Everyone rides
Family quad session
Children from 6 ride
- RidingAbout 45 minutes
- Kids' quads50 or 90cc
- ParentRides too
Clickable checklist
Kids quad bike in Queenstown: who can ride what
Queenstown: Kids Quad Bike Family Adventure (45 min)
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Book your seatA kids quad bike in Queenstown is possible from age 6, on a machine sized for a child. Here are the age lines for every tour, what the family session involves, the gear and what younger children can do.
Editorial team, queenstownquadbike.quest · Updated November 8, 2026 · A 6 min read
Summary view
- Children 6 to 13Ride their own 50 to 90cc quads on a family course.1
- A parent rides tooAt least one parent or guardian must ride along.2
- Teens 14 to 17Ride 250cc quads beside the family, or the Gorge Road adult tour from 14.1
- Over 16Old enough for the Queenstown Hill ride.3
- Never as passengersWorkSafe calls a child passenger on a quad particularly dangerous.4
Who can ride what: the age lines
The first question for any kids quad bike in Queenstown is age, and each tour draws its own line. The site's tour on Queenstown Hill lists riders over 16, while its operator's own page puts the minimum at 16, the manufacturer's recommendation for the type of bike it uses; check the age rule when you book.5 That rules out younger children, however confident they are on a bicycle.
Younger riders have other options. The Gorge Road adult quad tour of a second operator accepts riders from 14. The same operator runs a family session where children aged 6 to 13 ride small quads of their own, while teens and adults use 250cc machines.1 A quad and buggy combo also starts at 6. Across all its activities, that operator has options from age 4.6
The very youngest can still come along without riding. On the self-drive buggy tour, the driver has to be at least 18 and hold a full licence, but passengers can be as young as 4. So a family with a toddler, a primary-school child and a teenager can find a ride for everyone, just not on the same machine or the same tour.
Age by age
Which quad or buggy ride each age can join
| Ride | Youngest | Machine | Adult needed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Family quad session | 6 | 50 to 90cc quad | Yes, riding |
| Quad and buggy combo | 6 | Quad, then buggy | Yes, paying |
| Gorge Road quad tour | 14 | Own quad | No |
| Queenstown Hill tour | Over 16 | 400cc quad | No |
| Self-drive buggy, passenger | 4 | Buggy seat | Yes, driving |
The youngest rider each operator or listing accepts.1,2,13,3
Why children ride smaller quads
The age rules are not arbitrary. WorkSafe New Zealand says riders under 16 should not ride adult-sized quads, though they may ride machines designed specifically for their age.8,9 It explains that most children lack the size and weight to control an adult quad, and react more slowly to danger than adults.10
Its guidance on farm safety says the same thing another way: children lack the judgement, body weight and strength for full-size farm vehicles such as quads.11 Riding a quad means shifting your body to balance it, and a child on a big machine simply does not have the mass to move it. A small quad changes that sum entirely.
WorkSafe has also published figures that explain the caution. It reported that quad riders under 16 were 2.5 times more likely to be injured than riders aged 16-34, and that under-16s made up 16% of users but between 37%-50% of injuries.12 Those figures come mostly from farms, where children ride without guides. A guided session on purpose-built tracks is a very different setting.
The family quad session, step by step
The family session sold on this page is a quad bike ride in Queenstown built around children. You check in at the Off Road Adventures shop at 61A Shotover Street about 15 minutes ahead, then ride a van for about 5 minutes to the course on Gorge Road. Everyone gears up, hears the safety briefing and rides together.
The riding lasts about 45 minutes on purpose-built tracks designed to build skills and confidence.7,14 Each person rides their own machine, and the whole family is on the course at the same time.1 At least one parent or guardian must ride.2 Expect a guide who keeps the pace at the level of the youngest rider.
Check-in and the transfers add another 30 minutes or so, the operator says.7 The listing gives 1.25 hours in all and a group of up to 15. Complimentary photos come with it. It fits easily into a morning, leaving the rest of the day for something calmer by the lake.
By age
Which ride for your child?
Start with the youngest in your group and work up.
If My youngest is 4 or 5
Buggy passenger
The self-drive buggy takes passengers from 4 with an adult driving.
