New Zealand Retreat: Wanaka

Welcome to your Wanaka getaway. This retreat begins with a centrally located pickup in Queenstown at 10 am, see the joining point instructions in this Essential Trip Information for more details. Take the short drive to historic Arrowtown, put on the map by the gold-rush of the mid-19th century. Stop at a local cafe for a Welcome Meeting where your local host will give an overview of the upcoming itinerary. Grab a coffee and walk down the tree-lined streets made up of heritage buildings, old cottages and relics of the town’s mineral boom history, with your local host offering insights into the surrounding area and its past. This afternoon you’ll make your way across the Crown Range, to the Cardrona Valley, home to the Cardrona Distillery which, nestled between two mountain ranges, would not look out of place in the Scottish Highlands. Enjoy a tour of the distillery, learning about the process from malting to fermenting and bottling, before sitting down for a tasting. From here make tracks for Wanaka, where there’s free time to check into your accommodation and relax. Before dinner this evening your local host will take you on a short hike up Mt Iron to see the colours of Wanaka at sunset. The view is a truly unforgettable 360-degree view of the Pisa range, Upper Clutha Basin, Lake Wanaka and the Southern Alps/Ka Tiritiri o te Moana. Walk back down to Wanaka at dusk for a local restaurant dinner with your group and host.

Start the day with a leisurely breakfast before heading down to the waterfront to take a water taxi across Lake Wanaka to Mou Waho island. Here you’ll discover an island in a lake on an island in a lake on an island (yes you read that right) and take a short hike to a viewpoint. The island has been used for sheep farming and boat building in the past, and its predator-free lands have recently been used in the conservation of the inquisitive buff weka. Look out for the flightless bird and weta, the giant crickets, and maybe take a swim in the lake’s sparkling waters, which soak up the sun’s rays on top and offer a cooling dip underneath. Take the time to relax and breathe it all in, the surroundings, the scenery, the silence, admiring the views while you enjoy lunch on the island. If you can tear yourself away from Mou Waho, you will take the water taxi across the lake back to Wanaka. This afternoon you can stretch your legs and discover #thatwanakatree and take the quintessential picture of you in Wanaka. You can continue your stroll along the Millennium Trail to Waterfall Creek or up to Rippon Winery. Tonight your host will recommend a restaurant for you all to gather. Join in or venture out on your own.

Your last day with your local host and group will see you travel to historic Clyde. From there you will ride a short section of the famous Otago Rail Trail to Alexandra. The full trail runs for 152 kilometres in total and was originally used to transport supplies to and from the Gold Fields, then later to transport goods and livestock. It fell into disrepair but was refurbished into a rail trail at the start of the new millennium and is now arguably the best way to explore the area and contribute to the local economy. Hop on a bike for a ride along the trail through Alexandra, leaving the town via the historic bridge and on to Clyde. Cycle through history and stop to see the remnants of Gold-rush times and the landscape created by the sluicing technique for extracting gold. Follow the Clutha for 13 kilometres, across an old wooden trestle bridge and back to Clyde, where you can relax and refuel. Say cheers to your Wanaka retreat with a wine tasting overlooking the Clutha River. Make sure you try the Pinot Noir (that Central Otago Reds is famous for) at this vineyard as it is not to be missed. Say farewell to your local host and group departing in Wanaka or back to Queenstown.