Wānaka: Your South Island base

On the shores of New Zealand’s fourth largest lake, surrounded by the Southern Alps and with a nationwide park nearly on the finish of the road, Wānaka appears like a basic trip city. In apply, it really works much better as a base – someplace you unpack as soon as after which sprawl from the door into vineyards, ski fields, mountaineering trails, bike tracks and distant valleys that really feel a great distance from wherever, but stay straightforward to succeed in.

For travellers who like their journey alternatives dialled up however their logistics uncomplicated, this mixture is difficult to beat. Add a critical focus of architect-designed vacation houses (many award profitable) and a long-standing community of guides, pilots and producers, and you’ve got certainly one of New Zealand’s most interesting resort cities. That’s the vibe that the locals work tirelessly to guard and that too makes it one of many friendliest locations to be within the South Island.

There are numerous of the city’s most sought-after vacation houses and personal residences obtainable for rental for guests to Wānaka seeking to make it their base for a vacation.

The place is Wānaka?

Wānaka is round an hour’s drive from Queenstown Airport over the Crown Vary. If ever the Crown Vary is closed on account of snow, you may as well take the opposite scenic route through the Kawarau Gorge. Each rapidly swap metropolis Queenstown’s dramatic mountain backdrop and busy-ness for alpine landscapes.

When you’re in Wānaka, you’re on the gateway to Mount Aspiring Nationwide Park – a area of glaciers, beech forests and excessive valleys – with Cardrona and Treble Cone ski fields in a single course and the Central Otago wine nation within the different.

For an immersive itinerary that maximises your time in New Zealand’s South Island, that geography issues. From one base you may:

• Ski at two main resorts and the cross-country Snow Farm
• Entry a number of the Southern Hemisphere’s largest heli-ski terrain
• Spend a day tasting pinot noir in boutique Central Otago wineries
• Stroll or bike straight out of your entrance door alongside lakeside and riverside tracks
• Be again in time for a non-public chef’s dinner in your villa

It feels distant, from elsewhere on this planet, however you hardly ever spend greater than an hour in a automobile or helicopter to get the place you need to go.

One base, 4 seasons

Wānaka is genuinely a year-round journey vacation spot. Quite than hopping from place to position, many visitors now select to anchor themselves right here and let the seasons dictate the rhythm of their days.

Winter

From June by way of to October, Wānaka turns into a significantly enjoyable snow hub and since 2025 has been residence to New Zealand’s largest ski discipline:

• Cardrona is the all-rounder, with groomed pistes, terrain parks and family-friendly amenities
• Treble Cone attracts robust skiers and riders with its steeper pure terrain and lengthy fall-line runs

Above them, heli-ski operators entry tons of of backcountry runs – a brief flight from city to untouched snow and picnic-style lunches within the mountains.

Spring

As the times lengthen, you may nonetheless ski within the morning and be again in time for a day e-bike alongside the lake or a tasting at Maude or Rippon. Vineyards are quieter, the lakefront is calmer and temperatures are comfy for strolling within the Matukituki and Makarora valleys. 

Late spring days carry the heat of some summer time days – relying the place on this planet you’re from – which suggests sunscreen is on for climbing the numerous crags round Wānaka, exploring Diamond Lake or trying frisbee golf within the woods.

Summer time

December, January and February belong to the water. Mornings would possibly imply a kayak throughout glassy Lake Wānaka, stand-up paddleboarding from Eely Level or a non-public boat constitution to Mou Waho Island. Afternoons are for swims at Bremner Bay, mountain-bike laps at Bike Glendhu or Cardrona’s summer time bike park. Barbecues on the deck or in your villa’s loggia because the solar drops behind the peaks end the break day superbly.

Autumn

Come March and April, the area turns gold. Arrowtown and the Wānaka–Hāwea hall are notably photogenic as is Central Otago if you wander to acclaimed pinot noir vineyards inside an hour’s drive. 

The cooler air fits longer hikes to names reminiscent of Isthmus Peak and the Rob Roy Glacier monitor, and it’s a simple season for lengthy lunches, fires lit within the night and a glass of Central Otago pinot by the outside hearth.

Via all 4 seasons, staying in a single well-chosen villa means you by no means should compromise on area, privateness or routine.

What a day in Wānaka would possibly appear to be

The small print shift with the time of 12 months and your group composition, however there are highlights that visitors select repeatedly in addition to treats or once-in-a-lifetime actions that should be carried out whilst you’re right here.

Morning

Maybe a helicopter lifts off out of your garden or one simply outdoors of city, taking you to a non-public ridge for first tracks on an untouched slope or a ridge-top picnic. Non-public heli-ski days, scenic charters and off-grid excursions, together with adventures to distant sounds and heli-only-access high-country stations, are all potential.

