Lake Wanaka

We read that Wanaka is like Queenstown without the hype, the two felt very different to me. I would describe Wanaka as a place full of style. It's much more chilled out, independent and down to earth, dog friendly which seems rare, full of interesting small creative shops and reclamation places, a beautiful lake surrounded by mountains, water sports in the summer and snow sports in the winter... It's got the lot. We also went to an awesome cinema to see Birdman (great film!), it's how all cinemas should be -  that full of comfy sofas, freshly baked hot cookies during the interval and home made ice cream!

We've been dreaming about the possibilities of living here one day and setting up a campervan site, it's the first town so far that meets all the criteria.