Things to do in Wānaka
Town
Things to do in Wānaka town do not take much planning. Cinema Paradiso on Brownston Street runs midday to 10pm with couches instead of rows. The Wānaka Artisan Market runs every Thursday 3pm to 6pm beside Bullock Creek. Wānaka Golf Club welcomes green fee players on a course that has been there since 1922.
Town is about ten minutes from the park and the Lake Wānaka foreshore is a five-minute walk, so an evening in town is easy to fold into any stay. The market is the one to plan around, because Thursday afternoon is the only regular slot it has all year.
Buy dinner at the market and cook it in the communal kitchen, or head to the cinema cafe for pizza and a local beer instead. Motels and pods suit couples doing town evenings; camp sites and cabins suit anyone shopping the market and cooking for themselves.
Cinema Paradiso
A much loved Wānaka cinema where you watch films from couches, armchairs and a converted Morris Minor.
Wānaka Artisan Market
A year round Thursday afternoon market of local growers, bakers and makers, held beside Bullock Creek.
Wānaka Golf Club
An 18 hole course established in 1922, looking out over Lake Wānaka and the mountains, open to green fee players.
Questions
Before you head out.
What day is the Wānaka market?
Every Thursday, 3pm to 6pm, year round, between the Wanaka Speights Ale House and Bullock Creek. Arts and crafts markets also run on selected Sundays over summer, but not every week.
Is there something to do on a wet evening?
Cinema Paradiso runs midday to 10pm every day, with three screens, a licensed cafe and intermission cookies. Booking ahead is worth it for popular sessions, through paradiso.nz.
Can visitors play the golf course?
Yes, green fee players are welcome, with club hire and coaching at the pro shop. Availability is limited on Saturdays from May to September because of club days, so ring first.
Stay at Sundale
A base five minutes from the water.
Your Wānaka basecamp
Make Sundale your base.
Cabins, studios, motels and soft-grass camping, five minutes from the water and close to everything above.