{"id":9390,"date":"2026-05-17T05:32:32","date_gmt":"2026-05-17T05:32:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.theblyde.com\/?p=9390"},"modified":"2026-05-17T05:32:32","modified_gmt":"2026-05-17T05:32:32","slug":"wanaka-or-queenstown-how-to-decide","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.theblyde.com\/?p=9390","title":{"rendered":"W\u0101naka or Queenstown: How to decide"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Most first-time visitors to New Zealand\u2019s South Island put Queenstown on the itinerary without much deliberation. It\u2019s the world\u2019s adventure capital \u2013 a title and a reputation deservedly earned and as such one of the headline \u2018must-visit\u2019 destinations in New Zealand.<\/p>\n

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Most people will have heard of Queenstown even if they can\u2019t tell you where it is in New Zealand, but once they know its tiny airport welcomes international flights from Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and the Gold Coast as well as domestic shifts it becomes the default answer when anyone asks where to base themselves in the Southern Lakes. <\/p>\n

That\u2019s not wrong, but W\u0101naka sits 45-minutes away and travellers who find their way there tend to stop asking whether they made the right call fairly quickly.<\/p>\n

Queenstown: where to start<\/h2>\n

Just to put the adventure capital label into perspective: bungy jumping was invented here. AJ Hackett\u2019s original Kawarau Bridge site still runs, alongside the Nevis, which drops 134 metres above a remote river gorge and remains one of the more serious things you can voluntarily do with a Tuesday afternoon. The Shotover Jet is probably the next best known adrenalin thrill as it speeds you through a narrow schist canyon at close to 90km\/h. <\/p>\n

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At the other end of the pace spectrum, the TSS Earnslaw, a coal-fired steamship built in 1912, still crosses Lake Wakatipu to Walter Peak Station, where the high-country farming demonstration is less cheesy than it sounds. It runs all season long and even when the Earnslaw is wintered there are still cruise options across the lake. For those who prefer to get their kicks from speeding downhill on snow, there are two ski resorts \u2013 The Remarkables and Coronet Peak \u2013 operating within thirty minutes\u2019 drive. If downhill on two wheels is more your thing then Coronet and the trails around the Skyline Luge in summer are your playground. <\/p>\n

Beyond Queenstown, but very much magnetic to the Wakatipu must-do list are the Sounds and Glenorchy. Taking a day trip to Milford Sound or Doubtful Sound (the latter being ever so slightly more stunning and therefore booked up faster) is a long day trip but a manageable one \u2013 unless you opt for a magnificent overnight cruise, or even an opulent fly-cruise-fly option.<\/p>\n

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Glenorchy is home to Paradise. And until very recently it was exactly that, still is if you\u2019ve never been before. Forty-five minutes from Queenstown along a lake road that passes between water the colour of pewter and mountains dropping almost vertically into it, the town sits where the Dart River meets the northern end of Lake Wakatipu. The peaks above it served as Rohan and Lothl\u00f3rien in the Lord of the Rings films. A jet boat up the Dart (or a jet boat up and a kayak back), or a morning on horseback into the valley beyond, is a different New Zealand entirely from what most visitors see. So making it your must-see could be the standout moment in your trip.<\/p>\n

The Gibbston Valley, twenty minutes east of Queenstown en route to Central Otago is a designated International Dark Sky Park with some groundbreaking vineyards and some fabulously friendly cellar doors. Much of the grapes here are Pinot Noir growing in schist soils with cool overnight temperatures and hot, dry summers. Several cellar doors operate along the gorge road; Peregrine\u2019s architecture alone is worth the drive and for something a little less commercial pop into The Church.<\/p>\n

Queenstown serves up location (it truly is a stunning lake setting), adventure and thrills, a mighty and varied food scene, and access to the parts of New Zealand where \u2018those\u2019 photos are taken. It\u2019s an obvious, easy and beautiful place to start your Southern Lakes trip and while people do avoid it because of its adrenalin reputation and a fear of commercialism, we know how to find those still-authentic spots.<\/p>\n

W\u0101naka: fall in love with life by the lake<\/h2>\n

While we\u2019re here to make a comparison, W\u0101naka really deserves its own platform and positioning. It is my favourite place in the Southern Lakes after visiting many times and even before living in Central Otago but for visitors on a once-in-a-lifetime trip it can get overlooked. Here\u2019s why (and why you definitely don\u2019t want to miss it)\u2026<\/p>\n

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Smaller town, wider lake, quieter everything. Life happens around the lake in W\u0101naka and that\u2019s a reflection of the town\u2019s work to preserve its size and limit development or commercialisation over the years. It\u2019s also your gateway to the Matukituki Valley, which runs west from the lake\u2019s edge into Mount Aspiring National Park. There, beech forest gives way to open valley floors and eventually the east face of Mt Aspiring itself. Merely driving into the valley a little way with a picnic will have you glued to your camera, but there are hiking options for a range of experience and ability too. <\/p>\n

