Colonel's Homestead, Walter Peak

Dinner at the Colonel's Homestead is a half-day out rather than a meal, and the crossing is a good part of why you go. The homestead sits on the western shore of Lake Whakatipu at Walter Peak High Country Farm, with Queenstown a scatter of lights on the far side.

You leave from the RealNZ Visitor Centre on Steamer Wharf. The TSS Earnslaw takes about 45 minutes each way — she is a 1912 coal-fired steamship, and you can look down into the open engine room and watch the stokers work. The Spirit of Queenstown, a modern catamaran, does the same run in about 35 minutes and is the easier option if you have a pram or a mobility aid. The Earnslaw comes out of the water for annual maintenance over winter, and the catamaran covers the run while she is off.

The food

Buffet, but not the sad kind. Meat and seafood go over a wood-fired barbecue and come out to a spread that changes with the season — salads, vegetables from the garden, vegetarian dishes, and a dessert table it is worth pacing yourself for. The kitchen is run by executive chef Will Eaglesfield. Tell them in advance about dietary requirements and they will work around them.

You eat inside the homestead, which was built in 1902 and rebuilt in 1977 after a fire, with the lakeside gardens outside the windows.

Afterwards

A farm dog and sheepshearing demonstration follows the meal — short, genuinely good, and the dogs are the stars. There is time to walk the gardens before the boat back. On the Earnslaw's return leg there is usually a pianist and a sing-along; the catamaran runs commentary instead.

Practical

Book ahead — this does not work as a walk-up. Prices start at $175 per adult, and that covers the return cruise, the meal and the farm show; the Earnslaw costs more than the catamaran, and children are cheaper, so check the rate for the departure you want. Allow three and a half to four hours door to door. Both vessels and the farm are cashless, so bring a card.

The restaurant itself is wheelchair accessible, but the path up from the wharf is inclined gravel and can be hard going unaccompanied. Let them know when you book.

Wear shoes with grip and bring a jacket. It is colder on the water than it looks from town, and colder again once the sun drops behind the range.