Many people, when they visit New Zealand, try to see as much as possible because they view it as a once in a lifetime experience. It is sooooo far away and they want to maximize their vacation. I took a different approach as we only had one week. Wanaka may not be on your radar, but this town is truly a gem and well worth a few days or longer.
We were living in Tokyo at the time and New Zealand is still really really far away - a ten hour flight to Auckland and then another two hour flight to Queenstown on the South Island and then another hour drive to Wanaka. Thankfully there wasn’t much of a time zone difference. To make a conscious choice to spend the week in only one town is certainly different and I have zero regrets. This is “middle earth” after all (for my Lord of the Rings fans) and the landscapes are truly breathtaking.
Our AirBnb overlooked the intersection of the Clutha and Hawea Rivers and we spent each night on the patio barbecuing and identifying constellations we’d never heard of or seen before. Alpine lakes, mountains, glaciers, and forests, plus a whole lot of sheep are all in the immediate area. Hiking or Tramping as they call it in New Zealand is of course a must do and the Rob Roy Glacier Track is about an hour from the town of Wanaka. This 10km trail is labeled as easy/intermediate and was quite doable with young children. It did take about three hours up, break for lunch, and then two hours back down - and our eight year old was leading the pace (moving at quite a clip, I must say).
Clearly Wanaka is an outdoor enthusiast’s dream with many other trails, plenty of restaurants, shops, wineries, lavender and llama farms, Puzzling World, and museums for more restful activities. The pace of life here is slower - about the same pace as a herd of sheep or cattle crossing the road, lol, and the people have the laidback attitude to match. In April, at the end of summer (which just seems wrong to say), the temperatures were cool and refreshing, yet still warm enough to be outside enjoying the sun. If you've got the time and the resources, Wanaka, New Zealand is truly a magical place to be.