A trip to Mt Aspiring National Park; what a dream! I had a brochure from the DOC, a plan for two nights in the park, and I was excited to set off! I eagerly hit the road with my thumb out, looking forward to putting the 86km between Wanaka and Mt Aspiring behind me. After an hour of no luck, I was finally picked up by a twenty-something who worked at a paintball place just out of town in a tiny place called Glendhu with one Holiday Park, and one farm. He wasn’t going all the way but he got me 30km down the road, a hopeful start to my day. As I stood with my thumb out for the next couple hours, I was rapidly losing hope as the day grew warmer and my prospects diminished. I checked out the park map and re-planned my time in the park, accounting for a later arrival time between hopeful smiles at passing cars. Unfortunately there was no shade on the appropriate side of the road, so I occupied my time by feeding the horses grass while keeping my mind off the heat and waiting for passing cars. As noon became afternoon, I lost hope and in a disheartening move for a hitchhiker, crossed the road and stuck my thumb out the other way. Going this direction it took me over 30 minutes to get a ride just the 30km back into town, and surprisingly it was with a family. Not at all used to families stopping, I was surprised when I climbed into the campervan to sit between the couple’s two young daughters. It was a very friendly family of Kiwis and they shared their wisdom on the region, informing me that hitchhiking in the Mt Aspiring direction is virtually impossible for a variety of reasons. They dropped me off close to the Lakeview Holiday Park and I went to reception to check in again, my head held a little lower. Hitchhiking is always hit and miss, but to strike out sucks, especially when you have such an awesome plan for such an amazing park. But there were things to do still in Wanaka, and I had decided long before that this would not be my only visit to New Zealand.
My plans for the day entirely out the window, I had a lazy day observing the races in progress, and took an evening walk out Wanaka’s other shore. I decided I wanted to go canyoning the next day, booked it, and had a relaxing night of blogging and TV.
So, what is canyoning? North Americans would call it canyoneering (but Word spell check doesn’t like that either) but it’s the same worldwide. On the most basic level, you hike up a hill and come back down through a 
canyon; abseiling, jumping, sliding, and zip lining the whole fun filled time. Canyoning can be enjoyed in numerous NZ locations and there are some famous runs in Australia, but I chose Wanaka because it promised to be the wettest experience, staying in the water almost the whole time. Departing out of Queenstown you are promised 3 hours wet out of a total 8. Unfortunately, you are in a wet suit the entire time, and anyone who has worn a wetsuit knows they get very hot very quickly in the sun; usually black and providing excellent insulation against body heat loss. I was picked up from my campsite in one of New Zealand’s ubiquitous minibuses (either really tiny busses, or slightly overgrown vans, always Mitsubishi or Toyota, usually bought second hand from Asia) and driven the lovely 40 minute drive into the Mt Pisa Range. There was a tour starting mid canyon, or for the more enthusiastic/advanced, the option to start nearer the top. Always following
the rule of go big or go home, I went for the larger one, dishing out $290 plus a further $15 for the photos taken throughout by the guides with their waterproof/drop proof cameras. The whole experience was exhilarating and I faced more than a few scary situations – proudly – always coming out on top. Abseiling (repelling in a harness down a rope) through waterfalls, sliding down the rock face of a waterfall, or jumping into the pool below, the whole experience is one rush after another. This tour has you constantly wet, rarely getting out of the water (and then only twice for zip lines) but the wet suits are sufficient protection from the mountain cold water. I can proudly say I slid over a waterfall 12m tall, repelled over waterfalls up to 20m tall, and jumped off a rock face 10m to water below. It is only after the experience you learn how dangerous it is, but looking back on the previous seven hours the danger becomes quite obvious. Seeing far more injuries than skydiving, bungee 
jumping and most other adventure sports combined, the typical injuries include broken legs and ankles as well as facial injuries and the occasional hand problem. If you lose your footing on slick rocks while abseiling, incorrect recovery in the situation could find you with your face up against the same rock, maybe breaking a nose. When jumping into a pool, the guide gives firm instructions on where to land, and they mean it. Two feet in the wrong direction and you could end up landing on a barely submerged rock ledge and break a leg or two. Such an injury happened only a few weeks before my visit, but it’s made quite clear beforehand that following instructions almost guarantees a safe and fun trip. It was an excellent experience, and if I never canyon again, I can be happy knowing that I may not have done the world’s biggest, but I did one of the wettest and I had a great time (conquering a few fears at the same time!). The guides break out sandwich supplies at the bottom and everyone enjoys a great time chatting about canyoning, travelling, whatever comes to mind before packing up and driving back into the city. $290 (for the higher up option) was a terrific price for an entire day of entertainment and I left feeling like the whole experience was well worth it. I highly recommend it for the adventurous soul.
