World famous in New Zealand
After travelling through Queenstown to Arrowtown and visiting Highlands Motorsport Park in Cromwell, it’s a good idea to slow down and spend a couple of days enjoying Wanaka, as there is plenty to see and do.
Wanaka is still unspoilt. Although tourism is very evident, it doesn’t give the same impression of local businesses gold mining visitors the way Queenstown does. It retains its original presentation of being a country town with a small shopping centre along the lakefront, albeit with rather smart modern buildings. Accommodation varies from the camping ground for the budget-conscious to a range of hotels and motels.
Day five can start with a walk along the lakefront. Located along the side of the footpath are 2000 emblematic tiles, laid as part of Wanaka’s new millennium project. Each tile depicts a year. For example, the 37th tile reads: “AD37 — Caligula became emperor of Rome”. Naturally, Wanaka, originally called Pembroke, features too: “1997 — Wanaka gained a New World supermarket; Princess Diana died in a car crash in Paris”. Time can be spent exploring either the small boutique shops or people watching at one of the cafés that are dotted along the lakefront and environs.
Not the worst road in the world
On the trip in, we travelled along State Highway 6 instead of the more usual route from Queenstown over the Crown Range Road, as we wanted to visit Highlands Motorsport Park (described in Part One). The Crown Range Road is one of two New Zealand roads that hire companies specifically ask you not to take in their camper vans. You have to sign an agreement to confirm that you are aware of it. In truth, now that it has been sealed, it’s pretty easy going and very beautiful, but driving up the switchbacks from the Queenstown end would be a bit testing in a camper van. The other road is also 20 minutes outside of Queenstown. Skippers Canyon Road is narrow and in places is carved into vertical cliffs above the Shotover River. It has been ranked as one of the 10 worst roads in the world but, if you like a bit of a thrill and dramatic scenery, it should not be missed. Neither rental cars nor campervans are allowed on this road.
