Wanaka

Wanaka (pronounced Wonaka) is nestled at the foot of Mount Aspiring National Park, the perfect staging ground to experience not only the best skiing on the South Island of New Zealand but some of the best skiing in New Zealand as a whole.

Visitors have their pick of two world-class resorts in Cardrona and Treble Cone respectively and can even dabble in a little cross-country skiing at purpose-built Snow Farm. Not only that, but the Wanaka region, despite being smaller than Queenstown, actually has the largest area of skiable terrain to offer. In particular, it is known for having the largest heli-ski terrain in the Southern Hemisphere.