Wanaka Details

If you are on our Wanaka Adventure snow tour, you will be staying in the picturesque town of Lake Wanaka. Wanaka is a small lakeside town, with a population of just over 5000, only 1 hour from Queenstown. Perfectly situated for amazing views, good access to the best ski areas in New Zealand, and a wide range of other activities, Wanaka is the ideal place to spend your winter holiday.

For more information on Wanaka and the Southern Lakes area click here.

We have a wide range of options available in Wanaka to suit all requirements and budgets. From luxury to backpacker lodging, we have all bases covered. Click here to find more information about our accommodation options for the Wanaka Adventure.

The township of Wanaka is the perfect size to find all the facilities you need without too much hustle and bustle. Most places are located in the town centre or an easy walk away. To give you a basic idea of Wanaka’s facilities and services, here is a general list:

• A medium size supermarket for grocery (food) shopping
• A small size supermarket for grocery (food) shopping
• At last count there were 6 Ski and Snowboard Shops
• Many options for evening dining, from classic fish and chips takeaway to high end, quality New Zealand wine and food.  There are also plenty of other international eating options such as Thai, Italian, Mexican, Indian and Japanese.
• Several bars for nightlife
• Taxi services
• Retail shopping, clothes, gifts, sports, hardware and much more
• At least 10 cafes for great coffee, snacks, lunch and evening meals.
• Full Medical Centre
• Community inside pool (lap pool only)

• Jet Boating
• Mini golf
• Skydiving
• Claybird Shooting
• Milford Sound fights
• Tiger moth flights
• Boat trips
• Paragliding
• Wine tasting
• Puzzling World
• Horse Treks
• Fishing and Hunting
• Mountain biking
• Scenic flights

…and much more! Click here to see a great blog post on activities. 

If you are interested in trying out some of the other activities available around Wanaka, please let us know when booking. We are more than happy to provide you with information about the different activities on offer and to make bookings for you if required.

Don’t worry! NZ Snow Tours would never leave you stranded anywhere without a way to get around. After skiing or snowboarding is done for the day, please let your guide know if you would like to go to the supermarket or shops in town. They will be happy to take you and help you out at the end of the day for anything that you need.

Wanaka is small enough that you will most likely be able to walk from your accommodation into the centre of town. If you do want to be in the centre of town please mention that to us when making your booking so that we are able to provide the best accommodation options for you.

Some of the bars offer a free courtesy shuttle at night, so if you do find yourself still out and about into the wee small hours then this is an excellent option.

There are also very reasonably priced taxi services available.  Just ask your guide for contact details and he or she will be happy to help you out.

If you have scheduled a rest day during your trip then please talk to us about the different options available. NZ Snow Tours is happy to take you to Queenstown to experience bungy, jet-boating, or the famous Fergburger (if you haven’t heard of it yet, you will soon!) if you want an action packed day. Many activities in Wanaka provide courtesy shuttle transport, so just ask one of our friendly team and we will point you in the right direction.

Unlike many Northern American or European ski towns, there is rarely snow on the ground in Lake Wanaka.  Temperatures at night drop just below freezing and it is common to wake up to a frosty morning. During the day temperatures can rise to 12-15* Celsius in the township but cooler up higher at the ski resorts. More than likely you will need a jacket if you are walking about town in the evenings.