5. Stay in a serviced apartment
for freedom of choice
Although eating out in New Zealand is
considerably cheaper than Australia, going out
for every meal begins to add up. Staying in a
serviced apartment enabled us to make our own
breakfast in the mornings. We stayed at Ramada
Resort Wanaka, which was ideal because we
had the best of both worlds; it also offered room
service, as well as a well-equipped kitchen in our
two-bedroom apartment. After some huge days
on the snowfields we really enjoyed indulging
in delicious nachos and piping hot tomato soup
delivered right to our door.
6. No secrets to cheaper lift passes
I searched for ways to get cheaper deals on
lessons and ski passes at both the Wanaka and
Queenstown ski fields, but there seemed to be no
difference in price, whether we purchased them
on or off the mountain, online or offline. The
New Zealand ski field operators appear to have
sewn things up so that no one is allowed to cut
their prices. However, getting our lift passes in
advance at the ticket office in town did allow us
to skip the queues on the mountain and get on the
slopes faster.
For beginners staying in Queenstown, the four
day all-inclusive Intro to Snow pass is good
value, offering lift passes, group lessons and
ski or snowboard hire – and you can choose to
spend any of the four days at Coronet Peak or the
Remarkables.
THE REMARKABLES
and Lake Wakatipu, Queenstown,
New Zealand
pindaramagazine.com.au Pindara Magazine 67