Don't try to do it all

If you only have a short time in Wanaka, don't overwhelm your itinerary. Instead, pick a few of the top places you wanna visit and take your time. Wanaka is made to be taken slow. Some of my favourite days I spend here are those when I have no set plan, but just see where I end up. The drives around here are so scenic that you'll constantly want to pull over and take them in - so by putting yourself on a timer, you'll be taking away from its magic ✨

Some of the best moments here aren’t the big “bucket list” ones — they’re the quiet, unplanned ones. One of my favourite days here was starting with a morning coffee at Scroggin and a dip in the lake before heading out to explore the Haast Pass. This is one of the best drives in the country (in my huuumble opinion). The Haast Pass is filled with roadside stops that will blow you away. We explored the Blue Pools (one hour return), Thundercreek Falls (beautiful waterfall, 5 minutes from the roadside), Fantail Falls (2 minutes from the carpark), Wilson Creek Chasm (this is otherworldly, don't miss this one!). I swam at every spot, took my little hob out and heated up chilli con carne, watched the sunset and drove back to Wanaka - dreamy. You can spend all day out here; there are so many trails to hit up too - Brewster Hut being a fav, but it's a biggie.

So, all of this is to say, don't be too strict with your itinerary planning. The best days here are those slow ones spent at the lake, soaking in the views & just simply being :)