I have been wanting to travel to New Zealand it seems like forever! On my bucket list of places to…read morephotograph was The Wanaka Tree. This world renowned tree is growing just offshore of Lake Wanaka and depending on the water level can give the illusion of it floating on the water when the tide is high. There were three variables that I was crossing my fingers would bless me with good conditions to photograph it. High water, snow on the distant mountain range and no wind. Well, I was truly blessed. The first day was an evening shot since we got into Wanaka a bit late from Queenstown, there were clouds covering the tops of the mountains, but there was a fireworks show on the shore just opposite the tree that we could see from our vantage point. The next morning's early sunrise blessed us with beautiful conditions! It was very chilly though and we were the only ones there very early before the sun rose. Gradually, more photographers started to show up, but we had our spots staked out! It was a memorable morning and I estimate I shot approx 150 photos! It was definitely a dream come true to finally come here and photograph this beautiful scene! It was definitely worth the wait and long journey... Five Beautiful Stars * * * * *

The lake itself is similar to Taupo both in terms of view, and setting, as being nestled in a town…read morewith a multitude of shops and restaurants around. Accommodations are plenty as well. Despite it looking marvelous as it is, be sure to visit lake Hawea.

Beautiful lake. Beautiful blue, clear water…read more While we did not do a boat tour around the lake, we did walk around and really enjoyed the serenity of this lake. Beautiful mountains sit flush to the mountain and you really feel like you're living in a postcard.

Lake Wakatipu (try saying that 5 times fast) is a beautiful lake where Queenstown and other…read moresettlements sit. It's a glacial lake and the water is in pristine condition. New Zealand is the only place that I have ever seen water so clear you can see straight to the bottom. I highly recommend a visit to see it for yourself!

Beautiful lake! Lake Dunstan is created through the damming of the Clutha River, it is a reservoir…read morefor hydro power generation at the Clyde Dam, as well as a popular recreational lake surrounded by the arid landscape of Central Otago in the South Island of New Zealand.

In A Nutshell: -The…read moreSouth Island of New Zealand, has some of the most beautiful lakes in the world and Lake Pukaki is just one of many. -You will drive by this lake if you drive on Highway 8. -There is a pretty big parking lot where you can park and walk down the rocks to the clear water. -It's breathtaking to see. Overall, I was very glad to see no boats in the water - as a matter of fact I don't recall seeing boats in any big body of fresh water on the South Island, maybe that's the secret to keeping them so clean and clear.

Lake Pukaki is one of the beautiful lakes in the middle of New Zealand's South Island. This one…read morehas beautiful blue water and it backs up to Mount Cook, New Zealand's highest mountain. It's really a beautiful lake. If you're short on time, pull over on the side of the road and take in the view of the lake. If you have more time, drive up to the village of Mount Cook. The drive will take you the entire length of the lake, plus you'll see the national park, a lavender farm and if you're there in December, you might see some lupines. Either way, if you're in the area, you have to stop and check out this lake.

First: A business should make an attempt for its menu and hours to match its fancy website. Website…read moresays pizzas till 6:30. Nope. Show up expecting one and be told it is six. Look forward to lamb. No longer on menu. "Have the beef." Second: Service. When our table was cleared, they left a soda can sitting on a seat. When my salad was served (in an unstable bowl) I knocked against it and it spilled onto the table. The waitress said, "Five second rule. Are you okay picking it up yourself? I don't understand why we don't serve it on plates." After picking up all the dressed salad, I had to ask for napkins as none had been provided with our meals. My partner commented that her portion of salmon--which was excellent--was rather small. The waitress responded, "Yes, it is. But it's fresh. I like to go to a restaurant where it is all you can eat." Is it casual? Fancy? A fishing hole? Mini golf? We were looking forward to a nice meal. Very disappointed.

Had a fantastic lunch here on our honeymoon. Amazing concept...you can fish in their pond and they…read morewill cook whatever you catch. We were running short on time so we didn't end up fishing but instead got the salmon platter which was delicious. The beer on tap was also great! Sat outside and enjoyed watching the fish swim and the clouds roll by. Perfect day!

I needed a place to camp for the night and did not have a res, but the gal in the office was very…read morenice and hooked me up w/a nice tent site for $20NZ. The site was fine and though it was close to road, the noise was not bad in the night, in the morning however, you could hear the traffic. The bathrooms were clean and there was a hairdryer. They also had a TV lounge and wifi was available there. You could get up to 200MB per 24hrs free and pay for any additional. It was a nice, cheap stay for a night and with Lake Wanaka right across the street, a good location for the price!

Not the best! This…read moremay have a lake view but only for a few sites and then only way across a rugby field, road and through the trees into the distance! We were not aware of the work being done until we arrived, one toilet block for at least 30-40 peopled on top of that they changed the female block into unisex! REALLY! Small play area for size of site. Not very close to town. Internet a waste of time! No discount offered for all the work going on!

There is only so much beer and meat pies one can devour…read more.. So check out this charming Gardens. Really pretty area to just hang. Cool unique indigenous plants, trees, etc... They even have a redwood type of tree....thought that was only in Calif.

