Nightlife

Midwinter in Queenstown is a night owl's paradise. There's plenty happening all year, of course, but once the town fills up with international visitors, anything can, and often does, happen.

Queenstown now has two casinos. SKYCITY Queenstown Casino, 16-24 Beach St. (tel. 03/441-0400; www.skycityqueenstown.co.nz), has over 80 gaming machines and the usual table games such as roulette, blackjack, and baccarat. Also here are Wild Thyme Bar & Restaurant and live entertainment on Friday and Saturday nights. It's open daily from noon to 4am and they have a free courtesy shuttle. Lasseters Wharf Casino, Steamer Wharf (tel. 03/441-1495; www.lasseterswharfcasino.co.nz), is a boutique operation with much the same on offer in the way of games. It's open daily from 11am to 3am. In both cases, you must be 20 and over and smartly dressed to enter.

Those with wild times on their mind head for Chico's Restaurant & Bar, on The Mall (tel. 03/442-8439). It has great food, live entertainment, and dancing from 10:30pm until late. The Edge Niteclub, Camp and Man streets (tel. 03/442-4144), and the World, Shotover Street (tel. 03/442-6757), are part of the recognized backpacker scene. Shooters Bar, 10 Brecon St. (tel. 03/442-4144), is dominated by pool tables and a football crowd. The Dux de Lux, 14 Church St. (tel. 03/442-9688), draws big crowds with its specialty beers and great atmosphere, and next door is the ever-popular Monty's Bar, 12 Church St. (tel. 03/441-1081), which offers a full range of Montieth's beers. Not far away, the Pig & Whistle Pub, 19 Ballarat St. (tel. 03/442-9055), has had a serious makeover and, as an English-themed pub, is doing a roaring trade. They also have excellent pub meals at reasonable prices.

You can freeze your tail off in the name of a good time at Minus 5, Steamer Wharf (tel. 03/442-6050), in the company of hand-sculpted ice and their famous vodka cocktails.

Those of you who like a sense of discovery in your nightlife may want to hunt for "the B bars" -- a cluster of nightspots all beginning with the letter B. The Bunker, Cow Lane (tel. 03/441-8030), is favored by a 20s-to-40s crowd and plays on no advertising, no signs, and the fact that it's hard to find. (It will also make a handsome hole in your wallet.) Equally obscure is Bardeaux, Eureka Arcade, off The Mall or Searle Lane (tel. 03/442-8284), a sophisticated late-night wine and cocktail bar, with a huge range of local pinot noir and champagne. Barup, next to Bardeaux and upstairs from Minibar (tel. 03/442-7707), is an exclusive Swiss chalet-type of wine and cocktail bar where locals of mixed ages head for a good time. Barmuda, Searle Lane (tel. 03/442-7300), has a big cocktail list and a gorgeous private lounge to enjoy it in. MiniBar, Eureka Lane (tel. 03/441-3212), is, as the name suggests, tiny, but it has over 100 premium beers and a whole lot of atmosphere. Buffalo Club, 8 Brecon St. (tel. 03/442-4144), is all about DJs, live music, and late nights.

It's all class and cocktails at Eichardt's House Bar, Marine Parade (tel. 03/441-0442), which is one of most people's favorites -- again, expensive but, like owning a Louis Vuitton suitcase, it must be done.