moment and, as I said in this post, it is ideal for adding style and versatility to your travel wardrobe. In my before-kids life, this Portmans top would have been gorgeous with a suit for work, but it is loose and comfy while still being stylish which makes it ideal casually too.

Top from Portmans, pleather jacket from Katies, scarf from Seed, jeans from Levis and sneakers from Converse.

Day 3 – Adventure and adrenalin

I didn’t do an outfit pic this day, because we slept in (no kids!) and had to race out the door to get to our Shotover Jet booking on time. I had other outfit options, but in a rush this is what I grabbed. T-shirt and jeans. No thought required. I was also wearing a scarf, but left it in a locker with my handbag, because I would shortly be jumping off a cliff!

T-shirt from Sussan and pleather jacket from Katies. I am also wearing the jeans and converse from the previous day.

Day 4 – Travel day

I’m sure we could have squeezed in some more sightseeing before the shuttle picked us up at midday, but I was much more interested in a leisurely brunch and the sort of soul-connecting conversation that you can have with your partner when the kids are not there and you’re not exhausted.

Dress from Country Road, pleather leggings from Sussan and boots from Therapy.

Check out what I got up to in Travel Diary  |  Queenstown, New Zealand. Suffice to say we are both emphatic that we will be bringing the kids back to the South Island as soon as possible. I can’t believe I have taken this place for granted for so long and never visited. Shame on me!

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Have you been to Queenstown? Is it not one of the most seriously beautiful places anywhere on this Earth?