I'm working on an itinerary for the SI of NZ for August. Have stayed in QT several times and have been through Wanaka a few times. Trying to determine if Wanaka deserves a closer look.

Would very much appreciate if my fellow Fodorites could enlighten me as to the attractions of Wanaka.

We were in Wanaka in spring of 2005 with our two girls so our Wanaka experience definitely has a family-oriented flavour. We had a great time at our Farmstay B&B (Mount Maude Lodge) which is a few miles out of town.

Wanaka is a fairly small town with some excellent restaurants and a few good shops including small arts/crafts galleries. It is located right on a beautiful silvery lake made for walking along and enjoying. There is a splendid kids playground right near the tourist info centre which is in the hub of the town. Just outside of town is PuzzleWorld (or something like that) which is full of optical illusions etc. and fun to go through. There is also a toy museum a few miles out as well (my girls thought they had gone to heaven when we visited!) which is at the airport and also has a transportation museum portion as well.

We flew to Milford Sound from Wanaka as well.

We enjoyed Wanaka because it is easy to enjoy on foot, great for families and kids and close enough to other towns. It has a lovely setting and lake, great food and yet another wonderful New Zealand playground!

Have a wonderful trip!

Hi Melnq8, what I love about Wanaka is the laid-back feel, wonderfully beautiful setting, loads of walks and daytrips, top-class restaurants and cafes, everything within walking distance and a huge variety of accommodation. If you want to self-cater there is a New World supermarket, and if you want to you can get to Queenstown in an hour. I will be going to Wanaka again and again. I must mention, though, that we have never been there in the height of the ski season or summer school holidays when Wanaka is probably quite crowded. When we have been there the most we see are a few back-packers, whereas Queenstown seems to be crowded with tourists all year round.

Thank you both for your replies. I think we've decided to spend three nights in QT and three in Wanaka. Seems there are many walks, which very much interest us.

We prefer self-catering accommodation -anyone know of some nice cottages in/near Wanaka?

We stayed in a 2-bedroom apartment at The Moorings in Wanaka a few years ago and enjoyed it. The apartment was roomy and had a great location near the lake. Our apartment also had a deck which was nice. Unfortunately, we were only there for 2 nights/1 day. I would have loved to have been there longer.

I would also highly recommend The Moorings. We stayed for 2 evening in January 2006 and the room was very spacious & modern with great views of the lake. We really enjoyed relaxing on the balcony and all the wonderful views. The complex is also very close to downtown so we were able to walk most places.

Thank you everyone. Right now I'm leaning towards a cottage about 4 km outside of Wanaka.