The gourmet BBQ is the food-first way to do Walter Peak: cruise across Lake Whakatipu, sit down to a barbecue prepared at the Colonel’s Homestead (the lakeside farmhouse) and cruise back. That is about 3.5 hours in all, with roughly 45 minutes each way on the water and around two hours ashore. Most of the praise is about the meal.
The decision that shapes the day is which departure to take. Lunch and dinner are different outings, and this is also a big operation: the notes below about crowds, pace and extras come straight from the reviews.
The gourmet BBQ ticket
Each card lists the time ashore, the duration and what is included. Open one for the full product details.
RealNZ
Gourmet BBQ + lake cruise
Cruise across and eat at the Colonel's Homestead, the lakeside farmhouse, as lunch or dinner.
Duration: 3.5 hours (about 45 minutes on the water each way)
The food-first variant: cruise across Lake Whakatipu to Walter Peak, then a gourmet barbecue prepared at the Colonel's Homestead, the lakeside farmhouse. It is bookable as a lunch or as a dinner departure.
Worth knowing before you choose the dinner slot: the listing includes a farm dog show with sheep herding in both slots, but in the evening the visit is built around the meal, and on late sailings it can get dark soon after arrival. Families who want daylight on the farm are usually happier with the lunch departure, or with the farm tour.
Departure point
RealNZ Visitor Centre, 88 Beach Street, Queenstown. The boat to Walter Peak leaves from here.
Know before you go
Bookable as lunch or dinner, both with a farm dog show. Late dinner sailings can get dark soon after arrival, so families usually do better with lunch.
The crossing runs on the Spirit of Queenstown or the TSS Earnslaw depending on departure. Check the boat at booking if the steamship matters to you.
The boats are cashless, and parking near the wharf is limited.
Details as RealNZ publishes them on the GetYourGuide product page.
Lunch and dinner make two different days out
The lunch departure
Daylight for the crossing, daylight ashore. You eat, and there is still time and light for some of the farm surroundings and the sheepdog display reviewers mention. Families usually do better here: as one reviewer with young children put it, the cruise is “short enough to be enjoyable but not draining” and watching the steamship’s engine run is part of the fun.
The dinner departure
An evening out on the lake, built around the meal. The listing includes the farm dog show here too, but on the late departures it gets dark soon after arrival; one five-star reviewer on a 5pm sailing notes there was little chance to explore after eating and recommends an earlier trip if you want to see anything of the grounds.
A big operation
!
The food gets the praise, the scale gets the criticism
The critical reviews barely touch the cooking. They describe the machinery around it. The buffet serves a large crowd, which can mean queues and jostling at the food lines; one reviewer described sharing the trip with “hundreds of other people”, another found the buffet “a little too fast”. Drinks on board cost extra, and the boats are cashless. If a quiet, unhurried dinner is the picture in your head, this is a different kind of evening, closer to a well-run banquet than a restaurant.
Catamaran or steamship
BBQ departures run on both vessels, the catamaran Spirit of Queenstown, or the steamship TSS Earnslaw. Pick deliberately at booking if the steamer matters to you. During the ship’s annual survey, 18 May to 27 June 2026, all crossings run on the catamaran and the BBQ itself continues as normal. More on the timetable and maintenance page.
Cancellation
The product page offers free cancellation up to 24 hours before departure, the same window as the farm tour, the horse trek and Garden to Table. Weather cancellations are rebooked or refunded by the operator.
★
In short
Book the BBQ when the meal is the day. Take a lunch departure if you also want daylight and some of the farm, especially with children. Take a dinner departure for an evening on the lake, knowing it may be dark soon after you arrive. And check which boat your sailing runs on before you pay.
The BBQ against the other variants
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Experience
What's in it
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Book
Gourmet BBQ + lake cruise
Cruise both ways, BBQ at the Colonel's Homestead, lunch or dinner · 3.5 h
Walter Peak fares in this table come live from GetYourGuide and include taxes and booking fees. The amount at checkout also depends on the boat and the departure you pick. “What’s in it” is a short version of the listing title. The product page has the full list of inclusions for each Walter Peak variant.
Diners on the BBQ, from lunch to the late sailing
Real traveller reviews from GetYourGuide.
