We had a GREAT experience working with Dianne and her firm GoWalkAbout Travel. (…) She has deep knowledge of the accommodations, sights and adventures, earned over many years of experience, but happily finds the new and innovative.
Where is Wanaka?
Wanaka New Zealand is located in the Southern Alps, about four hours from Franz Josef Glacier and just over an hour from Queenstown. Like its more famous neighbour, Queenstown, Wanaka is home to a vast sparkling lake, snow-capped mountains, river valleys, alpine meadows, and dense forests. However, Wanaka is more low-key than Queenstown, with fewer tourists and more peaceful for those travellers who need some downtime. So for those who want an alpine adventure but don’t like the crowds, Wanaka is a great option.
We love Wanaka for a couple of days of adventure and a few down days to relax. In terms of adventure, most of the activities in Queenstown can also be enjoyed in Wanaka, despite Wanaka’s smaller size. Go hiking in a national park, try your hand at fly fishing, feel the river water from a jet boat, or take a helicopter to a remote peak for the ultimate selfie.
In terms of relaxation, Wanaka is surrounded by the natural beauty that allows you to rest and rejuvenate, wilderness style.
Places to Stay in Wanaka
There are fewer places to stay here than in Queenstown, and they tend to be smaller. However, they still run the full range of budgets and styles. You’ll find three, four, and five-star accommodation options in and around Wanaka. Some of our favourites take up acres and acres of land, creating a natural playground to enjoy both land and water (whether that’s on a lake or a river).
There are fewer chain hotels here than other places, so we recommend splurging on an authentic wilderness lodge. Some are truly luxurious, while others are more like country inns or small resorts. Since there are fewer places to stay in here relative to Queenstown, and since each of those places is unique, ensure to book early to get the location most suited to your interests. An expert travel agent can help you decide.
Many Wanaka properties have great views and space, at a great bargain compared to Queenstown. Make sure to stay at least four nights so that you have time to enjoy the adventurous surroundings and spend time relaxing.
Things to Do in Wanaka, New Zealand
Many of the best activities in Wanaka are similar to those in Queenstown. However, the options in Wanaka tend to have fewer crowds which makes for a more authentic, immersive experience.
Just outside Wanaka is Mt. Aspiring National Park. Here, you’ll find hiking and walking trails to suit any fitness level. Go on a short stroll around Lake Wanaka, or head out for a full day of backcountry hiking in the national park with an expert naturalist. You can also enjoy mountain biking on forested trails.
Another popular activity in Wanaka is sightseeing by helicopter, known as flightseeing. There are flights over Mt. Aspiring, Mt. Cook, the West Coast glaciers, or Milford Sound. Consider landing on a backcountry glacier or remote mountain peak where no other tourists will disturb your view. It’s the ultimate in private wilderness experiences.
Consider a 4WD tour to a high country farm for those feeling less active but no less adventurous. Learn about early settler history, then board a jet boat for a wild ride on a backcountry river. One unique thing that Wanaka offers is flightseeing in a vintage biplane! Or, maybe you’d like to try flying a plane yourself — try your hand at flying lessons while soaring over the Southern Alps.
What Other Fun Activities Can We Do In Wanaka?
Relaxing and enjoying the view of mountains, valleys, and rivers
Hiking in and around Mt. Aspiring National Park
Helicopter flightseeing to a glacier, a mountain peak, a fjord, or the wild West Coast
River jet boating
Mountain biking
Touring a high country farm and learning about early settler history
Vintage biplane flights and flying lessons over the Southern Alps
Dining at fine restaurants downtown or your luxury accommodation
Tandem skydiving, parasailing, and paragliding
Mountaineering and climbing
Skiing in winter
Heli-hiking, heli-fishing, heli-skiing almost year-round
Spend a couple of hours at Puzzling World — great fun for the whole family
How to Get to Wanaka, New Zealand
We highly recommend self-driving to Wanaka. That way, you can have access to all the best scenic locations. Wanaka is about an hour northeast of Queenstown, driving through the beautiful Cardrona Valley. It’s about four hours southwest of Franz Josef and Fox Glaciers. Or, if you’re coming from Mt. Cook, you’ll drive about three hours through the broad valleys of the Mackenzie region
The closest commercial airport is in Queenstown, about an hour away, and there are currently no train routes serving Wanaka. We think Wanaka is an excellent stop between the West Coast and Queenstown or Milford Sound and Doubtful Sound.