W\u0101naka\u2019s most famous hike is Roys Peak, particularly a pre-dawn tramp in time to watch the sunrise over the lake. If you\u2019ve seen almost-aerial view images of Lake W\u0101naka, then they were most likely taken from this trail. It\u2019s the trail where the car park is smaller than you\u2019d imagine and always busy, except in the depths of winter.<\/p>\n

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If you go wandering towards Mt Aspiring you\u2019ll pass the gate for one of W\u0101naka\u2019s two ski fields: Treble Cone (the other being Cardrona). You can be at the base of the lifts within a 40-minute drive of the town centre \u2013 no ski-in\/out here but amazing access all the same.<\/p>\n

Treble Cone\u2019s north-facing terrain and altitude hold snow well into spring, and the absence of Queenstown\u2019s lift queues on a Saturday is something skiers notice immediately. The fact that Treble, or TC as the locals call it, only has two lifts tells you just how much terrain there is to play on, and that before the hike to the Summit for those seeking deep powder play.<\/p>\n

Lake W\u0101naka is swimmable from myriad places around the shoreline, and because its a glacial lake its temperature barely fluctuates. There are enough kayaks and SUPs for everyone to hire. The tramping trails don\u2019t get overcrowded.<\/p>\n

To hint at the year-round appeal of W\u0101naka: the heli-skiing and heli-biking access from here reaches terrain that lift systems don\u2019t touch. The poplar rows in April (the southern hemisphere\u2019s autumn), gold against the Buchanan Peaks. That W\u0101naka Tree in still water at first light. These things are real and they\u2019re not performed for tourists, which is partly why the people who come here keep coming back.<\/p>\n

Arrowtown: Where heritage and the finer things reside<\/h2>\n

Twenty minutes from Queenstown and about 45-minutes from W\u0101naka, Arrowtown sits alongside the Arrow River in the Wakatipu Basin, the Crown Range rising steeply behind it to the west. The main street, Buckingham Street, was established during the Otago gold rush and has the heritage buildings to prove it. The Chinese settlement at the edge of town where miners lived through the 1860s is more affecting than most people expect, partly because it isn\u2019t presented as an attraction so much as simply left there.<\/p>\n

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Autumn here is something specific: much like the W\u0101naka tree it\u2019s something that the locals simply accept and adore, yet social media has introduced it to the rest of the world and made it a thing. Autumn colours inject an energy of colour into the hillside and along these olde worlde<\/em> streets when autumn strikes in late March. The Arrowtown Autumn Festival runs each year through the month of April.<\/p>\n

A few restaurants here have built reputations that extend well beyond the region. Others, like Swiftsure from Waiheke Island\u2019s Man \u2018O War winery, have spotted an opportunity to bring something from the North Island to the discerning palate of Southern Lakes residents and the abundant international crowd passing through each year. And because tipping isn\u2019t a part of New Zealand culture, all your budget can be dedicated to these delicious menus and stunning wine lists.<\/p>\n

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Everything you need to plan your trip in 2026<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Queenstown or W\u0101naka?<\/h2>\n

Three or more nights in each makes more sense than trying to decide. Queenstown for the first few nights if you\u2019re arriving internationally, to get your bearings and cover the big experiences. W\u0101naka for the middle of the trip, when you\u2019ve adjusted to the scale of the landscape and want space to move through it at your own pace. Arrowtown for a few nights at the end before heading back to the airport and when you want somewhere that doesn\u2019t feel like it\u2019s optimised for visitors.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s quite the investment of time, if you\u2019re not here for long, but if you\u2019ve got six weeks or more, this gives you space to get to know each destination for its highlights and quirks. Then you\u2019ll know where to base yourself when you come back for longer next time!<\/p>\n

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Kate Stinchcombe-Gillies<\/h3>\n

Kate Stinchcombe-Gillies is CMO of Release NZ. Release NZ represents a portfolio of luxury holiday accommodation in W\u0101naka and Queenstown \u2013 their passion being to connect guests to everything that makes this part of the world so special. If you would like to be a guest blogger on A Luxury Travel Blog in order to raise your profile, please contact us.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Source: https:\/\/www.aluxurytravelblog.com\/2026\/05\/17\/wanaka-or-queenstown-how-to-decide\/<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Most first-time visitors to New Zealand\u2019s South Island put Queenstown on the itinerary without much deliberation. It\u2019s the world\u2019s adventure capital \u2013 a title and a reputation deservedly earned and as such one of the headline \u2018must-visit\u2019 destinations in New Zealand. Most people will have heard of Queenstown even if they can\u2019t tell you where […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":9391,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[22],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9390","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-travel"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.theblyde.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9390","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.theblyde.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.theblyde.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.theblyde.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.theblyde.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=9390"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blog.theblyde.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9390\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.theblyde.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/9391"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.theblyde.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=9390"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.theblyde.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=9390"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.theblyde.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=9390"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}