How To Get To Wanaka

Wanaka is located in the southern region of New Zealand’s South Island and is best accessed by flying into Queenstown Airport, just 1 hour away from Wanaka. Direct flights available through several airlines makes it easily accessible from major east coast Australian cities. To make your way to Wanaka we recommend hiring a car to give you the most flexibility, however you can also get there on a shuttle bus. 

In Wanaka the nearest mountains of Cardrona and Treble Cone are about 35 minutes away, so you can drive here or if you don’t have a car there are mountain transfers available.  

Car Hire

To make the most out of your time in Wanaka, hiring a car is often the most convenient and cost effective way of getting around. We can pre- book your rental car for you so it’s ready to pick up when you land at Queenstown Airport and then it’s a 1 hour drive to Wanaka. Hiring a car also gives you the flexibility to visit other areas when having a rest day. 

The car rentals we book through Go Rentals offer super simple pick up and drop off with their self service kiosks, as well as offering outstanding on-road support and roadside assistance. Depending on your family or group size there are a variety of vehicles to choose, from small cars to large SUVs and 4WDs. We also recommend upgrading to ‘All Inclusive’ which provides you insurance cover, tyre and windscreen cover, snow chains and GPS, giving you complete peace of mind. If you’re under the age of 21 you may not be eligible to hire a car, so a shuttle bus option may be more suitable. If you’d like to arrange car hire, speak to one of our travel consultants for a quote. 

Shuttle Bus + Mountain Transfers

If you’re traveling solo, in a small group or don’t want to hire a car, there are shuttle transfers available from Queenstown Airport to Wanaka. These must be pre-booked and run multiple times throughout the day. Please allow plenty of time to reach the airport for departing flights.

For getting to the mountains each day you can then take the mountain transfers provided by Cardrona and Treble Cone. These shuttle buses run multiple times per day from the centre of Wanaka and it is best to reserve your seat to ensure availability. We can pre-book your transfers with any of our Wanaka packages so you can rock up and be ready to go!