Lakes, vineyards, and views - Wānaka to Arrowtown

We are on a 6-week road trip in our motorhome Vwhā, around the South Island of New Zealand (NZ). Having just driven through the Southern Alps via the amazing Haast Pass, we are now continuing south enjoying a picturesque drive alongside Lake Wānaka.

View of lake driving towards Wānaka, NZ

At the southern end of the lake, we found Wānaka township with its lovely lake and mountain views, and decided it would be a peaceful place to stay. So we found a campsite close to the township and settled in for a few days. Wandering around Wānaka township later, we booked a cruise on Lake Wānaka for the following day.

Wānaka, NZ

Wānaka is a quite vibrant town, with plenty of cafes and restaurants nestled around the lakefront. Once a gold-rush settlement, now-days it’s a thriving town known as the doorway to the Mt Aspiring National Park, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The next morning, we presented ourselves at the lake wharf, ready for our cruise. To our surprise, we bumped into our friends Peter and Jill from Wellington who were disembarking from an earlier cruise. What a small world, to come down here and see our neighbours. 

On Lake Wānaka with Southern Alps behind Lake Wānaka, NZ

After a chat we boarded our boat, and with a glass of wine in hand, we cruised around Lake Wānaka with the majestic Southern Alps in the distance. The boat was a luxury catamaran and so quite steady on the water.

The lake is crystal clear, and surrounded by secluded beaches and inlets, lovely islands, lush rainforests, and beautiful mountains! It was absolutely stunning.

Us with 'That Wānaka Tree', Lake Wānaka, NZ

Over the next few days, we walked around this lovely resort town enjoying the ambience. On one walk, we went around part of the lake to view ‘That Wānaka Tree’, a lone willow growing out of the lake that became famous thanks to Instagram. 

The tree began its illustrious journey as a fence-post over 70 years ago. Now it’s grown into a celebrity tree, representing hope and endurance. We had heard that its fame meant hundreds of people queued to have their photo taken with the tree. However, thanks to COVID, we had it all to ourselves.

Leigh at the Lavender Farm, Wānaka, NZ

A few days later as we were leaving Wānaka, we found a lavender farm. We stopped and enjoyed wandering around their marvellous gardens full of gorgeous colours, then made a few lavender purchases before moving on.

Lake Dunstan, Cromwell, NZ

Then we reached Cromwell, a town in Central Otago on the shores of Lake Dunstan. This lake was formed when the Clyde Dam was built of the Clutha River in the 1990’s. Creating the lake, meant that parts of Cromwell township would be under water, and so community action followed to try and save parts of the town.

Marg in the historic area of Cromwell, Central Otago, NZ

Several of the old buildings were resurrected prior to the flooding, and now form an historic precinct, which we enjoyed visiting. We had an interesting walk around the area, finding an eclectic mix of attractive shops, art galleries, cafes, and an interesting stone church.

Our next stop was in the Kawarau Gorge to visit Roaring Meg, the turbulent stream that plunges into the Kawarau River. 

Roaring Meg and the Kawarau Rover, Central Otago, NZ

History has it that this voluble stream was named after an equally voluble barmaid named Maggie (or Meg for short), in the early settler days. The colour of the water was beautiful and the view of the Kawau River was really good. The noise of the stream is now quietened by a hydro power station but the name and the legend live on. 

 

Gibbston Valley vineyard, Central Otago, NZ

Then we drove into the beautiful and rugged Gibbston Valley. Known as the 'Valley of the Vines', it is one of the most scenic wine growing areas in NZ, and the southernmost wine growing region in the world.

Driving through this picturesque area, we came across the Gibbston Valley Winery and stopped for a look around. It’s a well-known wine so we decided to do a tasting, which led to a delicious lunch.

Amy and Marg near Amy and Al's Gibbston Valley home, Central Otago, NZ

A couple of hours later, we drove up the road to visit Marg’s friends, Amy and Alistair. They have a beautiful home with spectacular views of the surrounding ranges and vineyards. That afternoon, we took a short walk with Amy to visit their local vineyard, Mt Rosa, where we sampled some of their lovely Pinot Gris. 

Then we wandered back to Amy and Al’s house for a BBQ, and enjoyed a great night with them. Later, we had a very peaceful sleep, parked in their beautiful and very quiet vineyard setting.

Historic Arrowtown, NZ

The next morning, we reached Arrowtown, a lovely historic gold mining town on the banks of the Arrow River. The town was established in 1862, during the height of the Otago gold rush. The settlement grew quickly as pioneers constructed cottages, shops, hotels and churches; many of which are still there. 

We also visited the nearby Chinese gold-miners settlement and learned of the terrible conditions in which they lived.

 

Mountain scenery driving the Shotover Gorge, Queenstown, NZ

After lunching at a local café, we drove through the Shotover Gorge. The drive revealed some spectacular mountain scenery. We were headed Queenstown but you can read about that in the next blog,

This is part of a bigger blog on our travels around the South Island of New Zealand. The first blog is called NZ's South Island in amotorhome.