Paradise in New Zealand

Red Star fanies itself as a bit of an institution in Wanaka. Gormet burgers, lots of beef, freshly made and delivered buns, fresh toppings, chicken burgers, veggie burgers. However I'm not convinced they are worth the price you pay.
Even when they are not busy you will often wait up to 15-20 minutes for your meal. Yes the burgers are big, but do they need to be that big? Unless you are very hungry or hoping to save half for the next day the size is just too excessivly large. The price is too. $14 for a burger with cheese. Oh, and that's just the burger. Kumra chips will cost you another $7.
The first burger I got from there had hairs in the bun. And not just one, several. Needless to say the burger didn't get finished.
The second time (yes, I'm a gulton for punishment), the kumra chips were burned and the chicken burger was, well, bland.

I would suggest this as an eatery in Wanaka. Save your money and head over the the Local for a pubmeal or if you are after a good burger for a lot of money head to Botswana Butchers.

Cash only, open 7 days a week til late-ish

Kai Whakapai means "food made good" and it has the central location of being on corner of the two main roads in town. This two story cafe is open early to feed and caffinate all those with coffee additions and open late for those with a taste for the local beers.
Because of it's location and outdoor seating Kai seems to be the place to see and be seen at. As such expect this place to be busy, although there always seems to be a spare chair somewhere. Staff is friendly and you always get a smile with your coffee, beer or pastry.
Inside upstairs you can plug in your computer, sip on a latte and work away (with the mild rushings of Wanaka below you). This is perfect for those rare occasions when it does rain in Wanaka.
You can get nibbles (from cheesecake to quiche) to full meals such as eggs to pastas. Nibbles cost between $5 to $8 and meals around the $15 mark.
Local beers are ontop from Wanaka Beer Works. Brewski is on tap year round and during ski season they have Tall Black on tap while in summer it's Cardrona Gold. A half stein will cost around $4 while a full handle will run you $7. They also have bottles of all 3 and a range of other beers, such as Carona, and wines. A glass of house wine $5.
A local favorite.

Best Mexican in Wanaka, its also the only Mexican in Wanaka. As for taste Amigos is hit and miss. They offer some fantastic meal deas. Such as starter and main for 25 dollars. The guacamole is better than average. As is the fejoli dip. Nachos are standard (they come with meat or just with beans for the veggos). And the meals are large. Come with your appite if you plan to get starter and main and dessert (you'll have to share cause they do load on the food). Each table gets a small portion of chips and salsa. I think this is to wet your appitite and leave you wanting more. The burrito, enchalada, tacos...they are good but not above that. While they are covered in cheese, or sauce or spices, thats where the flavor seems to come from...the cheese, sauce or spice ontop of the meal..not from inside and on the meat like most Mexican meals. The meat is a bit flavourless and the chicken is almost pureed. You main usually comes with rice and beans or salad. The rice, again, seems to be lacking in flavour like good mexican rice should have.
They have a range of beers to choose from, Corona being the obvious choice. Or you can order a pitcher of margarita for $30. It is pricey but split 4 ways will still get you all a bit tipsy.
They also have a good selection (for wanaka or NZ for that matter) of tequilas and Mezcals. The most expensive tequila shot will set you back $15.
What Amigos lacks in taste they make up for in staff. They staff is always friendly, prompt and ready to please. They also do monthly specials and will send you a newletter with deals and a birthday free meal during your birthday month.
Child friendly with crayons and paper for the wee ones to play with. Brightly coloured and comfy seats.
Recommended for a fun, cheapish (without the alcohol) meal in Wanaka.

If you visit during the winter season get up the mountains and do some skiing or snowboarding. There are also tons of trails in the area where you can hike or rent a bike. If you are there in the summer season take a dip in the lake or head out to the ski hills. The resorts reopen their lifts for those who love mountain biking.

