I have been wanting to travel to New Zealand it seems like forever! On my bucket list of places to…read morephotograph was The Wanaka Tree. This world renowned tree is growing just offshore of Lake Wanaka and depending on the water level can give the illusion of it floating on the water when the tide is high. There were three variables that I was crossing my fingers would bless me with good conditions to photograph it. High water, snow on the distant mountain range and no wind. Well, I was truly blessed. The first day was an evening shot since we got into Wanaka a bit late from Queenstown, there were clouds covering the tops of the mountains, but there was a fireworks show on the shore just opposite the tree that we could see from our vantage point. The next morning's early sunrise blessed us with beautiful conditions! It was very chilly though and we were the only ones there very early before the sun rose. Gradually, more photographers started to show up, but we had our spots staked out! It was a memorable morning and I estimate I shot approx 150 photos! It was definitely a dream come true to finally come here and photograph this beautiful scene! It was definitely worth the wait and long journey... Five Beautiful Stars * * * * *

The lake itself is similar to Taupo both in terms of view, and setting, as being nestled in a town…read morewith a multitude of shops and restaurants around. Accommodations are plenty as well. Despite it looking marvelous as it is, be sure to visit lake Hawea.

Brrrr! The famous blue pools were at the top of our list for our trip, and we found out once there…read morethat they have shut down the suspension bridges. This is a huge bummer that I hope they'll fix for the safety of hikers and for tourism, as this is one of the most famous viewpoints in NZ! Instead of the bridges, we hiked to the pebble beach and waded into the water from there. The water is ICE COLD so be prepared for a shock! I highly recommend bringing sandals and clothing/suits you can swim in and then socks and clothes you can change into for the walk back. We dipped into the water a bit but it was frigid, so mainly waded in and out to get some photos and enjoy the views. The view would be so epic from the bridges - I really hope they'll fix them for use!

We went in late June and it was FREEZING, but beautiful. A good-length walk - not too long to get…read moretired, but long enough to make the drive worth it. The forest is gorgeous and the pool at the end make lovely photos. You can climb down to the rocks and see the bridge and pools from a lower angle, too. The suspension bridges on the way there are a fun kind of scary. :)

Great place to take pictures of Asians taken selfies with peace signs…read more I mean they would sit there for 30 minutes doing crazy shit. That being said it is a beautiful place with a cool tree and lake. I would go back just for the comic entertainment of watching people doing selfies for hours.

Apparently this tree is not in the water for most of the year. First time I saw it in 2018, it was…read more(in Feb). This time around (late Feb / early Mar 2025), it was not in the water and it was missing a limb, thought it looked a bit odd. Lots of people trying to take photos of it, it's probably one of the most famous trees in the world, ha!

I did the 15,000 feet skydive with my friends. We called before setting off in the morning to…read moreverify the weather was a go. We had terrific weather and we could even see Mt Cook aboard the plane. We were provided jumpsuits, goggles, headgear, gloves and oxygen mask. There isn't a secure locker to deposit your items (lockers are available but can't be locked) so you may prefer to keep your valuables in the vehicle. As I had purchased the total package, I had to wait about 20 minutes for my footage. Do remember to check thoroughly as my video was mixed midway with my friend's footage. Thankfully we managed to have that corrected before we left. I would have rated this an excellent if they provided more instructions on what to expect aboard the plane. There was no briefing prior.

