Wanaka

You know that place you imagine at the end of a yoga class while lying in Savasana? That image in your mind that can calm your nerves on a turbulent plane?   The place you wish you could be when it’s +44 degrees in your non-air-conditioned apartment in Melbourne?

My happy place is Wanaka, a small town on New Zealand’s south island.

Wanaka is tucked away in the Otago region of the South Island, surrounded by snow-capped mountains.  If you make it through the drive over the highest public road in New Zealand… you’re in for a pleasant surprise. Instead of crawling with backpackers likeQueenstown (about an hour away), the town is mostly made up of locals. The locals are some of the loveliest people I’ve ever met– always happy to stop and have a chat. This place is seriously friendly! Even the travellers are in a different state– everyone seems to want to exercise all day, and drink tea in the evening.

Each day we did a different sporty event—climbing up a mountain, biking along the lake, and a walk down the glacier-clear river.  There are no snakes, and I have never felt so free. Anders and I got into a pretty intense nature-mood and kept proclaiming really lame things like “THIS IS FREEDOM.”

The food situation is fine—nothing too fancy, and not a lot of options for eating in restaurants. Most people seem to be cooking anyways, and the hostel we stayed at had a great kitchen. We saved a lot of money cooking this trip (in Queenstown, too) and had a lot of fun planning our “breakfast club.” I actually prefer trips where we can cook and make it feel more like our little home.

Between the town craft show, the town hall-turned bar with a horrible band and the drunk locals, and the best health food store ever; I love Wanaka.

THE LOGISTICS

Accommodation: The hostel—the YHA—is the most cozy, cottagey hostel I’ve ever stayed at. It’s a teeny bit out of the town centre (meaning a minute-long walk) and the dining room looks over the lake and mountains. We were initially in an 8-bed dorm with no window, but I got all princess-y and decided to upgrade to a little cottage. We ended up with two other German girls, who were awesome, and had a great few nights! $35/night.

Transportation: On the way to Wanaka from Queenstown, we paid $35 each to take Connectabus…and the driver was mental. I thought we were going to fly off the side of the mountain. On the way back to Queenstown, we paid $10 each to take Naked Bus, which was a more pleasant experience! Buses need to be booked in advance online.