Wanaka & Mount Cook National Park often tops many families’ popular destinations list on the South Island of New Zealand.
Queenstown is stunning, but Wanaka is undeniably beautiful. An all seasons destination with amazing landscape, wineries, ski fields, countless activities – your family won’t be leaving in a hurry. Just over one hour from Queenstown, the drive to Wanaka via Crown Range Road is one of the best drives we’ve ever been.
Mount Cook National Park is about 2.5 hours from Wanaka. 8 of the 12 largest glaciers in New Zealand can be found here. Although weather can be challenging, this area is a MUST VISIT. We recommend spending 3 to 4 nights here to fully appreciate the stunning scenery.
Here are Letsgobeartravels top kids friendly thing to do in Wanaka & Mount Cook New Zealand
First off Mount Cook…
Go on a SCENIC Helicopter ride
Before this trip we have never been on a helicopter! But this got to be the ultimate way to see New Zealand’s Southern Alps. Flying in between mountains, going over the glaciers was amazing. Snow landing in knee deep snow and sights from the mountain peaks was something we will remember forever.
We flew with Inflite Helicopters. Children from 4 years old can sit on their own. Toddlers 3 years old and under must sit on a parent’s lap.
Mount Cook helicopter ride is better than all the advertisements and videos you see on Youtube. Not cheap – but worth every penny!
Hike the famous Hooker Valley track
One of the bucket list items we wanted to tick was this stunning hike.
Despite a few loud tantrums from our youngest and whining from our oldest towards the end, hiking 10 kilometers (with two boys aged 6 and 1.5 years old) surprisingly went smoothly.
What made it easy was the trail is mostly flat and the stunning scenery from start to finish. Highlights on the track include views of Mueller lake, glaciers, 3 suspension bridges, (the often Instagram-ed) Hooker Valley Boardwalk, Mount Cook and of course Hooker Lake itself.
Inspired? Checkout our top tips for hiking with kids
Blue Lakes and Tasman Glacier walk
If you prefer a (much) shorter hike – this one is for you. It’s only a 15 minutes walk one way. We used this shorter hike as a bit of a test and warmup for Hooker Valley track the day after.
Eat and eat salmon
The best place to eat salmon is at Mount Cook Alpine Salmon right beside Lake Pukaki. Cold currents of New Zealand’s Southern Alps give the salmon a clean and fresh taste unlike any other. We ate a lot!
Otherwise you can also try High Country Salmon in nearby Twizel, which we also visited and also ate a lot.
Drop by Church of the Good Shepherd
About 30 minutes from the salmon place, have a quick visit to this church by the blue waters of Lake Tekapo. It is one of New Zealand’s most iconic photo locations
Now then onto Wanaka…
Take in amazing views from Roys Peak
If you ever seen New Zealand tourism ads with people hiking, looking out to a scenic distance – chances are the photos were taken at Roys Peak. From here take in 360 degree views of Lake Wanaka and the surrounding peaks including Mount Aspiring.
The bad news? The hike here is 16 kilometres long and take about 6 hours. For family travellers, the cheat way is to fly a 15 minutes helicopter ride to Coromandel Peak (which has even better views than Roy’s Peak). We flew with Wanaka Helicopters.
Meet all other tourists at #ThatWanakaTree
An obligatory photo stop for just about every family visiting Wanaka. Compared to the stunning landscape all around, we find this tree to be not that interesting.
Our boys was more interested in throwing small rocks into the still lake water and playing in a small playground nearby.
Go UP Cardrona ski field
Cardrona is popular for both skiing and snowboarding. Younger kids from 3 to 14 years old can join lessons for all ability levels.
Even though you may not be into skiing (like us) Cardrona is still a great place to visit. Families can buy a visitor pass to take a gondola ride to the top of the mountain. There are also lots of dining options while you’re here.
No prize for guessing which one of our boys loves snow and which one doesn’t.
Visit the National Transport & Toys Museum
For rainy days or if you would like to take it easy, this place is a gem! We never expect it to be this huge!
With a collection of over 60,000 toys everyone will have their own favourite nostalgic corner. Outside there are massive hangars housing over 600 vehicles. You will find classic cars, motorcycles, fire trucks, military vehicles, planes and boats. Amazingly it is all one family’s private collection!
Good luck parents trying to leave this place without kids begging to buy something from the museum shop.
Relax (if the kids let you) at Rippon Winery
When it’s time to have a nice meal with a glass of local wine, this is your must go. The winery stands elevated over Lake Wanaka and the Southern Alps. If you can, book yourself a wine testing session.
Enjoy views of The Neck & Lake Hawea
Another one of New Zealand’s famous photo stop. This spot is classic New Zealand South island scenery and is not as busy with tourists.
It also give you a good excuse to visit a famous patisserie. Drop by Pembroke Patisserie. It’s a short drive from Albert Town and is definitely worth your stop.
Diamond lake track
There are a few walks available in this area. The short, easier option is suitable for kids and give you views of Diamond Lake.
Where to stay?
When visiting Mount Cook National Park we highly recommend staying at The Hermitage Hotel. It will be your family’s perfect base for exploring the area. The accommodation is comfortable, views are stunning and kids meals options are plenty. In this hotel you will also find the Sir Edmund Hillary Alpine Centre.
If you choose not to stay at The Hermitage Hotel most accommodation options will be in Twizel – some 45 minutes away from Mount Cooks pretty bits and hiking tracks. Given how quick the weather can change, staying in Mount Cook will be better for families with younger kids.
During our Wanaka holiday we stayed at an Airbnb in Mount Barker – 10 minutes outside of town. Due to our last minute emergency pretty much all accommodation in Wanaka was booked out! Us and the boys were really happy with our stay at Cairnside country home hosted by Jan.
For places we have visited, Checkout our website’s travel Destinations section. We buy of our travel essentials online via Ebay
