New Zealand (especially the South Island) isn’t exactly bursting with fun indoor activities. There are a few though, and Puzzling World in Wanaka is one of the best. It’s a very unique place, full of optical illusions, strange sculptures and the world’s first 3-D super maze. Puzzling World The first

Everyone loves a good photo spot, especially one that you don’t need to hike to and won’t cost (much) to see. It also helps if there is ice-cream in the vicinity. Wanaka Lavender Farm has all of those things, and much more. By the way I’m writing you’d think I

The Diamond Lake and Rocky Mountain tracks merge together to create a stunning three hour hike. There is so much to see along the way, including a surreal little lake and grand views of Lake Wanaka and Mount Aspiring National Park. There is heaps of uphill hiking, but if you

With Wanaka being over a hundred kilometers from the coast you wouldn’t expect it to be an awesome beach destination. Lake beaches have their charms too though, and Glendhu Bay is the perfect example of this. The surrounding scenery is beautiful, the water has that exotic clear blue look to

By now you probably know that Roys Peak is the best sunrise hike in Wanaka, but what if you don’t have the time, stamina or will to walk uphill in the dark for three hours. Mount Iron is the answer. It’s definitely not as impressive as Roys Peak (or Isthmus

We all want to be famous. Options for achieving this in the modern world include sex tapes, controversial reality TV appearances or being genuinely talented at something. Or you could be a partially submerged willow tree standing alone in Lake Wanaka. That Wanaka Tree has become an Instagram celebrity over

If you’re going to walk uphill in the dark for 3 hours the view at the top had better be worth it. Hiking Roys Peak for sunrise certainly isn’t easy, but when those first rays of light hit Lake Wanaka and the surrounding mountains there’s nowhere else you’d rather be.

Located around an hour from Wanaka, on the road to the West Coast, the Blue Pools Track is one of the best short walks in Mount Aspiring National Park. The Blue Pools are clear, calm sections of the Blue / Makarora rivers — it’s some of the most pristine and

Fantail Falls, named after one of New Zealand’s cutest birds, is a small waterfall located a few minutes’ walk from the main road between Wanaka and Haast. It’s one of several easily accessible waterfalls in the area and is worth a quick look — watch out for the sandflies though!

We pulled up to the Roy’s Peak car park at 3.30 am, mentally (if not physically) prepared to tackle the 2-3 hour climb to one of New Zealand’s most iconic viewpoints. It was shut, so we pulled up by the side of the road and used our last remnants of