This post is one of a series that I'm putting out this southern summer, 2019/2020, about the pleasures of travelling off the beaten track in New Zealand. Off the beaten track in terms of place, and time of year. For it's about a trip I made in spring, when when the weather's improving but there aren't many tourists about, to a place called Wanaka, on Lake Wanaka north of Queenstown. Among other things, Wanaka's the site of an oft-photographed willow, #ThatWanakaTree. So maybe it's not that far off the beaten track after all! But still, it's interesting to visit in the off season and to take some side trips to the alpine Matukituki Valley (which IS off the beaten track) and to the Snow Farm cross-country ski facility, which still has some snow to farm at that time of year.
