Lone tree ; Lone Me

Trip to beautiful and vibrant and busy Wānaka.
Drive between Queenstown to Wanaka via the Crown Range Road is unforgettable. Heading north, take in dramatic alpine views as you ascend NZ highest sealed road. Stop at the historic Cardrona Hotel, one of the country's oldest pubs, for a break along the way.
Day 1 - enjoy the tranquil shores of Lake Wanaka, New Zealand fourth largest lake and take photo with the lone tree. At Lake Wanaka, you can do kayaking, paddleboarding, or simply soaking in d views of d surrounding mountains.

Thereafter take a short drive to explore Lake Hawea, another beautiful lake 40 minutes drives or 2 hours by bike.
Lake Hāwea is New Zealand's ninth largest lake

Day 2 Hiking day and better to start early at 8am when the day brightens as it’s gonna be a tough challenging but rewarding 6 hours return steep walks at Roys Peak Track to capture the sunrise at tip of the summit.
Carpark at base and simple toilet with no water supply at beginning of track.

Wanaka is busy town as there are a lot of Australian coming to New Zealand for ski and ski lessons as there are three ski area one being Treble Cone Ski and another Cardrona Ailpine Resort and last being Snow Farm NZ.
Nzd44 for daily return shuttle bus at coach waiting area in front of the lake.

Accommodation- Stay at Haka House Wanaka. I chose a private room ensuite with no lake view as I can see it easily by the lounge area thus not wanting to waste more money for room with lake view.
Location is excellent at town centre with grocery store and lots of restaurants and cafes in vicinity. Free donut for every stay too.

Food & Tips - I strongly recommend Gusto Chinese restaurant which cooks very authenticity Chinese food. Go for the sweet sour pork and scampi prawns and fried beef’s with spring onions.
Or simply utilise the well equipped kitchen at Haka House to be your own chef.

Post by Dan Wuang | Jul 31, 2025