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Wanaka: what to see, where to stay and how to get around

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Wānaka is a lake town of a few thousand people, quieter than Queenstown, with a lakefront you can walk end to end. The walk starts at the vineyard on the western slope and the willow standing in the water, then follows the lake track past the town to the river and on to the illusions on the eastern edge. The lake track is flat and the centre is small. Allow half a day with lunch; the tree is best at sunrise, the maze can wait for the afternoon.

Wanaka

A short history of Wanaka

The Māori passed through this valley on their way to the greenstone of the West Coast. In 1863, during the Otago gold rush, a town called Pembroke was founded on the lakeshore, living mainly from sheep stations and from timber carried by boat. In 1940 it was renamed Wānaka, after the lake. For most of the 20th century it was a small, quiet place, and only in recent decades has it grown thanks to the nearby ski fields and Mount Aspiring National Park.

The ten best sights in Wanaka

  1. Wānaka i-SITE
    1
    Wānaka i-SITE

    On the lakefront in the centre; check here for track closures and the state of the Matukituki road before driving to the Rob Roy walk

  2. Cinema Paradiso
    2
    Cinema Paradiso

    Old sofas instead of rows of seats and an intermission with cookies baked on site; the evening plan for a rainy day, but book, as the good seats go first

  3. National Transport and Toy Museum
    3
    National Transport and Toy Museum

    Hangars full of cars, planes and toys next to the airport; allow more time than you think, it is far bigger inside than it looks from the road

  4. Cardrona Hotel
    4
    Cardrona Hotel

    The gold-rush pub on the Crown Range road to Queenstown; stop for a drink in the garden rather than driving past the famous front

  5. That Wānaka Tree
    5
    That Wānaka Tree

    A lone willow standing in the lake, a few minutes' walk west of town; come at sunrise for still water and fewer people, and do not climb on it

  6. Puzzling World
    6
    Puzzling World

    Illusion rooms and a big outdoor maze on the road in from the east; the maze alone can take an hour, so it fills a rainy morning

  7. 7
    Roys Peak Track

    A long steep climb with no shade and no water; it is closed every year from 1 October to 10 November for lambing, so check the dates

  8. Mount Iron
    8
    Mount Iron

    The short version of a Wānaka summit, about an hour and a half round trip from the edge of town; the answer if Roys Peak is closed or too long

  9. Rob Roy Glacier Track
    9
    Rob Roy Glacier Track

    About 10 km return from Raspberry Flat; the road there is long, partly gravel and crosses fords, so do not drive it after heavy rain

  10. 10
    Diamond Lake

    A small lake on the Mount Aspiring road with a track up Rocky Mountain behind it; a good half-day climb with lake views for less effort than Roys Peak

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What is an audio walk?

Tours in Wanaka →

A guide in your headphones: open the walk on our site, walk from stop to stop, and at each one your phone tells its story. No guide, no group, and free. This is the first walk in Wanaka:

The tree, the lake and the maze

Free walking tours in Wanaka

The tree, the lake and the maze

Wānaka is a lake town of a few thousand people, quieter than Queenstown, with a lakefront you can walk end to end. The walk starts at the vineyard on the western slope and the willow standing in the water, then follows the lake track past the town to the river and on to the illusions on the eastern edge. The lake track is flat and the centre is small. Allow half a day with lunch; the tree is best at sunrise, the maze can wait for the afternoon.

  1. Rippon · Rippon is farmed biodynamically, without synthetic sprays, and its vines run down almost to the water. The view from its slope across the lake to the islands and mountains is one of the best-known views in the country.
  2. That Wānaka Tree · The crack willow is said to have begun as a fence post in the 1930s that took root and outlived its fence as the lake rose around it. In 2020 someone sawed off some of its lower branches, and since then the town asks visitors to keep off it.
  3. Cinema Paradiso · The town's cinema seats its audience on old sofas and armchairs, and even an old car. At the intermission the smell of cookies baked on site fills the hall.
  4. Eely Point · Lake Wānaka is New Zealand's fourth-largest lake and was carved out by a glacier. Its water is fed by snow and ice from the Southern Alps, which is why it stays cold even in midsummer.
  5. Albert Town Bridge · The Clutha River leaves Lake Wānaka just upstream of the bridge. It is the largest river in New Zealand by volume, and from here it runs all the way to the sea south of Dunedin.
  6. Puzzling World · Stuart Landsborough opened it in 1973 with a single maze. Today the building at the entrance, the Leaning Tower of Wānaka, tilts at 53 degrees to the ground, and inside it the illusion rooms make water seem to run uphill.

