Onward to Wanaka! We depart Franz Josef and head toward Otago which is about 2.5 hours south. We will eventually make our way to Wanaka where we hope to play in the Puzzling World and at the Transport & Toy Museum.
On the way to Otago we pass a lovely lookout called Thunder Creek Falls right off Hwy 6. It was a short 15 minute walk to the falls and we were rewarded with a spectacular waterfall!
We continue on southward and make a quick stop at Otago Blue Pools near Mount Aspiring. These waters are a brilliant blue and crystal clear. It is a very popular spot even after the 45minute hike to get there.
The mountains and lakes were stunning .
Wanaka
We finally arrive to Wanaka and go straight to the Transport and Toy Museum. This is one man’s collection over the course of 50 years. There are over 600 cars, 20 aircrafts and 60,000 toys and miscellaneous items spread over 4 buildings.
Truth be told, there were many brilliant vehicles, motorcycles, airplanes, and toys but they are jammed on top of each other making it look more like a junk store than a museum. It is rather unfortunate and super sad to see such beautiful antiques in such a poor state. The cars, trucks, and planes are all in poor condition.
Puzzling World
After a few hours we head out to the Puzzling World. We sign up for the combo pack which includes the Illusion Room and the Great Maze. Starting off in the illusion room where there are 5 parts: the hologram room, the Titled House, the Hall of Following Faces, the Ame’s Illusion Room and the Sculptillision Gallery.
Unfortunately holograms don’t come across well in photographs so no photos for you. Next we step into the Tilted House. Immediately I feel weird, confused, and am having a challenging time walking! And the rooms are only tilted 15 degrees!
We move into the Hall of Following Faces. Super creepy to be followed wherever you go, but also really cool.
The Ame’s Illusion Room perplexed us all and we had a great time solving the challenges. I love the bathroom floor (lower left corner).
The sculpture room had wonderful illusions including the endless water spout, the floating ball, and the floating bench.
This super cool room looks “normal” from the outside, but once you get inside you notice that one side is short and the other side is tall. 
Another cool piece of illusion where it looks like plain ole stripes if you are in front of it or Einstein if you look at it from the side.
The Great Maze
The great maze is superb and huge! It is designed to be achievable before total desperation sets in. Typically it takes 30-60 minutes to complete. Your goal is to get to each of the four corner towers. The correct path is about 1/3 km but most people take 3-5km to complete the maze. Yep, we all got lost but had fun faking it.
Super fun day playing in Wanaka! I think I will rename this town the playful town of the country.
- Hotel: Golf Course Road Chalets
- Kilometers traveled: 271km
- Time traveled: 4 hours
- Kilometers Walked: 8.4km
Events from this blog occurred in early March. Our blog posts run 10-12 weeks behind live events. Don’t miss our helicopter ride over the Franz Josef glaciers in our last blog.