Wanaka: The Lake Wanaka Region written by Neville Peat is a
valuable guide for any visitor to the area, with clear and relevant
information about the history, mountains, weather, walks, fishing, skiing
and wildlife, but it is also an excellent read for the armchair
traveller.
A planning guide and a timesaver
This book helps the visitor to make best use of time in Wanaka by providing
ready access to helpful information. This starts on the contents page
where as well as clear outlines of the content of each chapter there is a
list of the addresses of the information centres at Wanaka and at Makarora.
The information covers the area from
Cardrona
to Mount Aspiring National Park, Lake Hawea and the
Haast Road
as far as the Blue Pools.
A range of topics
History
The section on Wanaka's history includes information about the geology of
the area without swamping the reader with too much complex detail,
pre-European Maori use of the district for settlement or as a camping place
on foraging expeditions in search of food, and European activity from the
1850s to the present day. Neville Peat tells how farming, gold digging,
logging and tourism brought Europeans to the area in the early period, but
now farming and tourism are the main activities, with phenomenal growth in
visitor numbers and house building as the twenty first century begins. The
Wanaka streets resound with languages from all round the world.
Activities around the town
The history section with its excellent photos, provides the backdrop for
the second chapter, Town and Around which describes the permanent
attractions and events in Wanaka itself - museums, the Great Maze, the
beerworks, the New Year's Eve party, the Rodeo in January, the Rippon
Festival of rock music, the Upper Clutha Agricultural and Pastoral Show,
the biennial international Easter air show, Warbirds over Wanaka,
and the snow carnival. Clear and interesting details are given about parks
and facilities, and short drives and their attractions, with a colourful
relief map of the area.
A region made for walking
This chapter includes detailed descriptions of a wide range of
walks with
times and realistic ratings of the difficulty. The beautiful photos are an
incentive to put walking on your holiday programme.
Water, Air, Winter
Under this topic Neville Peat outlines the range of water activities
available and refers boat owners to Lakes Wanaka & Hawea Boating
Guide published by the Queenstown Lakes District Council - a book
packed with information about the rules and facilities for safe boating in
the area.
Up in the air sightseeing flights, aerobatics, tandem skydiving and
paragliding are described.
Details are given of islands to be visited, fishing spots and skifields.
The Wild Side
Birds, plants and lizards are the subject of the last chapter in this
overview of Wanaka and what it offers.
A strong recommendation
Neville Peat's books have guided thousands of visitors around southern New
Zealand. I strongly recommend buying a copy of Wanaka: The Lake
Wanaka Region whether you are planning to spend a holiday in the area,
to pass through it en routs to the West Coast or just enjoy armchair travel
with a well-illustrated book about a truly beautiful area of New Zealand.
Like the area it describes, this book is worth visiting and re-visiting.
Wanaka: The Lake Wanaka Region
Neville Peat
University of Otago Press
ISBN: 1 877276 35 9
Colour illustrations
64 pages, NZ$19.95
