Wanaka Delights

Best Things Nearby:
Lake Wanaka, Puzzling World, Queenstown, ski fields, and superb scenery everywhere you look

Best Things About the Resort:
It was comfortable, with everything you need.

Resort Experience:
From our apartment at The Pines, we could look at the snow-capped mountains behind Lake Wanaka, and from the main bedroom, you could see the lake as well. Our apartment was a most comfortable home away from home, with everything that you could need to make your holiday delightful. The kitchen and laundry were well equipped, and the layout made living very comfortable. It is perhaps a little tired if you are looking for five-star luxury, but it suited us perfectly.

The pool, spa, and sauna were well used by us, and although The Pines was fully occupied that week, you always felt as if you almost had this area to yourself. (Perhaps other guests didn’t want to swim when there was frost on the ground? Perhaps they didn’t enjoy our singing in the spa?) We even played games, and I am delighted to report that I beat the sports-loving 15-year-old at mini-golf. Such are the joys that make holidays special!

• Unit Type: 2 Bedroom
• Activities: Excellent
• Amenities: Excellent
• Unit Satisfaction: Excellent
• Family Friendliness: Excellent
• Service: Excellent

Wanaka itself is a delightful town: scenic and unspoilt, but with good cafés and lots of interesting people. We had superb sunny weather for most of our stay, but as we drove out of town on the last day, the snow was falling gently and the town was transformed.

The lake is picturesque under all conditions, with an air of peacefulness. I believe it is a hive of activity during the summer, with boating and swimming being very popular. I very much enjoyed both walking beside the lake and driving around to see the lakefront residential areas, then out of town towards Treble Cone, a very pretty drive. David enjoyed the aircraft museum, but a great highlight for us all was the Puzzling World. That is definitely worth a visit, but I hope you can get out of the maze a little easier than we did!

Our only disappointment with the holiday was that it wasn’t a week longer. We will definitely be returning to that part of New Zealand.

From Wanaka, we easily travelled across the mountain pass most days to Coronet Peak (about an hour from The Pines to the ski slopes), where we left our newly confident skier while we explored the Queenstown area. Queenstown is a delight, with the highlight being a drive along the length of the lake to Glenorchy. The scenery in the whole area is spectacular and the ambience charming.

We travelled across the Haast Pass and past the Fox and Franz Joseph Glaciers. The glaciers were fascinating, but if you can only go to one, visit Franz Joseph. Our evening there coincided with the Lions vs. All Blacks Rugby Test, and the evening that the test was being viewed on large screens at the small Franz Joseph hotel, packed with supporters of both teams, was memorable and most amusing. Such passion!

We decided to stay out of Christchurch for the last night of our holiday and drove to Akaroa on the coast. It was a longer drive than expected, because the road is very windy as you pass over a mountain, but it was still worth the effort. It is a quaint, little French-influenced town, and although it is apparently very busy during summer, it was very quiet when we visited. My only complaint was that the restaurants were all open, nearly all had no customers or just one table of customers, and yet the prices were very high - good city restaurant prices. However, watching the amazing sunset over the bay made the drive there worthwhile.

This centre is conveniently situated near the International Airport at Christchurch. It is so close (an easy 8 minute walk) that you can book your cases in then go and spend an hour or two learning about Antarctica.

It is an opportunity to learn a great deal about the exploration of Antarctica and life on the stations there now. The snow storm and the movie were interesting. Apparently, the ride on the all-terrain transport is great too.