canyon; abseiling, jumping, sliding, and zip lining the whole fun filled time. Canyoning can be enjoyed in numerous NZ locations and there are some famous runs in Australia, but I chose Wanaka because it promised to be the wettest experience, staying in the water almost the whole time. Departing out of Queenstown you are promised 3 hours wet out of a total 8. Unfortunately, you are in a wet suit the entire time, and anyone who has worn a wetsuit knows they get very hot very quickly in the sun; usually black and providing excellent insulation against body heat loss. I was picked up from my campsite in one of New Zealand’s ubiquitous minibuses (either really tiny busses, or slightly overgrown vans, always Mitsubishi or Toyota, usually bought second hand from Asia) and driven the lovely 40 minute drive into the Mt Pisa Range. There was a tour starting mid canyon, or for the more enthusiastic/advanced, the option to start nearer the top. Always following
the rule of go big or go home, I went for the larger one, dishing out $290 plus a further $15 for the photos taken throughout by the guides with their waterproof/drop proof cameras. The whole experience was exhilarating and I faced more than a few scary situations – proudly – always coming out on top. Abseiling (repelling in a harness down a rope) through waterfalls, sliding down the rock face of a waterfall, or jumping into the pool below, the whole experience is one rush after another. This tour has you constantly wet, rarely getting out of the water (and then only twice for zip lines) but the wet suits are sufficient protection from the mountain cold water. I can proudly say I slid over a waterfall 12m tall, repelled over waterfalls up to 20m tall, and jumped off a rock face 10m to water below. It is only after the experience you learn how dangerous it is, but looking back on the previous seven hours the danger becomes quite obvious. Seeing far more injuries than skydiving, bungee 
jumping and most other adventure sports combined, the typical injuries include broken legs and ankles as well as facial injuries and the occasional hand problem. If you lose your footing on slick rocks while abseiling, incorrect recovery in the situation could find you with your face up against the same rock, maybe breaking a nose. When jumping into a pool, the guide gives firm instructions on where to land, and they mean it. Two feet in the wrong direction and you could end up landing on a barely submerged rock ledge and break a leg or two. Such an injury happened only a few weeks before my visit, but it’s made quite clear beforehand that following instructions almost guarantees a safe and fun trip. It was an excellent experience, and if I never canyon again, I can be happy knowing that I may not have done the world’s biggest, but I did one of the wettest and I had a great time (conquering a few fears at the same time!). The guides break out sandwich supplies at the bottom and everyone enjoys a great time chatting about canyoning, travelling, whatever comes to mind before packing up and driving back into the city. $290 (for the higher up option) was a terrific price for an entire day of entertainment and I left feeling like the whole experience was well worth it. I highly recommend it for the adventurous soul.Wanaka was a wonderful time, and while it may not have an exciting night life or huge backpacker population, those exact same things are what make it a perfect alternative to Queenstown. In the winter Wanaka enjoys a healthy ski/snowboard season and the tourism keeps going all year round. The town is quiet and relaxing, while an escape to adventure is a 
minibus ride away. It was great having Glen to hang out and chat with, and he was a wealth of information for me to use on both the local area and New Zealand in general; he has spent years in the hospitality business before flexing his entrepreneurial muscles and his insights are highly valuable. I won’t find myself back in Wanaka on this visit, but I am 100% sure I will end up back in Wanaka on another trip to take in another movie at the Cinema Paradiso and take in another gorgeous sunset from Waterfall Creek.
Please note: the photos of canyoning are not my photographic work
minibus ride away. It was great having Glen to hang out and chat with, and he was a wealth of information for me to use on both the local area and New Zealand in general; he has spent years in the hospitality business before flexing his entrepreneurial muscles and his insights are highly valuable. I won’t find myself back in Wanaka on this visit, but I am 100% sure I will end up back in Wanaka on another trip to take in another movie at the Cinema Paradiso and take in another gorgeous sunset from Waterfall Creek.
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