Come July, winter chills and frosts are bolder in their greetings, but don’t despair, there are delights to be found in the winter wonderland of Waitaki. This fantasy district is the sweet spot of New Zealand, and during winter nothing is sweeter than warmth—this includes steam rising from a hearty meal, the snap, crackle, and sparkle of a fireplace all for you, a dip in a hot tub, and the warmth of a complete stranger wishing you well.
The Waitaki is a land of rolling hills, rural pastures, and hyper-blue lakes, and from this sweet spot comes a unique geo-gastronomy where the land, soil, and water all make the local produce deliciously distinctive. Have you ever walked into a restaurant and felt like the 55 day aged rib eye has been waiting for you, not the other way around? Perhaps you need to pop into Cucina, the cross-cultural dining experience in the heart of Ōamaru. When you’re in the mood for chocolate visit the award-winning Riverstone Kitchen and indulge in their hot chocolate, or mouth-wateringly good vegan chocolate layer cake.
Blissing out in front of a roaring fire on a winters night is hard to beat, luckily for you, there’s a diverse number of places to rest your head within the district that provide fireside nirvana. Stay at Lake Ōhau Lodge after your ski-adventures, get away from it all at Valley Views Glamping, enjoy the hospitality at Old School Enfield and revel in the fact you’ll never have to leave Pen-y-bryn Lodge; you can sleep and dine in style there!
Want to glow from the inside out? Take time out for a dip at Hot Tubs Ōmārama, where you’ll soak up Ōmārama’s mountain views in a private eco-friendly spa. Sneak away to the sauna when you spend the night at the newly opened Nest Tree Houses, which overlooks the majestic Hakataramea Valley.
Make the most of these shortened days and satisfy your winter wanderlust in Waitaki, the sweet spot of New Zealand.