★ 4.8
(3,250 reviews)
★★★★★
“lovely ride across the water in the tss earnshaw. the food at Walters peak was fantastic and the sheepdog show was a bonus”
Michael · United Kingdom · September 2026
★★★★★
“What a wonderful night we had the steam ship was amazing to see running the food was Devine. The show was interesting. The trip back was fantastic with the piano and the sing along. Overall well worth the trip.”
Nicole · Australia · September 2026
★★★★★
“went as a young family for a gourmet BBQ lunch. the food was exemplary. the cruise short enough to be enjoyable but not draining. being able to view the steam ship in operation is exciting for the kids. would highly recommend”
Julia · Australia · August 2026
★★★★★
“Loved it, the boat ride was beautiful, food was incredible and the show was really insightful as well. Only thing doing the 5pm booking was it did get dark relatively quickly once we arrived at Walter peak station so after you ate you couldn’t really explore that much - if you wanted to view things on the way to / from Queenstown I’d suggest an earlier trip …”
Chloe · Australia · September 2026
★★★★★
“We loved everything, from the trip over on the beautiful boat to the most amazing BBQ lunch (so much delicious food). The staff were very professional and friendly. The grounds and surrounds were a photographer delight.”
Ray · Australia · September 2026
★★★★★
“The best bbq I’ve ever had in my life! Ha! The view on the cruise and the food was the best thing I’ve had in a while! Thankyou Walter Peak BBQ chefs! Immaculate service !”
Ilisapeci · Australia · September 2026
★★★☆☆
Critical review
“The food experience was well organised and managed. … the lunch experience was uncomfortable and more about herding cattle into food lines. I have never understood how the "buffet" experience can bring out the worst in some people.”
Elizabeth · Australia · September 2026
★★★☆☆
Critical review
“The directions for the boat line were not clear. We figured it out on our own. For the price, offer a drink to everyone on the boat. The buffet was good, but it was a little too fast for my taste.”
Verified traveler · French Polynesia · July 2026 · translated review
★★★☆☆
Critical review
“Very expensive for a boat trip and a buffet lunch with hundreds of other people. Then a short working dog display which was probably the highlight.”
Jessica · Australia · May 2026
The praise centres on the food and on the steamship crossing. The criticism describes the scale, not the cooking: this is a large operation, so the buffet can mean queues and a crowd, the schedule can feel brisk, and drinks on board cost extra. Plan around one more pattern: on the late departures it gets dark soon after arrival, which leaves little time to see the grounds. If you want daylight and some of the farm with your meal, book a lunch departure.
Quotes from the GetYourGuide pages of the Walter Peak products. Long reviews are shortened (marked with …), the wording is unchanged, and names are cut to first name and country.
FAQ
What food is served at the Walter Peak BBQ?
A barbecue buffet prepared at the Colonel's Homestead, the lakeside farmhouse. Reviewers praise the quantity and quality; "so much delicious food" is a typical line. According to the operator, meats are grilled over a wood-fired barbecue and served with salads, vegetables, seafood, vegetarian dishes and desserts. Drinks are not included and cost extra, and the boats are cashless.
Should I book the BBQ as lunch or dinner?
Lunch, if you also want to see something of the farm: it runs in daylight and leaves room for the surroundings and the sheepdog display. Dinner includes the farm dog show too but is built around the meal, and on late departures it gets dark soon after arrival. Families usually do better with lunch; the dinner slot suits an adult evening out.
How long does the BBQ experience take?
About 3.5 hours in total: roughly 45 minutes on the water each way, and around two hours ashore for the meal and whatever daylight allows.
How crowded is it?
This is a large operation, and the critical reviews describe what that means: the buffet can mean queues at the food lines, and one reviewer described sharing the trip with hundreds of other people. The complaints are about the scale, rarely about the cooking.
Is the BBQ on the TSS Earnslaw steamship?
Only if you choose a TSS Earnslaw departure. Sailings also run on the catamaran Spirit of Queenstown. From 18 May to 27 June 2026 the steamship is in its annual survey and all crossings run on the catamaran; the BBQ continues as normal.
Can I cancel my BBQ booking?
Yes. The product page offers free cancellation up to 24 hours before departure. When weather forces the operator to cancel, bookings are rebooked or refunded.
