Things to do in Wanaka in Autumn and Winter 2024: Low-Key Charming Town for Sports and Relaxation

Located in the Wanaka Lake District, Wanaka is less than 100 km from Queenstown and is considered the premier destination for tourism and holiday outside Queenstown. The outdoor activities here are comparable to Queenstown, and it is a must-see destination outside of Queenstown. It is suitable for a stay of 1-2 days.

A small town located in the Wanaka Lake District, Wanaka is less than 100 km from Queenstown and is considered the premier destination for tourism and holiday outside Queenstown. Here you can experience a wide range of outdoor activities such as skydiving, flying, hiking, cycling, skiing, etc. You can also quietly enjoy the lakeside scenery in the cafe by the lake. The town is dominated by outdoor activities and there are not many conventional attractions, the most famous of which is Puzzling World, the only theme park in the world full of quirky content. There is a house of illusion that subverts your sight, there are Roman toilets that are confusing and inscrutable, as well as a huge two-story maze that is with a total length of 1.5 kilometers. It is very suitable for family vacations. In addition, if there is enough time, the town's Warbirds & Wheels military planes and cars museum and Transport & Toy Museum are also worth a visit.

The Wanaka Wheels Museum, a beautiful museum built for New Zealand combat pilots, shows off the planes they flew to commemorate their sacrifices. The museum has several Hawker Hurricane fighters, a de Havilland Vampire, and several Soviet old-fashioned fighters. In addition, there is a car exhibition area consisting of antique cars. When you are eating food in the retro restaurant, you can also feed coins to the jukebox to pick an old song.

Feel like walking is too slow and not exciting enough? Rent a mountain bike, choose from several bike trails of varying difficulty levels. Those with limited riding skills can start from the yacht club at the lake, go downstream, after a bumpy jungle trail to directly reach the town of Albert. Many paths and trails in the Wanaka area are open to bicycles. The Wanaka Outdoors Pursuits can be purchased at the Ministry of Environmental Protection for NZD 3.5. It outlines mountain bike cycling routes ranging from 2km to 24km in length, including the Deans Bank Loop (11.5km). You can also buy the Bike Wanaka Cycling Map at the local bike shop for NZD 2, which includes some lanes in the forest, and is more suitable for adventurous cyclists.

Mt Aspiring National Park is a paradise for outdoor enthusiasts, featuring mountains, glaciers, river valleys, and mountain lakes. There are countless short-distance trails in the park, most of which are near the main road starting point of the park, very convenient. The exciting Rob Roy Valley offers a moderate challenge, taking 2-3 hours roundtrip though glaciers, waterfalls, and a pontoon bridge. The West Matukituki Valley Trail will arrive at the Aspiring Hut. The trail is dominated by flat grassland and has offers beautiful scenery that takes 4-5 hours round trip. If you want to stay overnight or go for a multi-day trek you can continue along the valley to Liverpool Hut, which offers panoramic views of the Aspiring Mountains.

Winter is the busiest season in Wanaka. Skiers from all over the world flock here to enjoy the extraordinary downhill skiing in Cardrona and Treble Cone, Nordic skiing at the Snow Farm, and of course the most exciting Mt Harris skiing by helicopter. The nearby Cardrona Ski Resort is ideal for family activities, with gentle beginner ramps and ski areas designed for kids. The state-of-the-art venues formed by natural snowfall are especially suitable for mid-level skiers to level up. The Treble Cone mountain is closest to Wanaka, covered by long slides, difficult slides, natural half-pipe slides and terrain parks.

Stuart Landsborough's Puzzling World is the only theme park in the world full of quirky content. There is a house of illusion that subverts your sight, there are Roman toilets that are confusing and inscrutable, as well as a huge two-story maze with a total length of 1.5 kilometers. No matter the age, everyone will have fun here.

Experience tandem skydiving in Wanaka overlooking the majestic Southern Alps, with a 360-degree panoramic view of the sapphire blue Lake Wanaka, New Zealand's highest peak Mount Cook, and the world heritage site Mount Aspiring National Park. Skydive Wanaka is the only skydiving team in Wanaka. The eye-catching orange color is the symbol of the company. It offers two high-altitude skydiving options with video recording and is a relatively mature skydiving company.

Mt. Iron is 549 meters above sea level. There is a 1.5-hour round trip, which is a relatively easy route. The top of the mountain overlooks Lake Wanaka, and is a favorite place for locals to run and walk dogs. It takes 20 minutes to walk from the town center to the foot of the mountain and about 4.5 km to walk around the ring road.