Wanaka, a place that sounds like a fictional continent from Marvel’s comic book, is an all-season resort town in the South Island of New Zealand. Wanaka is also known as a more casual, nature-focussed version of the busy Queenstown.
Top Things To Do & Visit In Wanaka
Lake Wanaka: Take A Swim / Paddle, Look For #ThatWanakaTree
The massive Lake Wanaka is a cool spot to take a refreshing swim with the ducks during the hot summer days. Look at the water!
Even if you are not planning to get wet, watching the ducks doing their thing, or renting a kayak to paddle around the lake are some therapeutic activities. (Don’t forget sun protection!)
Not to forget the signature Lake Wanaka Tree (#ThatWanakaTree). I visited the place during the dry summer month so the water level was quite low and I could see the ‘island’ where the tree stands on, which would usually be submerged for more cinematic shots.
Watch Jack Russells Race At The Wanaka A&P Show
A&P Show (Agricultural and Pastoral Show) has been a long tradition in New Zealand since the 1800s. It is a major annual event that happens in different provinces of New Zealand (each with different times of the year).
Wanaka A&P Show usually happens in March every year, attracting visitors from all over the country for its trade shows, entertainments, competitions and performances.
Sheep herding competition
Dogs training competition
Sheep shearing showcase
Finally, don’t miss out on the cute and unique tradition that only happens in Wanaka’s A&P Show, which is the Jack Russell Race! Anyone with a Jack Russell Terrier can participate in this once-a-year race. Watch the video here:
On an unrelated note, try looking for these massive trees along McDougall Street (to Redwood Lane).
Test Your Sharpshooting Skill At Real Guns NZ
The shooting range at Real Guns New Zealand is located in Cardrona, just a kilometer from the border of Wanaka (booking required).
The $150 2 hours+ package includes 20 rounds of semi-auto Ruger .22 (small-bore) and 10 rounds of double-barrel shotgun clay bird shooting.
After that, you can pick as many guns displayed on the wall to shoot as add-ons (price varies based on bullet types). Rifle types range from scaled-down small-bore (.22 bullets) AK/M4/AR-15/SCAR models, to real models of Winchester (.44 magnum), Citadel Levtac 92 (.44 magnum), Uberti 1873 Revolving Carbine (.357 magnum), GBC AR-15 (.223), Remington 700 Sniper Rifle (.308), Mosin-Nagant (7.62x54mmR), Carbon Rifle (.338 Lapua).
Available pump-action and semi-automatic shotguns include the Beretta 685 (20g), Benelli M2 (12g), Dickinson XX3 (12g), Mossberg 590 (12g), KSG (12g) and KS7 (12g).
The most exciting one would be the Barrett M99 anti-material rifle, loading a big .50BMG anti-armor bullet. It really does pack a punch! Watch our shooting video here:
In addition, you are also free to do lots of photoshoots with all sorts of firearms.
Go For A Ski During Winter Season
Wanaka is an excellent base for skiers and snowboarders who want to hit the slopes regularly. There are multiple ski resorts on the snow-capped mountains around Wanaka, each with incredibly diverse terrains:
- Cardrona Alpine Resort (affiliate link): World Class Ski Field 40 minutes drive from Wanaka.
- Treble Cone Ski Area: Long, Uncrowded groomed runs, legendary off-piste terrain and unrivaled views over Lake Wanaka and the Southern Alps.
- Snow Farm NZ: New Zealand’s only cross-country ski area. Loads of fun family-centric activities such as tubing, snowshoeing.
- Wanaka Mountain Guides: Offers personalized ski and splitboard tour in the untouched backcountry and glacier Heli-skiing.
Scenic Drive & Lookout Point Along Crown Range Road and Cardrona Valley Road
Crown Range Road and Cardrona Valley Road are direct routes connecting Wanaka and Queenstown area, bypassing the longer state highway. There are many scenic spots along the way where there are parking areas by the road side to safely enjoy the views.
Some of the good scenic stops include: Arrow Junction Lookout Point, Crown Range Road Scenic Lookout, Crown Range Summit (an excellent spot to photograph Aurora too! Blog post coming soon!).
Cardrona Bra Fence: The story started in the 1999 New Year season when four pairs of bras were anonymously attached to the wire fence for unknown reasons (probably some women decided to do this to celebrate a new year, after a night drinking at the pub). For some reason, more people started to add more bras onto the fence. After multiple controversial disapprovals and removal attempts, the site now sits thousands of bras and also as a platform that has raised tens of thousands of dollars for New Zealand Breast Cancer Foundation.
Hiking Spots In & Around Wanaka
Mount Iron Track - Wanaka
Mount Iron Track is the neighborhood’s favorite hiking track, frequented by locals and travelers. You may park at the main Mount Iron Track car park, or when it’s full, there’s alternative parking here just opposite of Puzzling World.
It takes around 40 minutes to Mount Iron summit, and around 1.5 hours for the loop back to the car park. Some parts are quite steep and with the sandy track it can be quite slippery if your shoes don’t have good traction. The trail is exposed to the sun so make sure you have proper sun protection.
A metal plate on the summit pointing to all the visible mountain peaks around Wanaka.
Roys Peak
The busiest hiking spot close to Wanaka, Roys Peak features scenic panoramic views over Lake Wanaka and the surrounding snow-capped peaks of the Southern Alps. See the full post on Roys Peak here
Mount Alpha (via Roys Peak or Skyline Track)
In contrast to Roys Peak, Mount Alpha is a wonderful quiet summit for fitter and more experienced hikers, where you would hardly see anyone on the breathtaking track. Mount Alpha can be accessed by doing a long 7-10 hours one way Skyline Track (end to end), or continuing the hike from Roys Peak summit for another 1.5 hours to Mount Alpha summit, just like what I did here.
Diamond Lake Conservation Area
A less crowded hiking spot often overlooked by common tourists and it actually offers a much better view of Lake Wanaka than Roys Peak. There are four levels of track difficulty and duration, but I recommend walking all the way to Rocky Mountain Summit which would cover all the tracks and amazing viewpoints. Read the full post here
Rob Roy Glacier Track
Rob Roy Glacier Track offers an easy walk to the dramatic closeup views of glaciers, waterfalls, sheer rock cliffs and the alpine environment of Mount Aspiring National Park. The trailhead is 50+km from Wanaka, but I included this destination because this is the furthest vehicle road where you must pass by Wanaka in order to reach here. Read the full post here
Other than that, the same trailhead shares access to other world class backcountry multi-day tramping tracks: Liverpool Track, French Ridge Track, West Matukituki Track, Cascade Saddle Route, Rees Dart Track.
What To Eat In Wanaka
The town of Wanaka is a hub for all kinds of good food, here are some of the top places to eat at:
What are some other things you like to do in Wanaka? Share it in the comment below!
Have this guide helped you? Tag @meowtainpeople in your hiking stories & posts!
*Captain Planet passing by* Remember, please take care of our environment, and please don’t destroy the Nature. Leave no trash behind and take back only photos and memories (and also some trash if you can). Walk on the designated path and stay in the middle as much as you can, so that the exposed soil doesn’t spread/corrode further. BE ONE WITH NATURE *flies away*
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