Quick Tips:

For ski/snowboard equipment rential check out some of the deals around town before you head up the hill. If you want to ride up the hill, check out their lesson/rental deals. You can also rent mountain bikes from Good Sports and most of the ski shops will arrange heli-skiing. If you're after a drink, check out happy hour (usually 5-6pm) at the pubs in town.

Best Way To Get Around:

Wanaka town center is extremely small, so walking is no problem. For getting up the ski hills, try hitching. For Cardies and Snowpark, stand at the corner of Brownston and MacDougall streets. For TC, stand at the TC road sign on Ardmore street. If hitching isn't your thing, you can grab the daily bus from Good Sports.

Formerly Apartment One Uno is a is a converted apartment still retained its tiny space. This is a cocktail and wine type bar with plush deating and decor. A bit different from Wanaka's other bars its a nice place to go early on for a cocktail and a view of the setting sun on the lake. They do drink specials daily and most cocktails range from $15-$18.

The small town of Wanaka doesn't have a traffic light but it does have a cinema. And not just any run of the mill cinema either, this is Cinema Paradiso. With only one screen you won't be confusing this with a multiplex. The theater features a range of different seats: from old airplane seats, to comfy couches, to a convertible Morris Minor, it's the character at Paradiso that captures people's hearts and makes them come back.
Oh, that, and the fresh, hot, huge, homemade cookies they bake for halfway through the film. Film stops for 10min, you get a toliet and refresher break, film goes on.
The theater sells a range of tasty dinner dishes for a reasonable price (about $12). They also sell bottled beer. Both beer and food are allowed in the theater. And then there are those freshly baked cookies I mentioned and homemade ice cream. About $3-4 a pop and worth every cent the cookies are straight from the oven and big enough to share (if you can let youself). Flavours include chocolate chunk and white chocolate and macadamia amoung others.
Paradiso shows a range of movies, including blockbusters and some arthouse films. However, it doesn't really matter what flick you pick. The fun is in experiencing the theater itself.

It is rumoured that the Paradiso might be closing soon. If that's true get down there soon because if you miss out on a trip to the Paradiso, you miss out on one of Wanaka's most charming venues.
Movies cost about $15. Show times vary (you'll never go in at the time they post the movie for) and at least 2 different movies are shown per day.

As far as location goes, Shooters has a premo spot. Located right across from Lake Wanaka, it’s your best bet to grab a post-ski drink and watch the sun sink into the mountains. They have an outdoor patio and, like most of the pubs in town, a large fireplace to cozy up to.

For your nighttime adventures, it depends on what you are after. Shooters seems to sport a younger crowd and have an impersonal feel to it. They do have a large dance floor and play Top 40 and hip-hop. They also have several big screens and show most of the sporting events. And, of course, they have pool tables.

Drinks are reasonably priced at around NZ$4 for a pint of tap beer, while mixed drinks will run you around NZ$5. (And don't forget that the standard is a double shot of 30ml.) Try happy hour for cheaper jugs and pints.

There are two downsides to Red Rock in Wanaka. The first are the stairs. After a day on the slopes, those stairs, however few, can burn. The second is the long line on those stairs on a crowed rugby night.

There end the negatives, and so begin the positives. While Red Rock has a sister bar in Queenstown, this bar does not have the same manufactured feel many of the others do. Like most of the bars in town, there is a fireplace. A piano sits across from the entryway near the fireplace. Comfy couches sit in front of the fire. High chairs surround high whiskey-barrel tables. Two pool tables are located just left of the bar, and during game night, there is no lack of television screens. Red Rock is a small bar that  can get very packed, so on weekends and game nights, get there early to get a seat and avoid the queue outside the door.

They do offer a yummy menu and daily specials of soup ($7), salad ($12), and entrées ($13 to $15). They also offer the staple bar foods, wedges with salsa and sour cream and nachos. Both are under $7 and reasonably sized for two.

As for drinks, the choice is pretty wide. They have top-shelf alcohol and bottled beers. A Tall Black, one of the locally brewed beers, goes down nice while sitting on one of their balconies overlooking the town below. The real value is in the jugs of tap beer. Export Gold and XXX, among others, are on tap. A jug will run you about $7. Find a local or someone with a Cardrona staff pass to get you discounts.