Absolutely amazing! Can't visit the adventure capital and not take part in some extreme activity!…read more There are several skydiving companies in the Queenstown area but I chose Skydive Wanaka since I was only in town for a couple of days and Wanaka was known for consistent days of good weather. Unfortunately, the day that I was scheduled to jump, the winds picked up right before our group was ready to take flight - such a bummer! But we were immediately rescheduled and had a perfect day for flying the following day. 15,000 ft. jump - go big or go home! I was in contact with the company via email before my trip and they were very responsive and detailed in their responses. Wanaka is about an hour outside of Queenstown but there was complimentary shuttle service that also transported spectators as space allowed. I was delighted that my parents were able to come to the jump site with me. The shuttle runs twice a day, in the morning and in the afternoon. They advise that you call half an hour prior to scheduled shuttle pick up to make sure the weather is OK - the pick up location is right outside the NZone office. Halfway through the scenic ride, the driver checks in with the drop zone to make sure weather conditions were still a go - this is helpful so that if there were any extreme changes, you wouldn't waste the drive time all the way to Wanaka to turn back around. Our drivers for the two days were super friendly and entertaining. While you're on your way, you have the opportunity to soak in the beauty that is NZ and also register so that you won't have to spend time doing so when you got to the site. Here is also when you choose your photo/video package. I chose the full package that included the camera flyer photos and video, as well as the handy cam (strapped to your tandem master) video and a t-shirt. Looking back, I would have been happy with just the camera flyer photos as I didn't think the handy cam video portion added much value. Once you get to the drop zone, you get weighed in and wait around for your turn. You don't pay until right before your jump. If you don't end up going, like us, they will refund you the money and get charged again when you come back. It's a bit of a hassle but it makes sense for them to do so to avoid owing refunds if someone can't make it back later on. Once they're ready for you, you'll don your lovely orange jumpsuit, headgear and goggles. You also get gloves, which you can opt out of wearing. They also provide oxygen masks in case you need them. I loved, loved, loved my camera flyer, my tandem master, not so much. Barely caught his name as he didn't identify himself until we were heading off to the plane - minor details, as long as he keeps me alive, right? And then you're off! The ride up is breathtaking, and then the fall, even more so! Falling from 15k, you have a free fall of about 60 secs. where you can take in the lakes and snow capped mountains. On such a clear day, we were also able to see Mt. Cook. Once the chute opens, you're in the air for another few minutes before you land. I was so ready to go again, if only it wasn't so expensive. After the jump, you go back in to wait for your photos and videos and you will have the opportunity to check to make sure everything is correct. Once the group is all done, you hop back on the shuttle and are back in Queenstown in no time.

This place is completely worth the entrance fee. The maze was very challenging and a great…read moreteamwork/bonding activity, for both kids and adults. The illusion rooms are fun to see, especially the tilted room (soooo trippy and hard for your brain to figure out) and the room where people look bigger on one side. Great photo opps throughout.

Awesome place to visit! Fun puzzle and optical illusion themed attractions:…read more Great maze - Outdoor maze that challenges you to locate the four towers at the corners of the maze. We were able to locate two of the towers before it started getting too cold for our 7 year old twins (we visited in winter). If it weren't for the cold, we would have definitely stayed out there until we completed the challenge. Sculpture Gallery - Display of various sculptural illusions. Our girls are young and don't have the greatest attention span, but they were thoroughly engaged here - going to each display, eager to see the illusion and know how it works. Ames Illusion Room - Cool room that alters perspective by making it look like someone is giant at one end of the room and tiny at the other end. The girls loved swapping places and seeing themselves "change sizes". Tilted House - Our girls LOVED this room (but it made me and wife almost throw up - seriously). The room/floor is tilted, but the walls are situated to make it look like it isn't, so your body is telling you one thing and your eyes/brain are telling you another = WEIRD. Gift shop and cafe with lots of fun puzzles on the tables to entertain you. EVERYONE had a great time. Would recommend to anyone, any age!

One of my favorite bike shops in Wanaka! They have all the gear you need, including premium parts…read moreand exceptional apparel. Be sure to pick up a tee shirt, I'm a big fan of all their designs. I bought a tee and a mountain biking Bike Lounge jersey (it's now my favorite jersey, it's baggy - NOT fitted and very comfortable). The staff is extremely knowledgable of all the gear they sell and all the trails in the area. They carry a variety of high end bikes for sale, including Kona. They also have a lot of quality bikes for rent, hardtail to full suspension bikes. They offer these bikes in a variety of packages - check out their site for rates.

