On the shores of New Zealand’s fourth largest lake, surrounded by the Southern Alps and with a national park almost at the end of the street, Wānaka looks like a classic vacation town. In practice, it works far better as a base – somewhere you unpack once and then sprawl from the door into vineyards, ski fields, hiking trails, bike tracks and remote valleys that feel a long way from anywhere, yet remain easy to reach.

For travellers who like their adventure opportunities dialled up but their logistics uncomplicated, this combination is hard to beat. Add a serious concentration of architect-designed holiday homes (many award winning) and a long-standing network of guides, pilots and producers, and you have one of New Zealand’s most appealing resort towns. That’s the vibe that the locals work tirelessly to protect and that too makes it one of the friendliest places to be

Keep reading this article on A Luxury Travel Blog.