Wanaka, a town of 5,000 in the heart of New Zealand’s South Island, is where in-the-know Kiwis go for serious adventure. The town is the gateway to 74-square-mile Lake Wanaka, the 10,000-foot Southern Alps, and Mount Aspiring National Park, the training ground for New Zealand’s mountaineers.
The best way to take advantage: via Christchurch (from US$130), then rent a car and drive an hour to (US$90 per day). Stay at the Whare Kea Lodge, a glass and aluminum structure on the shores of glittering (rooms from US$1,170).
The days are cool during New Zealand’s winter—expect highs around 50 degrees—but it’s perfect weather to walk the 6.5-mile Makarora Valley Track to Stewart Falls, trek six miles to view the Rob Roy glacier, or cast to heavy rainbows in the (guides from US$625). The lodge is within an hour of six of the country’s best ski areas—the Southern Alps get 13 feet of snow each winter.
Our favorite is (lift ticket, US$82), which has 2,300 feet of vertical across nearly 1,400 acres—the largest on South Island. Warm up on runs like the Fickle Finger of Fear, a steep howl through a narrow chute. Then go even deeper with (from $674). You’ll be picked up on Whare Kea’s front lawn and dropped on any number of 200 peaks for first tracks on 3,500-foot lines. End the day at the Whare Kea’s on-mountain chalet, a cozy outpost perched at 5,700 feet.