If My child is between 6 and 13
The family quad session
Children 6 to 13 ride their own small quads with a parent riding.1,2
If My teen is 14 but too young for the hill
Gorge Road or the family session
Riders from 14 are accepted on the Gorge Road adult tour; teens ride 250cc quads on the family course.1
If My teen is over 16
Queenstown Hill
The longer hill ride takes riders over 16.3
If My child is nervous
The combo
A short quad session in the training area, then a ride with the guide at the wheel.13
Rides for families
Three off-road options with children
From age 6
Quad and buggy combo
Quad, then guide drives
- Duration1.5 hours
- Quad session30 minutes
- BuggyGuide drives
Passengers from 4
Self-drive buggy
Adult drives
- Ride time1 hour
- Driver18, full licence
- SeatsUp to 4
What a family quad ride costs
The family session on this page is listed from $164 per rider. On the operator's own site, prices are written in New Zealand dollars: NZ$199 per child aged 6 to 13 and NZ$259 per youth or adult, from NZ$458 for the minimum of two riders.22 Prices change, so check the current figure when you book.
For comparison, the quad and buggy combo is listed from $205 and takes children from age 6 and up. The site's tour on Queenstown Hill, for riders over 16, is from $203 per person.3 A family with older teenagers might split up: younger children on the family course, teens over 16 on the longer hill ride.
The listing lets you cancel the family session free of charge until 24 hours before it starts. The operator's own site sets a different window for bookings made directly, 48 hours for groups up to 10.16 Book through one channel and keep to its rules. Either way, a credit card is usually asked for as a bond when someone drives a machine.
Price a family ride
What your family's ride adds up to
Enter the number of riders in your family to compare the totals.
Review 2 options
What your family's ride adds up to
Enter the number of riders in your family to compare the totals.
- Family quad session1.25 hours · starts at, per person $164
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View - Quad and buggy combo1.5 hours · starts at, per person $205
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View
Currency conversion uses the ECB reference rate on GetYourGuide from-prices. The exact price is displayed when you book.
The family session
A kids quad ride from check-in to photos
Check-in
At the Shotover Street shop
Arrive 15 minutes before the tour.
Transfer
Van to Gorge Road
About 5 minutes to the riding site.
Gear up
Helmets and briefing
Helmets, goggles, gloves and a safety talk for all riders.
Ride
The family on the course
About 45 minutes on purpose-built tracks.7
Finish
Photos, then town
Complimentary photos, then back to central Queenstown.
Gear for small riders
Each child is issued a helmet, goggles and gloves, and rain gear if the day turns wet.18 The operator says its safety kit runs from children's sizes up to adults' 5XL.23 That matters: a helmet that wobbles on a small head is no help. Ask the guide to check the fit before you set off, and tighten the strap until it sits snug.
WorkSafe's advice for children on quads is short. Helmets and boots at all times, training before they ride, and limits on speed and terrain.24,25,26 For smaller farm bikes it adds closed-in shoes and adult supervision.27 A guided course covers training, terrain and supervision for you; shoes are your job.
Put children in long trousers, socks and closed-toe shoes, and pick clothes that can come home covered in dust.17 When rain is about, the operator hands out a rain jacket, rain pants and gumboots.19 Bring a snack and a drink for after, since nothing is served on the course.20 And set an example: WorkSafe suggests adults always wear an approved helmet on a quad.28
Video
A family quad bike ride in Queenstown
The Well Travelled Family on YouTube · Playback files load only once you tap play.
Kids don’t have the same levels of risk awareness as adults and might not react fast enough to stop an accident happening.
Why children do not ride as passengers
It can look harmless to sit a child in front of you on a quad. WorkSafe disagrees firmly. It calls carrying a child as a passenger particularly dangerous, with possibly deadly results.4 A passenger makes a one-person quad less stable and more likely to roll, and a small child has neither the weight nor the reflexes to help.29
The same guidance tells parents never to let children carry passengers either, whether younger siblings or friends.21 On a guided family session that is easy: everyone has their own machine. At home, on a farm stay or a friend's property, the rule matters more, and it is worth explaining to children before they see someone else doing it.
If a child is too young or too nervous to ride, a buggy is the safer seat. WorkSafe says children should ride in a side-by-side only when they can sit with their feet on the floor and reach the handhold.30 The self-drive buggy tour takes passengers from 4, with an adult at the wheel. It is a fair way for a small child to feel the bumps without holding the handlebars.