Queenstown Gardens is a must visit. You probably can't miss it if you're staying in a hotel along…read moreFrankton Road. There's also a very well kept walking/bike trail along Lake Wakatipu if you walk down from the main road, which does take you all the way to the gardens. You might feel like you're just by yourself, but no worries! You'll find a decent amount of people exercising--even in the rain. The botanic gardens is free to go in. Everything is well maintained, and very family friendly and wheelchair accessible. Pathways are wide. There are many beautiful, tall tress, and flowers. Love the fact you can enjoy the greenery while also enjoying the lake. Overall, it's definitely a must visit. You can easily walk through here to get to the Queenstown Mall, and other activities in that area.

As I was planning activities to do while in Queenstown, I stumbled upon this place that offers bike…read moretours that had really positive reviews. However, since I have never really done long distance biking before, I was hesitant to sign up for one of the tours that takes you further in and you bike back to the shop in downtown Queenstown. I decided to just rent an e-bike for half a day which would allow me to go at my own pace and return when I wanted to. Honestly, it was one of the best days of my life-the breathtaking scenery of Queenstown and the comfort of my own solitude exploring the bike paths overlooking Lake Wakatipu, Queenstown trail, Shotover bridge/river, Kawarau River... The person helping me at the shop was really friendly-helped walked me through how to use an e-bike (it was my first time using an e-bike but thought it would be the safest option in case I tired myself out later) and helped to adjust the seat as well when I had some trouble. The e-bike had different levels of support (eco, medium, and high)-I used eco mode for most of the time but used medium and high on my way back and it hardly used any of the battery life at all (there is a level usage on the screen). They provide you with a map which I used along with my phone to ensure I was on the right path but there are also many signs along the way, so I would say it would be hard to get lost. I would totally recommend this bike shop if you want a little adventure during your stay in Queenstown -something not as crazy as bungee jumping but will give you a thrill and some amazing views.

VISIT: end of February 2020 TOUR: Bike the Bridges -…read moreArrowtown to Gibbston Supported Tour VIEWS: 5 stars HELP FROM TOUR GUIDE: 5 stars SUITABLE FOR ALL ENDURANCE LEVELS: 4 stars DEALS: I found them through Chase Ultimate Rewards and several other sites MEETING SPOT: close to Fergburger and Fergbaker This tour was an honest pleasant surprise for us. The videos online looked cool, but mostly we got to experience so much that I don't think we would have seen. I would have never made a special trip to Arrowtown or Gibbston just based on the research I did, but what a beautiful way to view this amazing country! You meet at their meeting spot where the tour guide will drive you to your starting point. The tour guide stayed with everyone until they were comfortable on which path they were following and made sure that bikes and helmets were all sized appropriately. Our tour guide even gave special care to someone in our group that didn't speak English. You can leave items in the van, if you'd like, but my husband and I just had everything in our backpacks as the van is only there during certain check points. After that you are pretty much on your own with the bike tour, which was refreshing that you could go at your own pace. You see your tour guide at regular intervals along your track and that's always refreshing, in case you get tired you can always hop in the van. Along the way, you ride by the AJ Hackett bungee jumpers which was a nice stop to watch and use the restrooms and grab snacks, if you need. Then our tour ended at the Gibbston Winery which was just a nice treat after a good workout. ACTIVITY LEVEL: one of my biggest tenets is that the company dubs the Bike the Bridges tour a relatively easy ride and although it was, I was personally surprised at how much of a workout was. There was a good amount of inclines/declines and I workout regularly and have an active job, so I was relatively surprised. However, I realized after being in New Zealand that many of their residents are so active that I'm sure this would be an easy ride. For those on the fence, they do have electric bikes for rent, so that might be the way to go. NAVIGATION: the navigation is very easy and the trails are clearly marked. As mentioned above, your tour guide also makes sure he's waiting at regular intervals along your trail, so I wouldn't let that deter you I WOULD 100% DO THIS AGAIN: I am not a typical tourist that would return to do things again, but I cannot begin to explain how magical this was. Plus the tour was a half day, so we actually booked this the afternoon of our first full day in New Zealand to give us time to adjust to jet lag and the long tour the day before

When people asked us about our favorite part of our trip, I always answered with these…read moreaccommodations! The site itself has two shower/bathroom facilities, a kitchen, an office, and lots of camping spots. We reserved the large glamping tent - technically it sleeps 6 but just for us two - as some spacious lodging during our time in Wanaka. The inside had a large bed, lots of interior space to unpack, a kettle and mini fridge, dressers, lofted bed, and couch. It was perfect for our stay! Outside, we had an incredible view of Lake Hawea to ourselves, tucked away from the other campsite guests. We had a porch with table and chairs, Adirondack chairs at the edge, a large table and grill for preparing food, and a porta-potty so we didn't have to trek to the shared restrooms each time. I think the view speaks for itself - just unreal! Our only wishlist item would be a screen for the door so we could have the view without welcoming in the bugs. We didn't have wifi here (free for 30 minutes during stay) which annoyed us at first since we had limited wifi, but we ended up loving it - we spent a lot of time enjoying the nature and reading our books. We absolutely loved this spot - can't recommend it enough!