Planning a Trip

Getting There

By Plane -- Air New Zealand (tel. 0800/737-000 in NZ; www.airnewzealand.co.nz), provides a daily service from Christchurch. Aspiring Air (tel. 0800/100-943 in NZ, or 03/443-7943; www.aspiringair.com) has three flights a day from Queenstown.

By Coach (Bus) -- InterCity (tel. 09/623-1503) provides coach service linking Wanaka to the West Coast, Christchurch, Dunedin, Mount Cook, Queenstown, Te Anau, and Milford Sound. Kiwi Experience (tel. 09/366-9830) and Magic Travellers (tel. 09/358-5600) both include Wanaka on their routes. Wanaka Connexions (tel. 0800/244-844 in NZ, or 03/477-2224; www.time2.co.nz) runs between Wanaka and Queenstown several times a day, and also has a daily service to Invercargill, Dunedin, and Christchurch.

By Car -- Wanaka is reached via the Haast Pass from the West Coast. It's a 4-hour drive from the glaciers. State Highway 6 connects it to Cromwell and Queenstown, 1 1/2 hours to the south. State Highway 89, the Cardrona Road over the Crown Range, is a more direct and impressive route that takes around 1 hour (if you stop to admire the views). Once narrow, winding, and treacherous, it's now fully paved and is, in fact, the highest tar-sealed road in Australasia. Keep in mind that if you travel the Crown Range Road in winter, you are now legally required to carry chains (available for hire from service stations). If you're caught without them, you'll get a NZ$150 fine. Wanaka is a 5-hour drive from Christchurch and 3 1/2 hours from both Dunedin and Te Anau.

Visitor Information

The Lake Wanaka i-SITE Visitor Centre, 100 Ardmore Rd., is in the log cabin on the lakefront (tel. 03/443-1233; fax 03/443-1290; www.lakewanaka.co.nz). It's open daily May to mid-September from 8:30am to 5pm, mid-September through April from 8:30am to 6pm (closed Dec 25). The Department of Conservation, Ardmore Street and Ballantyne Road (tel. 03/443-7660; fax 03/443-8777; www.doc.govt.nz), provides information on Mount Aspiring National Park and all DOC tracks in the area. The DOC is open November through mid-April daily from 8am to 5pm, and in winter Monday through Friday from 8:30am to 4:30pm, Saturday from 9:30am to 4pm (closed Sun and noon-12:30pm daily).

Fast Facts

The fastest and cheapest Internet access is offered by Dub Dub Dub, corner of Helwick and Brownston streets (tel. 03/443-7078). For medical matters, go to Wanaka Medical Centre, 21 Russell St. (tel. 03/443-7811). The Post Office, Ardmore Street, as you drive into Wanaka (tel. 03/443-8211), is open 8:30am to 5pm, Monday through Friday.