We Wanna Come Back to Wanaka

Lake Wanaka was a great last minute decision. We changed our plans and found a house on Airbnb that happened to be on one of the many bike paths. Some describe Wanaka as Queenstown’s little brother. It is just an hour away from Queenstown. It reminded us of Door Country, WI with mountains. We loved it and look forward to returning to this spot. It has tons of things to do with out the amped up tourist vibe of Queenstown.

Things To Do:

The Lavender Farm - We celebrated my birthday at the Wanaka Lavender Farm. I was  touched by my family’s thoughtfulness in picking out this spot to celebrate my birthday. The gardens were beautiful, the shop so cute right out of Pinterest and the farm animals friendly. I got a kick out of Sheep #26 wagging her tail like a dog when we would pet her. 

Airplane Rides - Austin had the thrill of co-piloting his first air plane ride at the Learn to Fly flight school. Jason and Austin enjoyed a scenic tour around Lake Wanaka up to Mt Aspiring. 

Horseback Riding - Waterfalls Horseback riding offers a trail ride right through the Rippon Vineyard with beautiful lake views. 

Boating and Swimming - Wake-surfing on a mountain lake is a lot like wake-surfing on an inland lake but different.  We rented a Malibu surf boat through Lakeland Wanaka. The Wanaka lake water is absolutely the cleanest lake water we have ever swam in. It was glacier blue, clear and deep. It was so clear you could see 65 ft deep. 

Biking - More than anything we found Wanaka to be a super fun biking town connected by bike trails through out. We rented electric bikes from Good Rotations and absolutely loved the speed and ease the hidden motor provides. We kind of felt like we are cheating but it was so much fun to cover such distance! We biked 75 K in a day with ease and lots of smiles.

Tiny Temple for Wellbeing - I was very lucky to notice a flyer for this special spot. Tannette at The Tiny Temple is worthy of its own post soon. I am still reflecting on and processing my Wellbeing Experience. 

There are fun restaurants along the lake shore to explore. We especially enjoyed the fresh juices and salads from Soul Food Organic Store and Cafe. And we found another tasty Indian restaurant - Bombay Palace. They have a great outdoor deck on the second floor. 

Wanaka is a very easy friendly town to find your way around. We look forward to coming back and checking  out the Cardona ski resort.

We wanna come back to Wanaka!  One more stop then on our way home.