Red Rock does showcase live music, but it’s rare. The music choices are usually Top 40 and pop-ish, but it’s good fun on a Friday night. The back room is available to rent out for private parties.

Cardrona Ski Resort lies just 20 minutes out of Wanaka (45 from Queenstown) and 15 minutes up from the Cardrona Valley. Cardrona boasts about their natural snow and in a good season they get loads of lovely powder.
As of last year Cardrona had added a few features to their resort. Most people drive or catch the bus up in the morning; however they do have a few rooms for rent. They don't come cheap, but it's a nice option if you want to be one of the first on the snow. You can choose a flat that sleeps 2, 4 or 8. The twin starts at $160 a night, the 4 at $260 and the 8 at $395 (more in high season). You can rent all your equipment on the mountain from snowboard and boots, to skis to snow pants, jacket, mask, wrist guards, and helmets. They also tune and wax skis and snowboards in the shop. A one day lift ticket is $74 adult; half day is $54 and is available at 12:30pm.

They offer five eateries on the mountain, your basic cafeteria, the Mezz cafe, Juice n Java Bar, Noodle Bar and Captain's Pizza, which is on the other side of the Mountain. As for the mountain itself 25% beginner, 55% intermediate and 20% advanced. Cardies is known for its great terrain park with the jumps and half pipes. There are three terrain parks and up to four half pipes. New in 2006 the website mentions "Beginners trail" for those wanting to try free style.

Cardies is said to be the place for beginners, most of the runs are fairly wide and they've got some great programs and lessons for kids and first timers to the slopes. There is an area just off the back of Captain's for those who like to go off the beaten track. Friend's who have ventured past the resorts boundaries report back great powder runs and seem happy to trudge back up by foot. There are three lifts; a slow double over near the front of the mountain, a speedy quad called White Star and a speedy double over at Captain's. Beginners’ area has snow carpets.

On a clear day the view is spectacular. Highly recommended for first timers, families, and those who are looking to kick around in the terrain park. Recommended for those who are not too hard core about their skiing or snowboarding.

Lifts operate 8:45am til 4pm daily and the season runs from the end of June (snow dependant) til early Oct (longer if the snow holds out).

Treble cone is known for its powder days. Freshies don't seem to come any sweeter than up at TC and the view doesn't get any better either. A 35-minute drive west of Wanaka TC looks out across Lake Wanaka and because parts are so steep it can almost seem like it will fly off into the blue if you're not careful.

Beginner terrain is only 10%, making it not the easiest place for learners. Intermediate and Advanced share at both 45% of the terrain, however many people will tell you it leans a bit more towards the advanced being that TC is just so darn steep.
The mighty 6-seater express gets you to the top of the mountain in about 5 minutes. From there you can choose one of the many LONG runs back down to the base or you can jump over to the saddle basin (wicked in fresh powder). The much dreaded T-bar has gotten a face lift to a 4 seater lift. Be warned it takes about 8minutes.
If you are really keen for it you can hike up to the summit. It is worth the trek, specially on a powder day, and since not too many people do it you can get some great fresh runs. An alternative to the summit is the southridge. An easier walk and sometimes better lines. A terrain park was introduced in 2006 but is still a bit small compared to it's neighbor at a Cardrona.

As for facilities, TC is more about the snow than the flashy extras. There is no accommodation up the mountain and only one cafeteria, but the food and coffees are above ski standard good. They do rent out for all your equipment needs and a lift ticket will cost you $99 for adult and $65 for a half day starting at 12:30pm. A season's pass has sky rocketed in the past 3 years causing a lot of talk among locals. Pre-season price stands at $1,500.

Highly recommended for those who take their skiing and boarding seriously. Recommended for those who want to try and take their skiing/boarding to the next level and just to take in the stellar views.

Season runs from late June to early October with lifts operating between 9am and 4pm daily.