Queenstown's only superyacht
Experience the ultimate in luxury and style when you step onboard the Pacific Jemm, the only one of its kind in Queenstown. The 80-foot Falcon is a five-star luxury yacht offering a unique and memorable charter along Lake Wakatipu. We invite our guests to indulge in an experience that will exceed all expectations.
Pacific Jemm is the southernmost superyacht on a lake anywhere in the world. Built by Falcon and finished in teak and polished steel, she carries up to 32 guests with a crew who know every cove, headland and weather pattern on the lake. She departs from O’Regans Wharf in Queenstown Bay — a five-minute walk from The Spire’s front door on Church Lane.
As part of the Imperium Collection, Pacific Jemm and The Spire Hotel are sister properties. That means our concierge books your cruise directly, coordinates timings around your dinner reservation at No.5 Church Lane, and can build the day so the yacht is the centrepiece rather than an add-on.
Three ways to cruise
Private charter
A private charter is Pacific Jemm at her best. Your skipper customises the route based on the weather and your preferences: the sheltered arms of the lake on a breezy day, or a long run towards Glenorchy under clear skies. Gourmet platters, Central Otago wine and Champagne are served on the aft deck. Private charters run from a two-hour minimum, priced per hour for up to 20 guests, with a second tier for 21 to 32.
Half-day and full-day cruises
A half-day cruise is an afternoon exploration of Lake Wakatipu’s hidden beauty. The full-day adventure combines leisurely cruising with water activities — paddleboard in pristine coves, swim in crystal water, and discover remote landings near Glenorchy that road-bound visitors never see.
The Mulled Wine Cruise
Through winter, Pacific Jemm runs a scheduled Mulled Wine Cruise: a 12.30pm sailing, five days a week (closed Tuesdays and Wednesdays), cruising beneath the peaks of the central arm and into the serenity of Bob’s Cove with warming mulled wine and nibbles aboard. It is the perfect winter afternoon on the water, and it is included in two of our current packages — Stay 2 Nights, Sail On Us and the All-Inclusive Weekend.
What a day looks like
Breakfast à la carte at Brunch on Church, then a stroll down through the Village Green to the wharf. Board mid-morning. The first hour is the lake opening out behind Kelvin Heights, Cecil Peak and Walter Peak filling the windows. Lunch is served as the boat idles in a sheltered bay; afternoons are for the top deck, a swim if the season allows, or simply the silence of an engine turned off in the middle of the largest lake in the South Island.
Return to Queenstown Bay in the late afternoon and you are back at The Spire in time for pre-dinner drinks and canapés — a signature inclusion for every direct booking — before dinner at No.5 Church Lane downstairs.
Occasions aboard
Pacific Jemm hosts proposals, milestone birthdays, corporate networking and intimate weddings. She offers an intimate setting for eight seated guests or up to 20 for a scenic ceremony against the alpine backdrop. Tell our concierge what you are marking and we will shape the cruise around it — a photographer aboard, a cake from the No.5 kitchen, or a helicopter transfer to meet the yacht at a remote landing.
Lake Wakatipu, from the water
Lake Wakatipu is the longest lake in New Zealand at 80 kilometres, shaped like a lightning bolt and up to 380 metres deep. It has a curious tide-like rise and fall of around 12 centimetres every 27 minutes — a seiche, which Māori legend attributes to the heartbeat of the giant Matau, whose body burned to form the lake. From the water, the scale of the surrounding ranges becomes obvious in a way it never does from the shore: Cecil Peak and Walter Peak rise almost 1,500 metres straight out of the lake opposite town, and The Remarkables run the length of the Frankton Arm.
Pacific Jemm’s routes take in Queenstown Bay, the Frankton Arm and Kelvin Heights on a short cruise; Bob’s Cove, with its clear water and beech forest, on a half day; and the run north past Mount Creighton towards Glenorchy and the head of the lake on a full day. Wildlife is modest but real: the occasional New Zealand falcon, paradise shelducks in the coves, and the odd trout rising at dusk.
Planning it from The Spire
Book the cruise when you book the hotel — summer weekends and the winter Mulled Wine Cruise fill early. Our concierge will confirm the departure, hold a table at No.5 Church Lane for your return, and arrange a Well Spa treatment the following morning if the deck has left you windblown. Private charters need a two-hour minimum; most guests choose three or four. Catering is by the Pacific Jemm galley and No.5’s kitchen, so dietary requirements given at booking are handled without fuss. If the weather closes in, the skipper calls it by 9am and we rebook you for the next available sailing or refund in full.
Good to know
Bring a warm layer even in summer; the lake breeze is cool once you are moving. Flat, soft-soled shoes are best on deck. Cruises are weather-dependent and the skipper makes the final call on the day — if the lake is too rough, we rebook or refund. Children are welcome on public cruises and private charters alike.