Alright, I'm giving this place 3 stars because I want to like it...and, hopefully they will read…read morethis review and fix the issues. We rented 5 bikes for the afternoon - the guy we dealt with was really nice and helpful and helped us figure out a good place to ride. One of the bikes was an e-mountain bike, which worked well. The other 4 bikes were good hardtails - just what we wanted, however, they all had worn-out drive trains. Mine had a new rear cassette and possibly chain, but the front chain ring was beat, meaning it slipped or came off any time I loaded up the pedals - too much torque all at once and I was flying off the pedals into the handle bars (I just avoided a disaster heading for a drop on a downhill...). Other bikes had worn cassettes and stretched chains - all slipped. There were some other more minor issues with the bikes as well. They did come out with a new bike when one of the chains broke when we were at the farthest reach of our ride. We did have to walk the bike back as we didn't have any tools with us (an oversight on my part as well as theirs). If this had been one bike that was problematic, that would have been one thing, but all 4 of the non-electric bikes were barely rideable (walked up a lot of hills after chains slipped). They were apologetic and I do believe that it was a mistake (could be that most of their customers taking out hardtails just stick to the flats and don't apply much torque to the pedals) - I'll give them the benefit of the doubt. I would go back there as they were clearly well-intentioned, but make sure you get working bikes!

Came in to look at shoes, has a lot of brands, reasonably priced (similar to US prices). Many on…read moresale, bought a pair of Salomons on sale because the ones I had were breaking. Staff was fine, didn't interact much with them. Has a lot of outdoor gear if you're in a pinch. Appreciated that they don't charge a fee on the credit card machine (the staff told me the shop does well enough that they don't need to charge the fee, hah).

If you are in Waneka and want a bike to tool around this is the place. There are lots of outdoor…read moreshops in town but these folks know their bikes. They are a Specialized reseller so that is mainly what they have around for rent. They fit the bikes, supply you with helmets and will help you deal with flats. The cool thing to try is the new specialized e-bikes if you are not super well acquainted with mountain hiking. It's a little bit pricey but it's available all day which is great and the shop is literally two blocks from the main path. They also have a wide range of outdoor apparel and are well stocked for whatever you need. Most of these are international brands. If you want local try BaseNZ or Glowing Sky.

I've never skied (if you can call what I do skiing) in the southern hemisphere before. So we…read morebooked this summer vacation (we're from Hawaii) for us, not only because it was something new, but because I was hoping that my 7 year old twins would give ski lessons a go . . . NOPE!!! So it looks like it would be just me. Oh well. This resort is quite far from most other accommodations either in Wanaka or Queenstown. But since we stayed in the Cordrona valley, it wasn't too bad. However, if it were just me and I wanted to ski/board exclusively, I would have booked a condo on the mountain to avoid the terrifying daily trek up the mountain. Thank God we had decent weather, I can only imagine what the drive would look like during a storm. YIKES. When I visited, most of the school kids were still on holiday so the resort was wicked crowded - at least at the bottom. On the slopes, I didn't notice the crowds near as much. Maybe this was because I was too focused on NOT dying, since the visibility was horrible at times. The slopes were wide and the snow was fantastic. It did seem quite cold, but that might have been because the wind was whipping around stirring up old man winter. Yes, I know it's supposed to be cold, but believe me when I say this place isn't near as cold as Brecken"fridge" Colorado. The lift lines moved efficiently, although at times I had a difficult time getting the scanner to acknowledge my ski pass . . . probably just me though. Great option if you're in the Wanaka area. Rent a 4 wheel drive and carry chains with you.

Great place to come ski or snowboard. I've been coming here since 2016 and I finally am working for…read morethem this winter season. The first thing I think about when I think of Cardrona is the epic parks they've got set up. They good for all skill levels from little bumps, boxes, rails, to crazy swirly rails! Stop in and do their stargazing as well. They have pick up from Queenstown and Wanaka