Stop No. 7: Wanaka

The small town of Wanaka is located 50km north of Queenstown and was our next stop on the Kiwiexperience list. This place is extremely influenced by tourism, because it is home to New Zealand's most famous tree: the Wanaka Tree!

You see this tree everywhere on Instagram pictures or in Facebook posts (#thatwanakatree) when it comes to a trip to New Zealand. The special thing about this tree is that it grows in the water and offers a beautiful panorama of Lake Wanaka and the snow-capped mountain range in the background, making it a great photo opportunity. The media sensation is said to be over 80 years old by now, and even when we visited this place, there were over 50 people there during sunset to shoot THE photo! :)

The Wanaka Tree at sunset

In the afternoon, a group of us went to the Mount Iron to complete the 4.5 km long hiking trail there. The ascent was relatively steep and it was very hot, but after a good hour we all made it to the top safe and sound - we were already used to the hiking trails through the many bus stops and it was a good workout. In addition, we were rewarded with an impressive view (at an altitude of 250m) of the city, Lake Wanaka and the Southern Alps landscape, which we all enjoyed. This landscape was also used as a filming location for some scenes of the Lord of the Rings and Hobbit movies!