When Is The Best Time To Visit Wanaka, New Zealand?
As with most places in New Zealand, you can go to Wanaka and have a great time in any season. However, if you’re going skiing, the colder months of July and August are best. You aren’t likely to see snow right around town, even in winter, only on the tallest peaks.
September is slightly more likely than other months to experience mudslides over Haast Pass. That means you may have more difficulty driving between Wanaka and the West Coast in September than in other months.
From Christmas through January, the holiday period tends to see the highest volume of local tourists because New Zealand children are on their Summer school holidays throughout January. Therefore, tourist areas can get crowded at that time of year.
Our favourite time to visit Wanaka is between February and June, from October through mid-December. These months tend to have the mildest weather conditions, with fewer tourists. If you have your sights set on the holiday season, January or February, then start planning early — 10 months ahead is best.
Our New Zealand Travel Specialists can handcraft you an itinerary that will have you journey through beautiful Wanaka.
Are you ready to visit Wanaka? Then it’s time to start planning! Contact us to get started today.
What Our Past Travelers Have to Say
G’day Dianne. Thank you! You listened well and organized our trip extremely well. Pick up and delivery times were spot on. The hotels were all good to great. (…) I just wanted to let you know that we appreciated everything you did to arrange a wonderful trip.
42 Days, 2 Countries, 6 States, 1 Territory, 15 Cities/Locations, 14 Flights and not a single mishap. On top of that, we had a GREAT TIME! A TRIP OF A LIFE-TIME! Our six week adventure to Australia and Singapore was our most memorable vacation to date. (…) Dianne is a wonderful find and without hesitation we recommend her to family and friends. Dianne will certainly be organizing our next adventure.
(…) Dianne put together an incredible New Zealand trip for us – we travelled from one tip to the other, East and West included. I would have thought Dianne knew me from childhood as every spot we visited or stayed at – was exactly what I would have chosen myself (had I known the country). (…)
Dianne planned a fantastic honeymoon for us. (…) We gave her an idea of the things and activities that we like to do and she just rolled with it! We didn’t really know much about either place, so didn’t have too much of a preference of where we wanted to go, but with her knowledge she was able to send us to some amazing places. (…) Thanks for planning us a wonderful honeymoon!
(…) Everything went very smoothly, thanks to you and your organizational skills! We really appreciate everything you did for us! (…) I want to thank you (Dianne) for all the work you & your colleagues did to ensure that we had an enjoyable holiday.
(…) Dianne, there are so many things you did for us that I cannot list them all in a letter. However, I can say that I have never worked with a travel agent before who took as much time to deal with all the details – big and small. It was like we were part of your extended family and you took full responsibility for our wellbeing. I would recommend you to anyone looking for a great travel agent, and I wish you the best of success in the future.
(…) From the beginning, Dianne really stood out. She spent a significant amount of time on the front end learning what we were interested in and what we did not like about previous tours. (…) I would definitely recommend GoWalkabout Travel to any of my friends and family. Thanks again for our trip! We had a fantastic time!
It was a trip of a lifetime!! (…) Every thing was working like clockwork. (…) Thanks Dianne and it was a pleasure meeting you and you taking the time to meet us in Sydney.
We really enjoyed working with Dianne in planning our trip to Australia. She was very efficient and gave us great recommendations. Prior to our departure, she ensured we had everything we needed including packing tips, in order to have a great trip. We would highly recommend using her services.
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