Wanaka is a popular tourist resort on the southern shores of Lake Wanaka on the South Island of New Zealand. This resort is known for being a prime access-point to the unique Southern Alps’ Mount Aspiring National Park - featuring rich bird life, enormous mountains and many astounding glaciers - and which forms part of the UNESCO World Heritage Area of Te Wahipounamu.  The Cardrona Valley near Wanaka was the scene of a small goldrush in 1862. Prior to 1940 the settlement of Wanaka, the town was known as Pembroke and it has retained the flavour of a typical New Zealand holiday town, in comparison to Queenstown which has become an international resort. Wanaka is now mainly a tourist resort surrounded by mountain scenery and a ski resort in winter. 

When it’s warm, enjoy water sports like kayaking and canoeing on Lake Wanaka, as well as hiking, rock climbing and 4x4 routes; while, in winter, you can go skiing and snowboarding on the white peaks of Snow Farm, Treble Cone or Cardonia (all within a 40-minute drive from Wanaka), and extreme sport enthusiasts even have the opportunity to heli-ski.