One of the most important things to keep in mind when planning a trip to New Zealand is that they have the opposite seasons that they have in the United States. The winter is their summer, and vice versa. This is very important because if you are planning on going on a summer vacation in July, you should know that you will be heading down to Queenstown in the dead of winter. However, this will give you some great skiing and sight seeing. There are fabulous lakes, mountain ranges, and plains that stretch for miles all throughout the countryside, and these make for great day trips outside of the city. During the summer there is a good deal of tourism in the area and because of this there is usually more to do during the warmer seasons. You can stil do the usual activities in the winter, but some of the outdoor sports can not be done because of danger. Another thing to remember is that a lot of American and other international college students spend semesters abroad in Australia and New Zealand. During their spring break, a good deal of these students travel to Queenstown. This not only creates more traffic in the city, but hotel will be booked and restaurants will be packed. A lot of the activities you might want to do could also be completely booked up, so if you do plan on going during this time, try to book things in advance. You should also check the weather before you head down just to make sure what to wear.