More for the family in Queenstown
Destination Queenstown, the regional tourism body, points out that four-wheel drive, quad and buggy tours run in wet weather too, and asks families to check minimum ages when booking.15 That makes an off-road ride a good plan for a grey day, when the lake is less inviting.
For the children who are too young to ride, there is plenty close by. The luge at the top of Bob's Peak is a family favourite.31 A wildlife park in the middle of town has kiwi and 30 other species.32 A crossing on the TSS Earnslaw steamship to Walter Peak High Country Farm adds farm demonstrations and afternoon tea.33
Many adventure activities set height and weight limits for children, as Destination Queenstown reminds families.34 Check each one before you promise it. The same is true of quads: the age written on the listing is what counts on the day, and guides will turn away a rider who is too young or too small, however much they have been looking forward to it.35
FAQ
Quick questions get quick answers.
What age can kids ride quad bikes in Queenstown?
Can a 14-year-old ride a quad in Queenstown?
Yes, on some tours.
Riders from 14 can join the Gorge Road adult tour, and teens of 14 to 17 ride 250cc quads on the family session.1
Can under-16s join the Queenstown Hill quad tour?
Can my child ride on the back of my quad?
What do children wear for quad biking?
How long is the kids quad session?
About 45 minutes of riding.
Check-in and transfers take roughly 30 minutes more; the listing gives 1.25 hours in all.7
What can toddlers do instead?
Ride as a buggy passenger.
The self-drive buggy tour takes passengers from 4, with a licensed adult driving.
Sources
- Off Road Adventures Queenstown (tour operator) · Quad Bikes ↩
- Off Road Adventures Queenstown (tour operator) · Quad Bikes ↩
- Nomad Safaris (tour operator) · Quad Bike Adventure Tour ↩
- WorkSafe New Zealand · Carrying passengers on quad bikes ↩
- Nomad Safaris (tour operator) · Quad Bike Adventure Tour ↩
- Off Road Adventures Queenstown (tour operator) · FAQs ↩
- Off Road Adventures Queenstown (tour operator) · Quad Bikes ↩
- WorkSafe New Zealand · Safe use of quad bikes - fact sheet ↩
- WorkSafe New Zealand · Safe use of quad bikes - fact sheet ↩
- WorkSafe New Zealand · Use the right farm vehicle ↩
- WorkSafe New Zealand · Children and young people on farms ↩
- WorkSafe New Zealand · Farmers encouraged to keep children safe this summer ↩
- Off Road Adventures Queenstown (tour operator) · Quad Bikes ↩
- Off Road Adventures Queenstown (tour operator) · Quad Bikes ↩
- Destination Queenstown · A Week in Queenstown for the Whole Family ↩
- Off Road Adventures Queenstown (tour operator) · FAQs ↩
- Off Road Adventures Queenstown (tour operator) · Quad Bikes ↩
- Off Road Adventures Queenstown (tour operator) · Quad Bikes ↩
- Off Road Adventures Queenstown (tour operator) · Quad Bikes ↩
- Off Road Adventures Queenstown (tour operator) · Quad Bikes ↩
- WorkSafe New Zealand · Safe use of quad bikes - fact sheet ↩
- Off Road Adventures Queenstown (tour operator) · Quad Bikes ↩
- Off Road Adventures Queenstown (tour operator) · Safety ↩
- WorkSafe New Zealand · Safe use of quad bikes - fact sheet ↩
- WorkSafe New Zealand · Safe use of quad bikes - fact sheet ↩
- WorkSafe New Zealand · Safe use of quad bikes - fact sheet ↩
- WorkSafe New Zealand · Children and young people on farms ↩
- WorkSafe New Zealand · Children and young people on farms ↩
- WorkSafe New Zealand · Carrying passengers on quad bikes ↩
- WorkSafe New Zealand · Use the right farm vehicle ↩
- Destination Queenstown · A Week in Queenstown for the Whole Family ↩
- Destination Queenstown · A Week in Queenstown for the Whole Family ↩
- Destination Queenstown · A Week in Queenstown for the Whole Family ↩
- Destination Queenstown · A Week in Queenstown for the Whole Family ↩
- Nomad Safaris (tour operator) · Quad Bike Adventure Tour ↩
Further reading