Location: Wanaka
Hostel: Base, Wanaka
To do: Rob Roy Glacier Hike; and yes…check ‘That Wanaka tree’
When I first started planning my trip to New Zealand I completely disregarded the fact that Christmas and New Years are really busy wherever you go. This means I left it for too late to book my hostels for New Years eve and ended up not being able to stay in Wanaka or Queenstown during that time, however I still had pretty amazing time in both places and I’m glad it worked out in a pretty sweet way.
I was in Wanaka for a couple of days and didn’t really have anything planned, so when I got there I went to the Tourist info centre and asked for what I could do with the limited time I had. They recommended the Rob Roy Glacier Hike which was an amazing suggestion. You have to get transport there and back but there are loads of options available and it’s definitely worth it.
I spent the first day at the lake just relaxing and napping. I tend to always be really active and never really get a time to just relax when on holiday, so it was good to do that in Wanaka. Got a chance to see ‘That’ famous Wanaka Tree and like all the very famous places it was a bit underwhelming, just because of the amount of tourists around. (check pics below).
On my second day I did my hike and it was amazing. I can’t remember the name of the company I used for the transport there and back but it was the one recommended by the local tourist info centre. We were a small group and all of us did the walk at a different pace. I met a few people on the way but in general it was just good to take on the views alone and get some headspace.
Unfortunately my experience at the hostel (Base Wanaka) was pretty bad and I would not recommend it to anyone. Honestly… get a tent. Rent a car and sleep in it. Stay up all night partying and decided to sleep on the beach. Anything but that hostel. I do understand it was partying Season (28th Dec) but honestly… the age range was 16-21 and the kids sneaked in another 4 people into our dorm…which transformed a very small 8-bed dorm into a sleeping place for 12 people…in the middle of their summer!! Me and the other 2 ‘grown-ups’ complained about it but I don’t think they did anything.
Unlock your imagination 