Wanaka
The quieter lake town, an hour from Queenstown over the Crown Range. Cardrona and Treble Cone, the willow at Roys Bay, and getting there in winter.
Wanaka sits on the southern shore of Lake Wanaka, about an hour from Queenstown over the Crown Range, with Mount Aspiring National Park up the valley behind it. It is the quieter of the two lake towns, which is most of its appeal.
Skiing
Cardrona and Treble Cone are the Wanaka-side fields — both are on the ski fields page. Basing yourself here rather than Queenstown puts you closer to them and further from everything else, which is a trade some people make gladly.
The tree
The lone willow standing in the shallows at Roys Bay draws a crowd at sunrise. It is a short walk from the lakefront car park, and you will not be the only one there.
History
The name is said to come from Ōanaka, after an early chief. In 1858 the settlement was renamed Pembroke after a British colonial secretary and kept that name well into the twentieth century. Through the gold rush of the 1860s, Pembroke was the supply centre for miners working the surrounding country.
Getting there
The Crown Range is the shorter route and the one that closes in snow — it is the highest sealed road in New Zealand, and chains are a real possibility in winter. The alternative runs east through the Kawarau Gorge and Cromwell, which takes longer and stays open. Check conditions before you commit to the hill.
More in Towns
See all
Arrowtown
Eighteen kilometres from Queenstown: a gold-mining village with its original street intact, the Arrow River walk, and the autumn colour in April.
Glenorchy
Forty-five minutes up the lake from Queenstown: the red shed, the lagoon boardwalk, Mrs Woolly's, and the trailheads for the Routeburn and the Rees-Dart.
Kingston
The village at the southern end of Lake Wakatipu, at the bottom of the Devils Staircase, and home of the Kingston Flyer steam train.