Wanaka
Leica M10 + Leica Summarit 50mm f/2.4
First off, let’s work on the pronunciation which when we arrived in New Zealand was not even close. It rhymes with Monica, not Chewbacca. Had Lou Bega written Mambo No. 5 after having visited Wanaka and falling in love with it as we did, we’d now be singing “A little bit of Wanaka, in my life…” as we strolled through the mall listening to one 1-hit wonder after another on the PA system but alas; he didn’t travel much and seems to have been a fan of Friends. Now that we’ve got that out of the way—and you’re singing Mambo No. 5, and/or the Friends theme song—let’s sum up the Wanaka area in as few words as possible:
Perfect
That’s all you need to describe Wanaka, just one word: perfect. We ended up staying in Wanaka four nights, mostly because we couldn’t tear ourselves away from this charming small town that sits at the end of it’s eponymous lake that looks like a Bob Ross painting. The people, the food, the shops, the views, the access to so many quick and easy adventures in the surrounding area, #thatwanakatree (more on this below), the pace of life, this town had it all and we immediately knew that we had found our favorite spot in NZ.
The weather was gorgeous our entire stay here and we found ourselves truly relaxed and without any agenda or plans and Wanaka kept us busy the entire time. One day, we decided to drive down to the far more popular (and populated) Queenstown but when we left agreed that unless Queenstown was significantly better than Wanaka, we’d be driving the 1 hour back to Wanaka which is exactly what we did. Queenstown is a big, touristy and developed area that aims to please a different crowd. If you’re into extreme sports, bungee jumping, snowboarding, wine tasting, staying at expensive hotels, then Queenstown is for you. Pretty area, but we could not get out of there fast enough, though we did a nice hike to a hill overlooking the town and captured a couple cool shots of an Air New Zealand flight taking off from the airport below.
For those entrenched in social media and the hashtag life, you may already know Wanaka. Wanaka is somewhat famous for #thatwanakatree, a hashtag which refers to this lonely tree growing out of the lake and there’s even a sign providing the history of the tree which is identified by name as #thatwanakatree. The tree is situated right off the shore and 100 yards from a parking lot and so access is super easy and the payoff is huge. The mountains in the background make for a beautiful backdrop and I decided to go unconventional for my photos of the tree and did a couple long exposure shots at night and the following morning while it was rather windy.
Sony a7r + Leica Summarit 50mm f/2.4, 5min 30 second exposure @ ISO 400
Leica M10 + Leica Summarit 50MM F/2.4, 60-second exposure with 16-stop ND filter @ ISO 200
There were simple hikes in the area which satisfied our urge to remain active but take a break from the Isthmus Peak type vertical hikes to the tops of the mountains lining the shores of the lakes, we found the Bra Fence en route to Queenstown not far outside of Wanaka and on our last day as the weather had turned gray and rainy, on our way out of town we watched a movie in the most charming of theaters where it felt like we lived in a small town with the other movie buffs in town coming out on a Sunday afternoon for the matinee.
All in all, Wanaka was just perfect. Being in New Zealand for 3 weeks, we were on vacation but in a lot of ways it felt like we lived there and that we found ourselves integrating ourselves into life wherever we were. Being in Wanaka 4 nights, we really felt like we lived there and saw the same people in the same places and knew where everything was located and understood why so many people called this place home and why it seemed like most never left. Why would you? It’s a perfect little slice of heaven situated on a beautiful postcard of a lake and you feel like part of a community with everything you could ever need.
If you’re reading this and you’re planning out a trip to New Zealand, skip nearby Queenstown and go straight for Wanaka. Maybe it’s not everyone’s perfect spot of tea but I suspect if you’re reading this, it is, and I cannot recommend strongly enough that you put a little Wanaka in your life… (you’re welcome, Lou Bega, for the clicks on YouTube referred by this blog entry…)