Wanaka Winter Getaways
May is here, and that means winter is almost upon us. It certainly feels like it today! Here in Wanaka, New Zealand, we love both summer and winter. Summer is great for the long, hot days spent enjoying some of the amazing activities Wanaka and the lake has to offer – whether it be biking, hiking, swimming, kayaking, paddleboarding, or just relaxing in the sun with friends and family. The beauty is you can also do all those things in summer AND winter (just ask our boss Nick, he swears by a cold plunge in the lake all year round!).
But the biggest perk of winter in Wanaka is getting up the mountain for a ski or snowboard. There are three amazing mountains to choose from in the Wanaka area, each offering something slightly different – Treble Cone has steeper terrain and is best suited to more experienced skiers or boarders, Cardrona is more family-friendly with a great park area, and Snow Farm is for those who love cross country skiing.
This year, we’re confident the ski resorts will open, with general manager for Cardrona and Treble Cone indicating they are planning to get the hills back in business. “We are 100 per cent dedicated and committed to getting both resorts ready to open and we will start those final preparations on Tuesday,” Bridget said last week. “We’re prepping both resorts – whether we open one, two, part of each, is not entirely planned yet.”
This will be great for the Wanaka recovery after COVID-19. As a town that relies very heavily on tourism, it will definitely go a long way to attract kiwis (and hopefully Australians, when the ‘trans-trasman bubble’ happens) back to this amazing area.
The COVID-19 alert level in New Zealand went down from level 4 to level 3 on Tuesday 28th April, giving kiwis a little bit more freedom, but also recommending keeping a small ‘bubble’ and staying home as much as possible. For the ski resorts to open, it will need to be level 2 for locals, or level 1 for our North Island friends to come visit. With the mountains set to open next month, we have everything crossed that we’ll be down to level 1 and ready to rock & roll in no time!
This ski season was ramping up to be bigger and better than ever before, with the announcement that Treble Cone had been bought by Real Journeys, who also owns Cardrona. Having both mountains owned by the same company paved the way for multi-mountain passes, which was definitely an exciting prospect for both Wanaka locals and visitors alike. With the possibility of buying a dual season pass, or multi-day passes that could be used at both mountains, it means greater flexibility all round.
Release Wanaka
Here at Release Wanaka, with our accommodation specials running until the end of November, we have some fantastic offers to make your ski trip both luxury and reasonable. Pay for 5 nights at selected properties, and stay for 7 – that’s 2 free nights, and your week skiing sorted!
We can also help with your ski rental and have this dropped to your luxury holiday home, taking any stress out of getting boots fitted and picking up gear.
Why wait? Get planning your ski trip to Wanaka now. We can’t wait to see you!
Kia kaha.