Ollie and Zara on top of Coronet Peak, Queenstown. Photo / Rebecca Foreman
Would you hand over the holiday reins to your teens in the Adventure Capital of the World? Rebecca Foreman does just that, letting her two thrill-seeking teenagers steer the itinerary in Queenstown.
After a bleary-eyed 4am wake-up, we landed in Queenstown and hit the ground running, our teen-led adventure had officially begun. We barely dropped our bags at our cosy chalet-style apartment at Rendezvous Heritage Hotel before Zara fired off her first pick: the legendary Shotover Jet. We tore through canyons, flying past rocks at wild speeds and spinning 360s with grins (and screams) to match.
Cool twist? Shotover Jet is making waves with the world’s first electric jet boat, sleek, whisper-quiet and emission-free. Proof that adrenaline and eco-consciousness can co-exist.
Day two, Zara upped the ante. Enter: AJ Hackett Nevis Bungy: 134m high, 8.5 seconds of freefall into a canyon. A canyon! Every parental instinct screamed nope, but this was her dream, and isn’t that the point? To show up, lean in, and meet your kid where their courage lives? James, meanwhile, nobly remembered his fear of heights and held the bags.
So Zara and I jumped. And somewhere in the silence of falling, something shifted. Peace. Pride. Power. That quiet voice: You showed up, Mumma. Then came the Nevis Swing, Zara and Ollie whooping through a 300m arc of chaos, joy, and pure airborne madness.
Starving, we answered Zara’s next call: Queenstown’s cult favourite, Fergburger. It’s more than a meal – it’s a pilgrimage. Best chicken burger of my life. James and the kids demolished Ferg Deluxes, onion rings, and fries. Full and giddy, we waddled to Minus 5° Ice Bar – yes, cold. Yes, a bit gimmicky. But yes, also very cool.
Day three, and Zara’s final act as chief adventure officer? The Shotover Canyon Swing, a cliff-fling freefall with nothing but a rope and guts. James went with Zara, I tandem-jumped with Ollie. Terrifying. Humbling. Classic Zara.
Why all the gravity-defying madness?
“Because growing up, I always followed yours and Dad’s plans,” she said. “This gave me a cool sense of leadership, even when I picked stuff no one else wanted to do. Like bungy jumping! I was so surprised you actually did it… and kinda looked like you enjoyed it. And seeing everyone love the restaurants I found? That meant a lot.”
And just like that, she wasn’t our little girl on a family holiday, she was the guide, the planner, the fearless one leading us into something unforgettable.
Ollie took the baton and ran with it, straight into researching how we could hit the slopes at both The Remarkables and Coronet Peak. Snowboarding? Absolutely. Why? “It’s rare we’re all beginners at something together.”
Enter: premium family private lessons at Coronet Peak, led by our snow whisperer, Ashlea. From the moment we met her, any shred of parental anxiety melted faster than a spring snowpack. Calm, confident, and laser-tuned, she made me feel safe in an activity I had zero control over.
I’ve skied since I was a kid, but snowboarding? Whole new world. No poles. No sudden stops. Just subtle shifts in weight, flowing with the mountain instead of trying to conquer it.
Ashlea, 30, from Sydney, had nine snow seasons under her belt, and it showed. By the end of day two, we were all riding the second beginner carpet. Strong legs, sore bums, proud hearts.
It’s easy to see why The Remarkables is hailed as a progression paradise terrain for every level, from daring chutes and off-piste blacks to wide-open, learner-friendly slopes and easy-to-access food and facilities right at the bottom of the beginner carpets.
What truly surprised me wasn’t how fast the kids picked it up (of course they did), but how we responded. Watching Ollie throw himself into every turn was electric. Zara moved with quiet confidence and calm. Meanwhile, James and I … fell. A lot. But the real win? Crashing through the mental blocks. Learning to fall. To laugh. To be slower than your kids, and okay with it. Hearing, “You’ve got this, Mum!” and “Nice try, Dad!” as we scrambled back up? Gold.
Ashlea guided us effortlessly, navigating our different skill levels, fears, and learning styles as if she could read us like a trail map. By the final day, Ollie was confidently cruising blue runs, Zara was carving turns like a natural, and James and I were cheering from the chairlift, filming their achievements with hearts full and quietly proud that we’d also faced the fear and given it our all.
Later, gathered around the fire in our Rendezvous Heritage apartment, swapping slope stories, Ollie remarked how surprised he was that we’d thrown ourselves into something so unforgiving on ageing knees, wrists and nerves. Old dogs, new tricks indeed.
And honestly? We’d do it all again. Strong backs. Stronger bums. Strongest memories.
A teen-led Queenstown snow adventure, especially on those glorious slopes of The Remarkables and Coronet Peak, is the ultimate way to witness growth, grit, and perspective shift in real time. Let them lead. Follow closely. Watch the magic unfold.
The writer was a guest of NZSki, Rendezvous Heritage Hotel Queenstown, AJ Hackett Bungy NZ, Shotover Jet, Shotover Canyon Swing, Fergburger & Minus 5° Ice Bar.