Visit Milford Sound
A great way to see Milford Sound if time is short. Fly over Lake Wanaka past Mt Aspiring and the stunning mountains and glaciers of the Southern Alps and Fiordland World Heritage National Parks. Fly the full length of Milford Sound before landing and taking in the views from the water on the scenic cruise. Total trip time is 4 hours. www.southernalpsair.co.nz
The Siberia Experience
day trip where you fly to a remote mountain valley in Mount Aspiring National Park and walk in the forest before returning by jetboat.
All our guests love this trip.
www.siberiaexperience.co.nz
Wanaka lakeside
There are a number of beautiful walks around the lake – you can walk from the Lodge into town (50 minutes) or from the Lodge down the Clutha River. On the other side of town you can take the Waterfall Track with great views back over the town.
Central Otago winery visits
there are a number of stunning wineries offering great tours and tastings including RIPPON winery in Wanaka where your hosts can offer you a unique tour and tasting experience, also visit Mt Difficulty and Carrrick at Bannockburn for lunch and tastings.
www.rippon.co.nz
www.amisfield.co.nz
www.carrick.co.nz
www.mtdifficulty.co.nz
Stop at the Big Picture Wine Adventure to get an overview of the area and test your tasting skills in the Aroma Room.
Stop at Jones the Orchard and sample some of the stunning Central Otago produce such as cherries, apricots,peaches, nectarines, plums depending on the season. Or pick your own cherries in season .
www.mrsjonesorchard.co.nz
www.bigpicturewine.com
Mount Aspiring & Rob Roy Glacier walks
drive up the magnificent Matukituki Valley for a full day walk to the Mount Aspiring Hut or to Rob Roy Glacier to watch ice falls from the glacier and fend off the cheeky keas. Click here for more about glacier walk.
Horse Riding
explore the majestic back country of New Zealand’s south on guided horse back treks in the spectacular Cardrona Valley.
www.ridenz.com
Paragliding
Take a tandem paraglide from Treble Cone and experience an incredible scenic flight.
www.wanakaparagliding.co.nz
Canyoning
Descend the spectacular canyons of the Matukituki valley. Explore crystal pools and plunge down polished chutes.
www.deepcanyon.co.nz
Take a tiger moth flight over Wanaka
Experience a piece of aviation history in a scenic flight over Wanaka and up the Clutha River.
www.classicflights.co.nz
Visit Arrowtown
Take a drive over the Crown Range with spectacular views and visit historic Arrowtown, a charming historic gold mining town on the banks of the Arrow River. Great shopping, good restaurants and cafes, art galleries, magnificent autumn colours and lovely walks in the area make this a great day out. Have lunch at Saffron, the Postmaster’s Cottage or Mantra.
www.saffronrestaurant.co.nz
www.mantra.net.nz.
www.postmastershouse.com
Rock Climbing
Experience the thrill of rock climbing in the Matukituki Valley with expert guides from Wanakarock or take your first rock climbing lesson.
www.wanakarock.co.nz
The Heather Garden
Visit the beautiful established garden of Madge Snow just next door. Madge is a fabulous gardener. Beautiful in all seasons,especially Spring and autumn, the garden features maples, rhododendrons, azaleas, roses and much more.
U-fly Wanaka Imagine flying yourself in a 2 seater aircraft around the Mt Aspiring National Park. No experience necessary - a 3 minute brief on how the controls work and you are away! www.u-flywanaka.co.nz |
Fly fishing
Whether you want to drift fish,or explore the lakes and streams, we can match a knowledgeable guide to help you.
If this is your first time take a lesson - you'll love it! Or just take a rod and walk from the lodge to the Clutha River
for a trout.
Mou Waho Island cruise
Cruise up beautiful Lake Wanaka -walk to Arethusa Pool for spectacular views and learn about the native plant and bird life including the native Buff Weka- even plant a tree to make your contribution to reforestation of the island.
www.ecowanaka.co.nz
The famous Warbirds over Wanaka Air show
at Easter 2010 - the biggest 3 day show in the Southern Hemisphere featuring historic aircraft.
www.warbirdsoverwanaka.co.nz
River journeys
Take jet boat up the beautiful Matukituki Valley through Lord of the Rings locations under Avalanche Glacier with wonderful views of Mt Aspiring with an optional helicopter flight around the glaciers.The Matukituki is Steph’s favourite valley. A fabulous trip.
www.wanakariverjourneys.co.nz
Eco Rafting
- retrace the 1860’s log raft route down the great Upper Clutha river through spectacular scenery and sweeping rapids on New Zealand’s highest volume river.
www.ecoraft.co.nz
Diamond Lake – a great half day walk. The Diamond Lake track is a great half day walk near Treble cone with stunning views of the lake and mountains.
There are an infinite variety of wonderful hikes (tramps) in the area.
We can make suggestions for you depending on the length and difficulty of the walks you would like to do.
We can also recommend experienced guides for more challenging walks.
www.doc.govt.nz
Ridgeline Tours
Take a custom 4WD Wild Hills tour
To visit a viewpoint high above Lake Wanaka for morning tea or evening drinks and add on an optional visit to Maude Wines and the beautiful Rippon Vineyard on the shore of Lake Wanaka.
www.ridgelinenz.com
Beauty and relaxation
Have a therapeutic massage or a mieessence facial in the privacy of your room. Massages include deep tissue, sports, relaxation, pregnancy or hot stones.
www.holistic-healthcare.co.nz
Or let us arrange a visit to Soak Day Spa for all beauty treatments including facials, pedicures, spa packages and deep relaxation, Aroma therapy, Swedish and pregnancy massages.
Scenic helicopter flights
Take a scenic flight over the spectacular Southern Alps to Mt Aspiring, make a snow landing and explore the glaciers and stunning mountain scenery.
Take the ultimate helicopter flight to Milford Sound via Mt Aspiring. Or fly over the Southern Alps up to the remote alpine lake of Lochnagar where you land and enjoy a stunning gourmet alpine picnic - very special wilderness experience.
www.heliflights.co.nz
Luxury 4 Wheel Drive high country station tour.
Visit Glendene Station , a 20,000 acre station on the shore of Lake Hawea with stunning views. Stocked with farmed deer and merino sheep view and participate in the daily operations.
www.alpineclasstours.co.nz
Wanaka Wine Tours
Experience Central Otago’s finest wines with a personalised tour by Wanaka Wine Tours. The region is famous for its high-quality Pinot Noirs that form 80% of local production. Small group size (2-7 people) Afternoon or full day tours available.
www.wanakawinetours.com
For more year round activities see also under
What to do winter
Skydive Wanaka
Unmatched and extreme scenery: New Zealand’s highest mountains - Mount Cook (Aoraki) and Mount Aspiring (Tititea) - alpine lakes, quintessential high country... Lord of the rings country...
An experienced and highly-qualified skydive team helping you take adventure tourism to its extremist level with minimum risk and maximum adrenalin return.
45–60 seconds of freefall at 200 kph Afternoon or full day tours available.
www.skydivewanaka.com
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things to do - winter 