If there is one place in New Zealand that had everything for me, then it was certainly the village Wanaka. Or city, I don't really dare to say that. Let's call it a town for convenience. Wanaka has just under 10.000 inhabitants and is located on the lake of the same name. The lake is surrounded by mountains and Wanaka is the only town on the lake. In this blog I will discuss the location of this town and the many activities to do in or around Wanaka.
Are you thinking of following our footsteps and renting a camper(van) with friends, your partner or with your whole family? Then ask free of charge and without obligation submit a quote to Travelhome from ANWB. They have both campervans and full-fledged family campers on offer.
- Large selection, low prices
- Independent or Customized
- Expert advice from specialists
- Full quote with no hidden costs
Sights of Wanaka
There are many attractions in and around Wanaka. I will point out a few here.
1. Roy's Peak Track
I think this is the most famous hike near Wanaka. The Roys Peak track itself is actually not special at all, as it is simply up and up. The path has no steps, but is flat and a lot steeper than it looks. The entire hike involves an ascent of 1.300 meters. You cannot walk there and will have to drive out of Wanaka by car to get from a parking lot (location here) to start this hike.
A very good tip for this track is to start it at night. You can then see the sun rise at the top and we thought that was really magical. You look over the lake, but because you are at the top, you also have a fantastic view around many more mountains. Another advantage of walking up at night is that you don't see the miserably long, boring path.
Count on 2,5 to 3 hours of walking uphill. What time you have to leave depends on the sunrise, but don't count too much, because it is cold up there! Gloves and a thick coat are therefore not superfluous. When the sun comes out, you feel it immediately. Later, when you're descending, you won't need all these clothes anymore, because then it will get really warm again.
2. Blue Pools Track
The Blue Pools Track (location here) is a very popular track that many tourists, and of course you too, would like to take a look at. Because it is a flat and short path, this track is visited by many more people on average and it can therefore be very busy. If you want to avoid the crowds, it is best to go very early or late in the day. This is because most tourist buses have not yet arrived or have already left.
3. Wanaka Lavender Farm
A few minutes' drive from Wanaka is the Wanaka Lavender Farm (location here). It is a farm focused on, how could it be otherwise, lavender. You can walk through the lavender here, drink lavender tea, walk through a lavender-colored door in the middle of the field, but the most popular thing to do here is eat lavender ice cream. The lavender is in bloom from December to February, but you can visit the farm and eat ice cream all year round.
4. Rob Roy Glacier Track
This track is not very popular. Perhaps because the road to it is described as difficult. Here I mean the car route to the start of the track. You do indeed have to cross some small waters and depending on the weather on the days before you go, it is doable. It had already been dry for a few days here, so we could easily cross the waters in our van.
The Rob Roy Glacier Track (location here) is not a very heavy track, but actually quite easy. Of course it goes through nature, over tree trunks and partly uphill, but at the end you are richly rewarded with a fantastic view of the glacier. At the end there is also plenty of room to enjoy the glacier, because there is a kind of flat space with stones to sit on.
5. Lake Wanaka
Lake Wanaka (location here) is a very beautiful lake. You can't imagine anything so crazy that it is possible here. From water skiing, pack rafting, kayaking, to taking a flight over the lake, jet boating, fishing and of course you can also just swim. Personally, I only swam a bit in the lake, but it is beautiful enough to do much more.
I can highly recommend a dip in the water. It was nice and fresh water of course, but after a hike it is extra nice! For example, we swam here after the Roys Peak hike. We finished it in time (because we started at night) to rest for a whole afternoon on and in the lake.
6. Snow activities in winter
In addition to all the summer activities I discussed above, Wanaka is also known in New Zealand to visit in winter. In winter there is always snow on the tops of the mountains around Wanaka. Winter sports are certainly on the agenda here. That certainly makes Wanaka interesting to live and work in, because you can earn money in this town all year round.
7. What else can you do?
In addition to all the above activities, there is much more to do in and around Wanaka. You can do a lot of hikes in Mount Aspiring National Park (Location here), including for example the Mount Brewster Track. This National Park is about an hour's drive from Wanaka. There are also hikes closer to home such as the Iron Track.
Completely other activities are also possible, such as stargazing (perhaps even the Southern Lights), but also think of wine tasting, visiting museums for retro cars or being optically fooled in Puzzle World. As you read, Wanaka is at home in all markets.
Practical Information
Where is it?
Wanaka (location here) is located on the South Island of New Zealand and the town is located quite south in the middle of the island. Despite that, it feels like you are on the coast, but that is because of the beautiful lake. It is certainly not a small lake, but as the fourth largest lake in New Zealand, it is of a large size.
How do you get there?
Wanaka is close to the highways State Highway 6 and 8. From State Highway 6 you actually drive through the town. This highway runs all the way from the city Nelson along the west coast, via the famous glaciers Fox Glacier en Franz Josef to the south, to the city invercargill.
State Highway 8 runs freely through the center of the country and passes the sights above Wanaka Lake Tekapo en Mount cook. On the way to Queenstown and for example Milford Sound you pass through Wanaka and I would definitely recommend stopping there.
Also read: New Zealand | Hiking at Lake Tekapo and Mount Cook
Where to stay?
If you want to camp like us, there are several camping options. A very simple camping site near Wanaka, namely in Albert Town, is the Albert Town Campground. There are a number of campsites closer to Wanaka, but these are a lot more pricey. Depending on your budget, you can choose between these.
There is also a free camping spot where you can spend the night (location here) namely the parking lot of the Rob Roy Glacier Track.
There are also many other accommodations in this town, such as hostels, hotels and apartments. On this page From Booking.com you have a clear overview of the offers in Wanaka.
Are you curious about which other cool places in New Zealand you can visit besides Wanaka?
Tip:: Are you still orientating and/or planning a trip to New Zealand? Then read: Travel information New Zealand | Everything you need to know in advance.
Are you thinking of following our footsteps and renting a camper(van) with friends, your partner or with your whole family? Then ask free of charge and without obligation submit a quote to Travelhome from ANWB. They have both campervans and full-fledged family campers on offer.
- Large selection, low prices
- Independent or Customized
- Expert advice from specialists
- Full quote with no hidden costs
