New Zealand tourist towns don’t get much more iconic than Wānaka. It’s home to some of the best hikes in the country, a wide variety of activities to suit all types of traveller and one of the prettiest lakefront beach areas in New Zealand. There are so many things to do in Wanaka — I’ll … Read more
Central Otago and the Queenstown Lakes District, which includes Wānaka, is one of the most famous wine growing regions in New Zealand. I’d love to write more about it, but I’m one of those unsophisticated people who can’t stand wine. I do, however, enjoy a good viewpoint, and the Rippon Vineyard certainly excels in that … Read more
New Zealand (especially the South Island) isn’t exactly bursting with fun indoor activities. There are a few though, and Puzzling World in Wānaka 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. This post contains affiliate links — if you click … Read more
Fancy driving along New Zealand’s highest main road? With great height comes great views, and the road from Queenstown to Wānaka certainly has those. The Crown Range is known for its tight curves and sweeping vistas – here’s everything you need to know about driving the Crown Range between Queenstown and Wānaka (or Wānaka and … Read more
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. Wānaka Lavender Farm has all of those things, and much more. By the way I’m writing you’d think I was paid to post this … Read more
The Diamond Lake and Rocky Mountain tracks merge together to create a fun three hour hike. There is so much to see along the way, including an interesting small lake and grand views of Lake Wānaka and Mount Aspiring National Park. There is heaps of uphill hiking, but if you have the energy this is … Read more
With Wānaka 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 it and the “sand” (or … Read more
By now you probably know that Roys Peak is the best sunrise hike in Wānaka, 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 Peak) but at only 90-minutes … Read more
We all want to be famous. Options for achieving this in the modern world include controversial reality TV appearances, doing dumb stuff on social media or being genuinely talented at something. Or you could be a partially submerged willow tree standing alone in Lake Wānaka. That Wānaka Tree has become an Instagram celebrity over the … Read more
If you’re going to walk uphill in the dark for three 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 Wānaka and the surrounding mountains there’s nowhere else you’d rather be. I’m sure it’s an incredible … Read more