This video of Wanaka was made possible by the team at Vodafone. All thoughts are completely our own.
Wanaka in New Zealand is one of those places where you can measure the beauty by how many times you whip out your phone to try and capture the views throughout the day.
No jokes, there are stunning vistas around every corner and just when you think you’ve seen it all, you’ll look out the window at a different time of day when the sun sits low and it’ll feel new all over again.
That’s why it’s such a luxury to be able to share these experiences live and in the moment.
Vodafone knows this and if you’re a post-paid phone plan customer you’ll enjoy FREE $5 Roaming to New Zealand until 31 January 2017. Switch it on and use your included data to share your Wanaka (and New Zealand) moments without distraction with friends and family connected with your trip in real time.
In our business it’s exactly what we live by when we’re on the road.
Find out more about Vodafones’s $5 Roaming here but in the meantime here are a few snapshots of what’ll have you reaching for your phone 100 times a day.
1. It’ll give you a new appreciation for the passenger seat
How often have you sat in the passenger side of your car and just scrolled through Instagram, ‘liking’ pictures other people have taken of beautiful places, letting the world pass you by? It’s easy to do. But from that first drive over the steep ridges of Crown Range Road, to winding your way to the forests of Makarora on State Highway 6, nothing will make you argue over who drives than taking on the roads in Wanaka.
Here you’ll pass sky-high waterfalls blowing mist over mustard coloured peaks and waterways so blue you’ll feel like someone turned the image saturation on too much. From the passenger side you can take all the Instagram photos you want (and just watch those Likes clock up).
This is where a little pre-planning comes in handy. Signing up with a telco with a strong signal means you’ll have immediate sharing at your fingertips. No snapping and storing for later, no thinking about your next WiFi location. You just stay purely in the moment.
We use Vodafone’s Red Plan because you never have to worry about a huge bill –$5 Roaming in New Zealand is free.
2. Half the wilderness activities will cost you nothing but effort
Tear up your gym membership and kill it with fire because all you need to stay fit and strong in Wanaka is a willful sense of adventure and maybe a good pair of hiking boots.
For the princely sum of zero dollars you can stroll out of town towards Roys Peak and make your way to one of the country’s most iconic vistas. The track starts at the Roys Peak Track carpark, about 6 km from the Wanaka township on the Mt Aspiring Road. All in all it should take about 2-3 hours of your life for views that you’ll remember forever.
You’ve also got Diamond Lake Lookout hike, about 18.5km west of Wanaka town, on Wanaka-Mount Aspiring Road.
As you can see, it’s got a view that’ll have you questioning all your material possessions.
3. … but if you do decide to invest in activities, they’re guaranteed to make you appreciate experiences over things
Let’s break this down. While city-slickers might beat the mid-week blues by treating themselves to a little retail therapy each weekend, in Wanaka you could spend the equivalent of a what you’d pay for, say, a pair of designer jeans and invest that cash into a life-changing Siberian Experience. Southern Alps Air will fly you in a biplane over the wild Siberian Valley, drop you in the most beautiful middle of nowhere you’ve ever been and point you in the right direction of one of the most stunning 3-hour hikes you’ve ever been challenged to.
The best part is once you reach the end the whole journey is topped off with an exhilarating jetboat ride over the crystal clear alpine rivers.
4. And once you get back to town they’ll bring the world straight to you
Wanaka is a foodie town with a range of restaurants to suit tastes from across the globe. Feel like a baha fish taco at 4pm in the afternoon? Just head over to Burt.Ritos food truck for fare inspired straight from the arid plains of Mexico.
Keen for an Italian hit, make sure you book early for a table at Francescas, a popular hotspot that’s tough to get into in peak season but well worth the wait.
Or if you’re into a little more French gastronomy, grab a table in the courtyard and take advantage of those slow sunsets at Bistro Gentil.
5. Your concept of time will completely shift
Not only are the days long… but you’ll also stand in historic locations that have been barely touched for hundreds of years. On one day you can take a 4×4 tour through one of New Zealand’s oldest homesteads (with Ridgeline Adventures) and stand on grounds that have been barely touched since the settlers left in the 1900s. Or, you go even more Jurassic Park (with Eco Wanaka Adventures) and organise a tour to Mou Waho, an island reserve that’s completely predator free. So much so that the rare Weka birds will come right up and take food straight from your hands.
PLUS
6.
You can drink the lake water
It’s THAT clean.
The great news is if you’re in New Zealand and using a Vodafone Red Plan $5 Roaming is free. That means, zero bill shock when you get home, just incredible memories.
Those who follow us on Instagram would’ve seen all of this beautiful content shared in real-time, thanks to the power of Vodafone $5 Roaming.
Find out more about why we love Vodafone $5 Roaming here.
WHAT ABOUT OTHER COUNTRIES?
Vodafone’s $5 Roaming is FREE for New Zealand and $5 a day in over 50 countries around the world.
THINK YOU’VE FOUND THE BEST PLACE IN THE WORLD? PROVE IT
Pay attention because this is huge.
Vodafone Australia are giving away a $5,000 Flight Centre travel voucher EVERY MONTH for the rest of the year.
All you need to do to WIN is show off your inspirational roaming shots, tagged with #RoamingOn and @Vodafoneau.
A waterfall, romantic sunset dinners, soft sand and blue water beach-spo. If it inspires you to travel, it’s worth leaving your #RoamingOn.
1. Available to eligible customers for use in selected countries. $5 Daily Charge is in addition to minimum monthly spend. Customers who join or change to an eligible Plan will automatically be opted into $5 Roaming. All other eligible customers must choose to opt-in. Excludes Vodafone to Vodafone minutes for non-Red Plan customers. Full details at vodafone.com.au/roaming. Opt-out at any time, visit MyVodafone.com.au/ or call 1555. All roaming services subject to network availability.
2. Competition starts 12:01am AEDST on 10/02/2016 and concludes 11:59pm AEDST on 31/12/2016. Entry is open to Australian residents 18+ only. One winner will be selected by a judging panel for each month of the competition period, with 11 winners in total. Entries will be judged according to how inspiring the image is to evoke ‘travel envy’. Please view full terms and conditions atvodafone.com.au/competition. Promoter is Vodafone Pty Ltd ABN 76 062 954 554 of Level 4, 40 Mount Street, North Sydney NSW 2060.
This video of Wanaka was made possible by the team at Vodafone, all thoughts are completely our own.
Follow Vodafone on Instagram @vodafoneau
Find out more about Lake Wanaka here
Follow Lake Wanaka on Instagram @lakewanakanz
We’re also on Instagram @citizensoftheworld
