Plan and Book Your Ski Holiday to Wanaka

Everything you need to know to plan your ski holiday 

See below for a step by step guide to make booking your next winter holiday as easy as possible.

There's also some great ski packages to Wanaka including accommodation, passes, lessons and rental cars. These can even be tailored to suit your individual requirements.

Ski Packages for me!

How do I get to Wanaka? Fly to Queenstown Airport then self-drive or catch a bus or private shuttle to Wanaka Read more

Where can I stay? Hotel, motel, apartment, backpacker or holiday home - it's entirely up to you and your budget. Tip: Book early if you plan to come in the school holidays. Read more

Where should I ski? Do you want to do cross country skiing or downhill skiing, are you a beginner or expert? For cross country and snow play try Snow Farm, Cardrona is great for beginners and intermediate skiers while Treble Cone caters for advanced skiers. All intermediate skiers should give heli skiing and Soho Basin a go! Read more

How do I get up the mountain? If you are happy to fit chains when required then drive your own vehicle - but if not, there are daily buses and private shuttle services to get you up to the ski resorts. Read more

Should I have lessons? If you are a beginner or not skied for a while then yes take a lesson! But even experts will benefit from some one on one tuition. There are great ski packages which include lift, lesson and gear hire available at the ski resorts. Read more

What do I need to bring? If you want to pack light there are plenty of places to rent the latest skis, snowboards, boots and outerwear. Bring layers, the innermost should be light thermal underwear – merino is a great way to stay comfortable and warm. Read more

Fly or Drive?

The closest airport to Wanaka with daily scheduled flights from other New Zealand destinations is Queenstown Airport. Check out their flight schedule and then choose either a shuttle bus, a rental vehicle or take the easy option and enjoy a private shuttle to Wanaka. Either way the 60 minute drive to Wanaka is stunning.

If you want to drive to Wanaka then make your ski holiday part of a road trip through some of New Zealand's most stunning scenery.

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Click on your location below to see how close you are to Wanaka

Driving to Wanaka Explore the Region

Driving to Wanaka

Driving on the South Island roads of New Zealand is a great way to experience the region, with relatively quiet roads and some of the most amazing scenery right outside the window.

Major car and campervan hire companies are all located at Christchurch, Dunedin and Queenstown airports. There are also a number of rental car companies based in Wanaka.

How to get to Wanaka

Explore the Region

Wanaka is unique and captivating; it inspires you to discover, and gives you the freedom to explore.

Located in the stunning alps of the South Island, New Zealand, visitors from around the world are drawn to the Wanaka region by its outstanding beauty.

Explore Wanaka

  1. Mount Aspiring
    National Park     54 min
  2. Christchurch 5 h 14 min
  3. Ashburton 3 h 56 min
  4. Geraldine 3 h 19 min
  5. Tekapo 2 h 17 min
  6. Mt Cook 2 h 6 min
  7. Twizel 1 h 39 min
  8. Omarama 1 h 21 min
  9. Franz Josef 3 h 32 min
  10. Fox Glacier 3 h 6 min
  11. Haast 1 h 43 min
  13. Cromwell 39 min
  14. Queenstown 1 h 4 min
  15. Milford Sound 4 h 34 min
  16. Te Anau 2 h 52 min
  17. Dunedin 2 h 52 min
  1. Mount Aspiring
    National Park     54 min
  2. Coronet Peak
  3. The Remarkables
  4. Cardrona
  5. Treble Cone
  6. Snow Farm
  7. Heli Skiing
  8. Heli Skiing
  9. Makarora 50 min
  10. Lake Hawea 1 h 7 min
  12. Wanaka Airport 11 min
  13. Luggate 13 min
  14. Tarras 27 min
  15. Cromwell 39 min
  16. Arrowtown 53 min
  17. Queenstown 1 h 4 min
  18. Queenstown Airport 59 min
  19. Matukituki Valley 51 min
  20. Raspberry Creek 1 h 6 min

Flights to Wanaka

Getting to Wanaka is easy - click on your city to see how close you are to Wanaka. It’s a short, scenic 60-minute drive to Wanaka from the closest international airport, where you will find all major rental car companies and scheduled bus services that provide transport to Wanaka throughout the day.

Queenstown Airport is serviced daily from all major New Zealand airports as well as over 40 flights a week direct from Australia.

How to get to Wanaka