In summer time, that very same helicopter would possibly as an alternative set you down beside an alpine tarn for a brief guided stroll, earlier than looping out over glaciers and returning you to Wānaka in time for a late lunch.

Afternoon

Afternoons lend themselves to quieter pleasures: a guided wine tour by way of Central Otago’s small, owner-operated vineyards; an e-bike trip alongside the lakeside path to Albertown or Hawea; a swim on the lake with a picnic packed by your chef, scrumptious slow-cooked goodness from Fig, or the right pie and doughnut combo from the Doughbin.

Households can combine this with time at Puzzling World, the Nationwide Transport and Toy Museum or the Wānaka Lavender Farm – all a brief drive from city. However it’s simply as widespread to see multi-generational teams staying put, merely utilizing the pool, spa and grounds at their villa basecamp.

Night

Dinner may be a simple stroll into city for relaxed however refined bistro cooking, or a completely personal affair: chef, serving staff and sommelier coming to you. Many houses are designed round cooking and entertaining, from double kitchens to intensive terraces and outside fireplaces, so it is smart to make use of them.

Villa life: the place to remain

In and round Wānaka, from lakefront flats to personal residences and enormous, architectural houses, there are lots of choices. The next choice offers a really feel for the way several types of travellers can base themselves right here.

For gatherings and multigenerational teams

Ridgecrest is designed to profit from 180-degree views over Lake Wānaka and the Southern Alps. Anticipate a number of dwelling areas, two well-equipped kitchens, a big scorching tub dealing with the lake and a devoted media and video games room – helpful when a number of the group need pool and flicks whereas others linger over dessert by the fireplace.

Wānaka Haven works nearly like a non-public lodge. Eight bedrooms and beneficiant dwelling areas open to a garden, swimming pool, spa and broad mountain views, with indoor and outside fireplaces creating pure gathering factors in each season. It has sufficient room for a celebration however nonetheless feels residential and relaxed.

Riverslea combines 5 bedrooms with a pool, spa pool and outside hearth. It has the texture of a recent household residence scaled up: loads of area for kids to unfold out, workplace nooks for many who must work remotely, and fast entry to strolling and biking tracks and the river itself.

For lakefront dwelling

Roys Peak Farmhouse is ready on 50 acres supplying you with area and privateness with massive, open views. Inside, it’s all about understated consolation – 4 bedrooms, relaxed dwelling areas and a spa pool and sauna positioned to profit from the outlook. From the property you may step straight onto the Millennium Monitor and stroll or cycle into city alongside the lakeshore.

Nautilus Penthouse sits proper on the lakefront, a couple of minutes’ stroll from cafés, bars and the Wānaka wharf. The three-bedroom residence has broad views from its balcony and entry to shared amenities together with a pool, health club and spa pool – useful should you like the concept of a morning swim however don’t need to drive.

For structure lovers, {couples} and smaller household stays

Aurum is an ultra-modern, three-bedroom villa that feels nearly suspended above the lake. Flooring-to-ceiling glass attracts the panorama into the dwelling areas; massive decks blur the boundary between inside and outside. Designed by Sebastiano Broadhead, it’s a robust selection for design-conscious visitors who need privateness however nonetheless respect being near trails, the lake and city.

The Brick Home is a four-bedroom, licensed Passive Home villa. It combines energy-efficient design with beneficiant glazing and a scorching tub dealing with the lake and mountains. The result’s a house that stays comfy year-round, just some minutes’ drive from eating places and the lakefront.

Te Pakeke is a purpose-built retreat. Hidden behind a tall timber gate and walled courtyard, this one-bedroom villa is all clear traces, polished concrete and timber, with a fire, beneficiant kitchen and indoor-outdoor areas oriented in the direction of the lake and peaks. It feels self-contained and personal, but you’re nonetheless near strolling paths and the water.

Make Wānaka the epicentre of your New Zealand journey

For a lot of guests, Wānaka begins as a line on a wider South Island itinerary. More and more, it finally ends up being the place they spend most of their time.

Keep in a Wānaka vacation residence and you’ve got a base that works as nicely for quiet days because it does for adventurous ones. Is it time to contemplate Wānaka as your New Zealand base?

Kate Stinchcombe-Gillies

Kate Stinchcombe-Gillies is CMO of Launch NZ. Launch NZ represents a portfolio of luxurious vacation lodging in Wānaka and Queenstown – their ardour being to attach visitors to the whole lot that makes this a part of the world so particular. If you want to be a visitor blogger on A Luxurious Journey Weblog with a view to elevate your profile, please contact us.