Things to do in Wanaka

Wanaka sits on its own lake an hour from Queenstown over the Crown Range, a town of around 9,000 people with a quieter, more family-oriented pace than its neighbour.

The lakefront draws people to #ThatWanakaTree, a lone willow a short walk from the centre, while Puzzling World on the Cardrona road runs illusion rooms and a great maze for around NZD 25 to 30 per adult. Roys Peak is the big drawcard and it is a proper climb: 1,200 metres of ascent over a 16 km return track, generally 5 to 6 hours, not a stroll before lunch.

Central Otago vineyards ring the basin with cellar-door tastings, and Wanaka is also the practical base for trips into Mount Aspiring National Park and up to Treble Cone, 1 hour away on an unsealed access road.