There are plenty of things to keep you busy in this gorgeous place. There are some amazing skiing and snowboarding in the winter at Treble Cone and Cardrona ski areas. You can get your adrenaline fix canyoning or skydiving, you can take to the air in a helicopter or airplane tour, there is even a couple of museums and a vineyard to make you feel like a grownup. If that still isn’t enough for you, pack your bags and get your adrenaline-addicted butt to Queenstown.
Lake Wanaka
What can I even say about Lake Wanaka? It’s beautiful. Majestic, even. As New Zealand’s fourth largest lake it covers 192km squared, is only 10km at its widest point and is thought to be more than 300 meters deep. The town of Wanaka sits at the end of the lake with amazing views of the surrounding mountains. You could easily spend a few days here relaxing by the water with a good book or following one of the many walking trails.
Puzzling World
This is a cool place to kill a few hours. It’s full of optical illusions that will blow your mind, including the bathrooms! There’s even a room that makes you look like a giant at one end and super tiny at the other, similar technology to that used in The Lord of the Rings. The biggest challenge is the wooden maze, your goal is to reach all four corners and the center before you’re allowed to exit. And of course, there is a gift shop full of things to occupy you on your next bus trip
Cinema Paradiso
An awesome little movie theater full of comfy couches and even a retro VW Beetle to cozy up in while you watch a movie. The perfect option if you need a break from partying, or you just can’t live without seeing the latest blockbuster movies. It looks like it’s changed a bit since I was there but it’s still worth a visit!
This photo of Paradiso Cinema is courtesy of TripAdvisor
If you don’t fancy going out for the night, just get yourself somewhere with a nice view and enjoy the sunset with a pizza and some beer. This is the view from a few of the rooms of the Base Backpackers Wanaka!
You can view the full album here.
Six Year Gap Year 