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Resort town in Otago, New Zealand
Photo: User Dramatic on en.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Wanaka is a town on the shores of Lake Wanaka in the South Island of New Zealand. It is the gateway to Mount Aspiring National Park.
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Has aircraft, cars, trucks, motorcycles, fire appliances, military vehicles and tractors, clockwork and battery powered toys, porcelain dolls, teddy bears, pedal cars and money boxes.
Its major feature is the Great Maze, a 1.5km two-story maze of confusing passages. It also features dozens of optical illusion rooms and a large puzzle centre, cafe and gift shop. Check out Wanaka's version of the Leaning Tower and the incredible Roman toilets.
Learn about the brewing process and sample a brew or two in the tasting room.
A museum of classic and vintage automobiles and motorcycles, and war planes, including an A-4 Skyhawk, a Strikemaster, a Vampire, and a Hurricane. It replaced the Fighter Pilots Museum.
Opened in Sept 2018. Museum on the history of deer in NZ and deer antler carvings. Also has a shop selling deer products including carvings and food supplements, but not meat. Some of the carving is done in China.
Guided canyon adventures
Descend the spectacular canyons of the Matukituki valley. Explore crystal pools and native forest. Plunge down water polished chutes, abseil down waterfalls. Climb, swim and float through a spectacular world of water sculpted rock and sparkling, crashing waterfalls.
Legendary small movie theater with custom seating including comfy old sofas, an old Morris Minor, and a great range of food
A public sauna.
Treble Cone has two chairlifts and a poma serving a mixture of beginner, intermediate, advanced and expert terrain. The resort offers a small retail store, cafe, bar and restaurant at its base. It is approximately 30 minutes drive from Wanaka. The last part of the drive is up a winding dirt road that requires snow chains in winter and a confident driver. Snow reports phone +64 3 443-7444.
This is the highest ski field in New Zealand. Snow reports phone +64 3 443-7007
Harris mountains heliski can be booked from retail stores in Wanaka, and offers a number of different payment options, for a few runs or many. Go when the snow is good or go when the snow is ordinary, and trust your guide and pilot to find a stash. If you book only a few runs and want to do more, the guide may offer an extension to you while you are on the hill. Make a lowball offer! They would not have flown out if profits were not already sorted, and the guide may want another run anyway.
It’s not every day that you strap yourself to a beautiful stranger and leap from a perfectly good aircraft! High altitude tandem skydive. Freefall from 15,000 feet
Take a tour around the local estates
This celebration of the arts occurs every two years in April.
An air show held every second Easter long weekend. The next show is on 3 - 5 April 2026. See over 50 aircraft from the biplanes of WWI, the stars of WWII, the Korea fighters and the jets of Vietnam. Also military vehicles and Harley Davidson motor cycles.
Small sharing plates and cocktails.
Built on the 1880 old Wanaka jail site.
Local cuisine, outdoor seating. Huge meals.
Top notch Indian food in a warm and pleasant atmosphere.
Cosy café on Wanaka's main road facing the lake. Depending on your chosen plate size, you can select a different number of servings of hot foods and/or delicious salads; the friendly staff happily gives recommendations. They also have different pastries and the usual selection of beverages you'd expect from a café. Good value for money considering the local competition, so expect queues at lunch and dinner time.
A bar with some real Central Otago character, featuring some unique entertainment including indoor ice curling and occasionally sheep racing
Asian-themed bar popular with the snowboard crowd
Speights bar offering drink and food
Waterfront bar with a lakeside deck
Also offers day use for freedom campers between 11:30AM and 5PM.
formerly YHA
Dormitories and private rooms.
Surrounded by mountains.
One, two and three-bedroom chalets near the lakefront.
Great service.
Mountain view.
Great service. For Lord of the Rings fans, Minaret Lodge offers a themed room, 'Barlimans' as well as LOTR packages.
By car
Wanaka is a two-kilometre detour off State Highway 6, via State Highway 84. From State Highway 8, Wanaka is a 30 km detour via State Highways 8A, 6 and 84.
By bus
Several bus companies connect Wanaka with Queenstown, Franz Josef and Fox Glaciers, Christchurch and Dunedin.
Wanaka is compact and located on the lake shore. It is an easy walk to shops and restaurants and a number of operators offer car or mountain bike hire.
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Wanaka · Regional · WKA
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