Wanaka is much like Queenstown, however, my heart feels more drawn to Queenstown. Wanaka is also a small town situated just about an hour’s drive across the mountain from Queenstown, and is centred around a lake. Your choices of activities to do here is quite similar to Queenstown, with some obvious differences.

Lake Wanaka is a lot calmer than Lake Wakatipu, and you can often see a lot more swimmers and water based activities going on in the area. If you do venture out to Wanaka, I would recommend taking a walk to go see That Wanaka Tree which is situated at the far end of the Lake, and is a tree in the middle of the lake. It has become quite a popular photography pit stop for both local and international travellers.

There isn’t a Gondola in Wanaka, or at least I haven’t come across one. Wanaka does have a fantastic hike for those who are avid hikers or may be keen on checking this out, it’s called Roys Peak Track. I haven’t had the opportunity to hike it myself, as each time I’ve been in Wanaka, I’ve only been there for a short span of time and this hike can take a while from what I’ve heard. I would suggest reading up on the hike and making sure that this is something you are able to do.

If you are heading to Wanaka in the winter, this is another spot where you can go skiing. Again, I’m not much of a mountain person, so couldn’t give you tips on when/where etc. but if you’ve been and have any recommendations leave them in the comments below. Wanaka is perhaps better suited as a spot to relax. If you’ve planned an extensive tour through the South Island, which involves a lot of driving etc. make Wanaka a pit stop, and just relax and take a couple of days.

If you’re up for something a bit different, head down to Puzzling World. This is a fun for all ages activity, and as the name suggests, you are faced with a number of different puzzles and illusions as you make your way through. It’s a nice way to spend a few hours, depending on how long you want to spend here.

Often times, anyone travelling to Queenstown, will take a day and head to Wanaka to spend the day there and head back. If you are staying in Wanaka for a few days, you may wish to head out towards Mount Cook and/or Lake Tekapo. Both picturesque spots of New Zealand with a handful of activities to do. My suggestion would always be to stay a day in Lake Tekapo as well, however, if you are tight for time, you may just like to do a day trip.

It’s difficult writing about small towns of New Zealand, but if you have any questions about your visit to Wanaka, leave them in the comments below and I will try my best to answer those.

Until next time,

MiliG