After taking a KJet jet-boat for a spin, he took a Skyline gondola ride then gripped the World Cup trophy while taking The Ledge Swing.
"I’m scared of heights. I was out of my comfort zone," he said.
Mr Elliott then arrived at Queenstown Events Centre’s John Davies Oval, where he talked to Queenstown Cricket Club junior players about the upcoming cup and signed autographs.
The oval, which will host nine cup games between January 15 and February 1, was used for the first time on Saturday following a $640,000 upgrade by the Queenstown Lakes District Council to bring it up to international standard.
"There’s no better place to play cricket," Mr Elliot said.
Referring to the Remarkables mountain range, he added: "To have a place with a backdrop like this is unbelievable."
Mr Elliott recalled playing for his native South Africa in the 1998 U19 World Cup and getting a good score against New Zealand.
He later represented New Zealand, famously hitting the last-ball six against South Africa in Auckland in 2015 that propelled his adopted country into the 2015 World Cup final.
Queenstown will host its first U19 CWC game on January 15, when England faces Namibia. England then plays Bangladesh on January 18 and Canada on January 20, before Super League quarterfinals on January 23 and 26, a semifinal playoff on January 28, the seventh place playoff on January 30, the fifth-place playoff on January 31 and the third-place playoff on February 1.
- Philip Chandler
