Wānaka is the cool little sister to its sibling town Queenstown. Both towns are share the same foundation, rolling mountains and a large lake around which all infrastructure is framed. But where Queenstown supports designer labels and global brands, the pillars of Wānaka are creative local outlets and bohemian entrepreneurship. Whilst still commercialised and coveted for resort style living, Wānaka is trendy where Queenstown is mainstream. 

Tourists stream to Wānaka with very similar consumer desires to Queenstown, to wander the beautiful lakeside avenue before stopping for lunch at a quaint cafe and sampling pure manuka honey from the local lavender farm. It is slow, designer living but with the illusion of being away from the hustle and bustle of the Queenstown district. Wānaka real estate capitalises on this image for international home buyers. They boast housing complexes as resorts where you step onto your doorstep and a world of consumable luxury is laid on a silver platter at your feet. 

One of the main attractions in Wānaka is a willow tree which is planted 10 metres into the lake and framed by mountain vistas. Spectators flock to the lakeside to picture #thatwanakatree. Yes, you heard me, they commercialised a pretty tree. A lakeside avenue wraps around Lake Wānaka and offers panoramic views of the Mt aspiring range. Similarly to Queenstown, Wānaka is the playground for a number of luxury extreme sporting activities like speed boating, paragliding and cross country skiing.

Luckily we have spent enough time in the area to see beyond the commercial facade of Wānaka. Enjoyment can be found easily in Wānaka for no money at all. Wānaka is on the doorstep of Mt Aspiring National Park, so once you step off the well tread lakeside path the area offers some incredible backcountry hikes. A lesser taken trail is the diamond lake circuit and Rocky Mountain summit. This hike offers views over a stunning hidden turquoise lake and then climbs further to the hills summit, offering views over the valley and to the lake. Another shorter hike is the mount iron hike, which traverses above Wānaka township and offers a birds-eye perspective of the town centre and lake shoreline. 

The most famous of Wānaka hikes, and perhaps the most popular out and back trail in New Zealand, is Roy’s Peak. Climbing switchbacks through farmers fields for 1200 metres in elevation, this hike is all about the view from its saddle over the lake. It is certainly not the most exciting hike we have done, but it offers the unparalleled views achieved from that much elevation in a way that is much more accessible than most backcountry trails. Despite the unrelenting steepness, the terrain is not difficult and hikers do not have to concern themselves with mountaineering skills or avalanche safety initiatives. It is the beauty of New Zealand from a thousand metres laid out to the non-hiker and hiker alike, hence its popularity. 

A less accessible feat, the Rob Roy glacier track offers a glimpse of the otherwise impassable Mt Aspiring National park through a long drive down unpaved road in the Matukituki valley. The drive to this hike is in itself a backcountry adventure, with several river crossings and stunning views of the Matukituki river meandering the valley floor. All of this is ofcourse framed of course by the towering mountainscape and stunning waterfalls. In springtime, hundreds of lambs wandering across the vast farmland were also a highlight. The hike itself climbs through native forest to a viewpoint of a beautiful hanging glacier on Rob Roy peak. The glacial ice hangs partway down the mountain face, giving the romantic illusion of being stuck in time. To its left, a large waterfall cascades down the cliff face. 

Wānaka is also home to extensive mountain biking trails. The Clutha river winds throughs Albert town and intercepts with the Hawea river, offering a labyrinth of riverside trails that are perfect for an afternoon bike ride. We followed one of these paths to Lake Hawea, another vast waterfront to the northeast of Wānaka. More advanced mountain biking trails also grace the mountainsides and wind through rocky paths that circumnavigate lake Wānaka. 

The truth is, walking the lakeside avenue, it is easy to fall for the commercial luxuries Wānaka offers. But if you are careful to sidestep around the tourist traps, Wānaka is a natural paradise with no shortage of activities that cost very little. The true luxury of Wānaka is its free beaches for a lakeside swim, low cost campgrounds nestled against the Clutha river and diverse system of hiking and biking trails.