Our summer visit to Wanaka, January 2018

Wanaka is great in all seasons and after our wonderful winter holiday in 2017 we decided to revisit Wanaka – but in the summer time with my folks, visiting all the way from the UK!

We had a week’s stay in Wanaka and needed activities to keep a mix of ages, abilities and personalities happy – thankfully we were spoilt for choice.

There are so many scenic hikes around Wanaka – from short strolls to full day hikes.

The lake is a draw card for a number of activities – our group chose kayaking and paddle boarding (lovely to simply cool off on a hot day too – and wow – did we have hot days… 35 degrees!).

Hubby hired a bike and took a scenic ride one evening as the sun was setting over the lake – another time he was joined by one of our daughters. All our girls enjoyed down time to play in the pool where we were staying, as well as scoot around the quiet residential streets.

We could have taken to the air, if we’d felt so inclined, but after spending up in Kaikoura on a ‘Wings over Whales’ flight (which I wrote about in this post) we stayed grounded. We did visit the Warbirds and Wheels Museum though – which was a lovely way to spend an hour or two.

On our winter visit in 2017 we’d stopped in at the National Transport and Toy Museum, another amazing place to while away some time (also a great place to pop in and pick up some locally crafted beer!).

We couldn’t visit Wanaka without popping into Puzzle World – always a great place to while away a couple of hours – even if it’s just a visit to the cafe to play the puzzles laid out on all the tables (or to get lost in the maze!).

We enjoyed a bit of action when we visited ‘Crossfire Wanaka’ at Criffle Junction. This place has so many activities in one spot! We had a go at archery, enjoyed the mini-golf course and hitting a few long balls at the driving range. There’s also some friendly alpaca to feed, clay pigeon shooting and a riffle range.

We also had a lovely day trip to the ‘Blue Pools’ – which I wrote about in a separate blog post – and a day trip to Queenstown, to enjoy the buzz and a ride up the gondola (and a good few rides on the luges!).

After a while of watching the action I took Grandma and Grandad back down to the lake front in Queenstown, where we enjoyed a scrumptious tapas at Eichardt’s Bar; renowned as a Queenstown icon and a local favourite since 1867.

The lavender gardens of Wanaka are an absolute delight too (which I wrote about in this blog post).

On our last day in Wanaka we enjoyed a lovely meal at the historic ‘Cardrona Hotel‘, established in 1863.

Before heading on further south, to Dunedin and the Otago Peninsula, we made a stop at the ‘bra fence’!