Up the mountains

Wānaka sits at the edge of Mount Aspiring National Park, and the mountains start right behind the town. This route is really a choice for one of the two days: a short summit on the edge of town, or the long climb of Roys Peak, and then the drive up the Matukituki valley to the Rob Roy walk under a hanging glacier. The road ends in a farm valley, the last part on gravel, with no shop and no phone signal. A full day; leave early, carry food and water, and check the forecast at the i-SITE.

  1. Mount Iron · The hill is a rock knob that the glacier which carved the lake rode over and smoothed. That is why it has a gentle slope on one side and steep, plucked cliffs on the other.
  2. Roys Peak · The summit stands at 1,578 m, a climb of about 1,200 m from the car park, and the track climbs across a working sheep station. That is why it closes each spring, from 1 October to 10 November, while the ewes are lambing.
  3. Matukituki River · The river drains the glaciers of Mount Aspiring and runs into Lake Wānaka at its western end. The road up its valley crosses several streams on fords, which can become impassable after heavy rain.
  4. Raspberry Flat · The road ends here, about 50 km from town. From the car park the main track goes on up the West Matukituki valley to Aspiring Hut, the stone hut of the New Zealand Alpine Club, built in 1949, and the base for climbs of the mountain.
  5. Rob Roy Glacier Track · The walk crosses the river on a swing bridge and climbs from open farmland into a gorge of beech forest. At the top the trees stop, and the glacier hangs on the cliffs above, with ice sometimes breaking off with a crack you hear before you see it.
  6. Mount Aspiring · At 3,033 m it is the highest peak outside the Aoraki/Mount Cook region; its Māori name is Tititea, the glistening peak. The national park around it was created in 1964 and is part of Te Wāhipounamu, the World Heritage Area of south-west New Zealand.

Two roads out of town

Two roads leave Wānaka, and each is a half-day trip on its own. To the south the Cardrona valley climbs past a gold-rush pub to the Crown Range, the short way to Queenstown and the road you will take when you leave. To the north State Highway 6 runs along Lake Hāwea and over the neck of land to Lake Wānaka, up to Makarora at the foot of the Haast Pass, where the Blue Pools walk starts a little further on. Do the northern drive on a free day and the southern one on the way to Queenstown.

  1. Cardrona Bra Fence · It began around the end of 1998, when a few bras were hung on a farm fence by the road. They have been taken down more than once, but they kept coming back, and today a donation box collects money for breast cancer research.
  2. Cardrona Hotel · The hotel opened in 1863, when the valley was full of gold miners, and it is one of the oldest hotels in New Zealand. The town around it has almost vanished, and the hotel is nearly all that remains.
  3. Crown Range Road · At its summit, 1,076 m, this is the highest main road in New Zealand. It is the short way to Queenstown, but the zigzags down to the Wakatipu side are steep, and in winter carry chains.
  4. Lake Hāwea · In 1958 a dam at its outlet raised the lake by about 20 metres to store water for the hydro stations downstream on the Clutha. The pale band of bare shore you see when the level drops is the old edge of the water.
  5. The Neck · Here the two lakes, Hāwea and Wānaka, come within less than two kilometres of each other, separated only by a low ridge of rock left by the glaciers. The road climbs over it, so you see one lake and then the other.
  6. Makarora · This hamlet is the last settlement on the Otago side of the Haast Pass. The road over the pass to the West Coast was opened only in 1965, and before that the valley was a dead end for cars.
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Getting to Wanaka and getting around

  • Wānaka Airport · Scenic flights to Milford Sound and over Mount Aspiring leave from here; for flights out of the region you drive to Queenstown, about an hour over the Crown Range
  • Wānaka coach stop · Coaches to Queenstown and over the Haast Pass stop in the centre on Ardmore Street; the trailheads have no bus, so without a car you need a shuttle or a tour

Cheap eats in Wanaka

Wānaka eats like a ski and hiking town: big breakfasts, strong coffee, pies and burgers to take to the lake. Almost everything is on Ardmore and Helwick Streets, a few steps from the water, and a picnic on the lakefront costs half of a café lunch. For the Rob Roy day buy everything in town, as there is nothing on the road. Prices below are rough.

