Good times
January in Wanaka was a flurry of activity, with visitors arriving from all over the country to enjoy all of the perks of a lakeside summer holiday with outdoor activities for days. We were delighted to welcome lots of kiwis to explore their backyard. It was a treat to host New Zealand residents who would normally spend their holiday visiting family overseas, as somehow, we don’t always make the time to visit holiday destinations in our own country. We appreciate that there are positives to everything and are grateful to everyone that has taken the time to explore the South Island over the holidays.!
Both the Criffel Peak apartment and cottage had lots of north island families staying, many saying they had not visited wanaka for 20 years! Now, they were bringing their kids to see what they had enjoyed when they were younger. We had the opportunity to recommend all of the family friendly activities that wanaka has to offer; from Hook lake to plate dining experience, Wanaka Water Taxi & the abundance of bike trails that are accessible for everyone.
The lake was busy with boats as families enjoyed the lovely sunny weather, the Rhythm and Alps music festival had a sell-out crowd of 10,000 and the New Year’s fireworks display attracted thousands to the lakefront.
We managed to get away into the mountains for 4 days between xmas and new year, we tramped the Rees Dart Track which takes in 2 gorgeous valleys with Rees Saddle the high point in the middle. It was great to see families with teenagers out there hiking and enjoying the simplicity and opportunity to completely switch off from technology.
Now that the kids are back to school we’re seeing lots of couples travelling and the Upcoming Challenge Wanaka triathlon on Feb 20th will welcome more friendly faces. This year the race has been re-located to Glendhu Bay which offers a stunning backdrop and we think this more sheltered course is a great idea. Our Rotary club is doing all the catering for the volunteers and competitors so that’ll mean a lot of sandwich-making on the Friday night before the race! Suzie & I have been involved with the Rotary club for 3 years.
Next month we’re looking forward to both the Motutapu Bike / marathon race and also the Wanaka A&P Show which is always a highlight. Let’s hope the glorious sunny weather we’ve been enjoying so far this summer holds for another month :)
Until next time,
Caroline & Suzie
