Family holidays in Wānaka & Queenstown

For eighteen years, Release NZ has been organising family holidays across the Southern Lakes from its base in Wānaka. The portfolio of homes we use for families ranges from three-bedroom holiday houses for a single family of four, through to lakeside villas that sleep fourteen for multi-generational gatherings and extended family reunions. Every home has been chosen with the practical realities of a family stay in mind.

For some, it’s a week skiing together in winter. For others, it’s bringing grandparents, children and friends together in a remarkable home overlooking the mountains. Whether you’re planning a summer adventure, a multi-generational celebration or a relaxed escape in the Southern Lakes region, we can create a stay tailored to your family.

From luxury accommodation and private chefs to helicopter adventures, boating, skiing and guided outdoor experiences, our local team can help arrange every detail before you arrive.

Our Travel Fixer team handles the rest: the fridge can be stocked, the cots already in place when you arrive, ski school at Cardrona booked before the season opens, a 4WD is organised for you to collect at the airport. From luxury accommodation and private chefs to restaurants that you know ahead of time offer a children’s menu worth chomping through, we’ve planned hundreds of family weeks; the logistics are familiar ground for us.

Where families stay in Wānaka and Queenstown

The family homes in our hand-picked portfolio range from small private villas to sprawling homes for large group gatherings like extended family reunions and milestone birthday weeks. You might be two families travelling together or for a single family with grandparents in tow, either way we’ll have something to suit your group mix.

Every home has the practical things a family week needs: enough bedrooms for adults and children to have their own space, kitchens that work for breakfast for six or sixteen, and outdoor area the kids can use without being hushed. Most sit within reach of the lake, sight of the mountains or close to walking trails. Tell us your family size, your children’s ages, and whether you’re travelling as one family or several, and we’ll start a shortlist for you.

Easy family travel: holiday logistics handled for you

We understand the countless moving parts (and people) involved in a successful and enjoyable family holiday. For families with babies or small children, we can organise cots, high chairs and car seats, and stock the fridge so you’re not doing a supermarket run with a tired toddler on day one.

Winter trips need more logistics. Ski gear hire including helmets for the whole family can be sized and fitted in the home, and lessons and lift passes pre-booked. Warmer months are gentler: Bike Glendhu sessions for the older kids, guided horse treks through the high country, and lake kayaks from the waterfront are all fun family holiday additions.

Vetted babysitting and private chefs are available year-round, for the evenings you’d like a dinner out or a night where no one has to cook.

Our goal is simple: to help your family spend less time organising and more time enjoying your holiday in Wānaka or Queenstown.

Wānaka or Queenstown for a family base?

We base most families in Wānaka. The town is compact, the waterfront is safe for paddlers, and the pace suits a family rhythm better than Queenstown. Queenstown comes into its own for families with older children and teenagers who want higher-energy options like the Skyline luge, Nevis Swing or Shotover Jet.

For most families, the answer is a Wānaka base with a Queenstown day trip mid-week. Or others, it might four nights in each location. We’ll suggest the split based on your family’s ages and what you want from the week.

Experiences for every generation

One of the advantages of staying in the Southern Lakes is the variety of experiences available within easy reach. While some family members spend the day pushing their adrenalin limits, others may choose a wine tour, scenic helicopter flight, spa treatment, golf outing or lakeside lunch. Teenagers may be mountain biking while grandparents enjoy a leisurely cruise or private sightseeing experience.

We’ll help tailor activities to suit the interests of every guest while ensuring everyone comes back together at the end of the day.

Catering for toddlers and young children

For families with under-fives, we base everyone in Wānaka almost without exception. The town is compact enough to navigate with a pushchair, the waterfront playground sits right on the lake, and most cafés are happy to see a stroller roll in. Puzzling World on the edge of town works from about age 4. The lake edge is gentle for paddling or fascinating for those who’ve never before fed eels.

Children aged 8 to 13

We book more families with kids in this age range than any other. By eight or nine, the full activity range starts to work. Bike Glendhu’s trails open up from about age 8, with e-bikes for the adults who want to keep up. Guided horse trekking through high-country farms around Wānaka is consistently popular at this age, and Lake Wānaka is small enough that a paddleboard or kayak afternoon excites everyone. A scenic helicopter flight is worth considering for kids who’ve shown some interest in the landscape, particularly one of the longer flights into Mount Aspiring National Park.

Travelling with teenagers

The Southern Lakes is one of the few destinations where we don’t have to work hard to keep teenagers happy. Roys Peak is a full-day hike a teenager will actually remember and enjoy doing with the whole tribe. Bike Glendhu has serious downhill terrain for confident riders. In Queenstown, the Nevis Swing (minimum age 10), the Kawarau Bridge bungy and the Shotover Jet cover the higher-adrenalin end. A Dart River jet boat plus fun-yak adventure works too.

In winter, Treble Cone is the mountain to put a teenage skier on unless they’ve got park skis and are drawn to the park terrain at Cardrona. A private lesson focused on off-piste technique on the first day tends to change a teenager’s relationship with the rest of the week. Off-roading at OxBow between Queenstown and the Gibbston Valley is a popular alternative to the bungy jump and zipwire. Heli-biking through Southern Lakes is the option for older teenagers when the budget allows, and gets the most consistent enthusiastic response of anything we offer.

A family week from Wānaka

Day 1: Arrive Queenstown Airport, collect the 4WD, transfer to Wānaka. The fridge is stocked, the cots are in place, the kids are in the lake.

Day 2: Settle in and familiarise yourselves with the Wānaka waterfront, Puzzling World, lakefront café for lunch, swim or paddleboard in the afternoon.

Day 3: Adventure day at Bike Glendhu for the older children, guided horse trek for mixed ages, or a lake kayak session.

Day 4: Mountain or trail depending on the season. Cardrona ski field in winter, Bike Glendhu for MTB fans, or the Rob Roy Glacier walk in the warmer months for fit families with older children.

Day 5: Queenstown day trip starting with Arrowtown gold panning, the gondola and luge, lakefront lunch, one age-appropriate activity.

Day 6: Family day wrapped with babysitting arranged if the parents want a dinner out or a ski day without the children.

Day 7: Last morning for a swim in or walk around the lake before transfering to Queenstown Airport.

Plan your family week in New Zealand’s South Island

We’ll here to shortlist the best family accommodation, point you in the direction of activities best suited to your brood, and support you every step of the way.

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