The South Island of New Zealand is not a fly-and-flop destination, and Wānaka least of all. If you’re planning a significant trip together, a honeymoon or a milestone anniversary or simply the kind of holiday you’ve been putting off long enough that now’s the time, then the default templates of a beach resort, city break, or overwater bungalow, don’t quite account for a place like this. The landscape is too large and too varied. The things to do together are too different from anything on offer elsewhere.

What Wānaka offers, specifically, is the combination of a private base and a region that has almost too much going on around it. A private home on the lake, with the Buchanan Peaks across the water and a hot tub on the deck, is the kind of accommodation that changes the pace of a trip from the first morning. But it’s the range of what’s reachable from there, and how different each day can feel, that makes this work for couples who want their trip to feel like something they actually lived rather than something they watched happen from a sun lounger.

What a few days in Wānaka actually looks like

The lake itself is the obvious start. Kayaks, paddleboards and small boats are all available to hire; on a calm morning the water is flat and the reflection of the mountains sharp enough that the photos are almost too good to post without looking staged. Swimming from the lakefront in town or a private jetty is one of those simple pleasures that requires no planning and can be your first-thing-in-the-morning dip or your end-of-day refresh.

From there, the options branch considerably. The Matukituki Valley is a stunning hour’s…

Read Full Article Source