  • Big Fig · A bowl of slow-cooked meat or vegetables with salads, about NZ$18-25
  • Makarora Country Café · Coffee and a pie before the Haast Pass, about NZ$10-18
  • Kai Whakapai · Breakfast on the corner by the lake, about NZ$20-30
  • Ritual Espresso · Coffee and a cabinet sandwich, about NZ$12-20
  • The Doughbin · A mince pie or a sausage roll for the road, about NZ$6-10
  • Red Star Burgers · A burger to eat on the lakefront, about NZ$18-26
  • Patagonia Chocolates · A cone of ice cream or a hot chocolate on the lakefront, about NZ$7-12
  • New World · Bread, cheese and fruit for the Rob Roy day, about NZ$15-30

Museums in Wanaka

  • Puzzling World · Illusion rooms, a tilted house and the Great Maze; at least two hours
  • National Transport and Toy Museum · Cars, aircraft and toys collected over decades; a good rainy-day stop by the airport
  • Cardrona Distillery · Tours and tastings of the valley's single malt and gin; book the tour ahead
  • Cinema Paradiso · The sofa cinema, with home-baked cookies at the intermission
  • Wānaka i-SITE · Maps, track news and bookings on the lakefront; free

Nature and day trips near Wanaka

  • Rob Roy Glacier · The end of the Rob Roy track, a hanging glacier above a beech gorge
  • The Neck · The ridge between Lakes Hāwea and Wānaka on the Haast Pass road
  • Roys Peak · The classic summit view over the lake; 5-6 hours, closed 1 October to 10 November
  • Mount Iron · A short, steep loop with a view over the town, the lake and the river
  • Diamond Lake · A small lake and a track up Rocky Mountain behind it, west of town
  • Glendhu Bay · A calm bay for a swim or a paddle, with the peaks of the park at its head

Things to do in Wanaka with kids

  • Cardrona Alpine Resort · Learner slopes and ski school in winter, lift-served bike trails in summer
  • Albert Town Bridge · The river bank under the bridge for stones and picnics; the current is strong
  • Puzzling World · The maze and the illusion rooms; the stop every child remembers
  • Eely Point · Shade, a beach and shallow water for paddling, walking distance from town
  • Wānaka Lavender Farm · Purple rows to walk through; the lavender flowers from about December to February

Where to eat in Wanaka

  • Cardrona Hotel · Pub dinner in the old gold-rush hotel, about NZ$28-42
  • Speight's Ale House · Lamb, steak and southern beer by the lake, about NZ$28-42
  • Francesca's Italian Kitchen · Pizza and pasta in the centre; book in summer, mains about NZ$25-38
  • Kika · Small shared plates and wine; book ahead, plates about NZ$18-35
  • Kai Whakapai · A craft beer on the corner facing the lake at sunset
  • Red Star Burgers · The casual dinner on Ardmore Street, about NZ$18-26
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Frequently asked questions about Wanaka

What is there to see in Wanaka?

The top sights in Wanaka are Wānaka i-SITE, Cinema Paradiso and National Transport and Toy Museum. The full list on this page has 10 sights, each with a photo and a short note.

How many days do you need in Wanaka?

Three to four days are enough to see the best of Wanaka without rushing, including at least one walking tour.

Is there a free walking tour in Wanaka?

Yes. sleepntrip has 3 free audio walks in Wanaka, with no guide and no group: your phone tells the story at every stop. The first one: The tree, the lake and the maze.

How do you get to Wanaka and get around?

The main ways are Wānaka Airport and Wānaka coach stop. Full details are in the transport section on this page.

Where to stay in Wanaka, and for how much?

sleepntrip shows only rooms in Wanaka that meet nine conditions: a good location, high guest scores, cleanliness, and a price of up to $80 a night for two. Pick your dates and see what is free.

Looking for a hotel in Wanaka for your dates?

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