Wanaka Lavender Farm: The best place to visit on your NZ road trip
Wanaka lavender farm is an absolute must on your South Island Road Trip for the ever vibrant lilac beauty, and of course, the scenic mountains in the background. It’s a great place to stop on your trip as it is a half way point between Queenstown and Lake Tekapo. It’s serene, abundantly fragrant with incredible views of the surrounding mountains, a fantastical Narnia-like purple door and if that doesn’t have you convinced, the perfect little cafe.
We decided to stop here for one day only, breaking up the journey and I loved strolling around Wanaka town, and then of course this is my review of visiting the lavender farm: hint… it’s got the stamp of approval and I definitely recommend it!
Have a look at some of my other Aotearoa / New Zealand articles for things to do in North Island and South Island!
Glamping experiences on South Island
Onsen hot pools spa in Queenstown
Best activities & tours on South Island
Here are some of the best New Zealand South Island tours! I always compare tours on Viator and Get Your Guide to check prices and different tour availability.
| Jet Boat & Wilderness experience – If you’re after an adrenaline experience then this is for you! Milford Sound Cruises – The best way to see the unofficial 8th wonder of the world. Franz Josef Glacier tours – one of the most iconic, stunning, incredible things to experience in South Island! Glenorchy & Paradise half day tour – if you’re after some beautiful sight seeing this is for you! Glow worm caves – Dont miss the iconic glow worm caves in South Island! Scenic Flights – One of the most iconic experiences in all of South Island, New Zealand. |
Lavender farm Wanaka
Wanaka lavender farm is a gorgeous little place to stop on your South Island Itinerary. It’s stunning, serene, fragrant and if that doesn’t have you convinced, their Cafe Wanaka is a great place to stop for a lavender tea and a lavender macaroon or two. You’ll find it on your journey from Queenstown to Lake Tekapo! And you don’t need to worry about dangerous animals in New Zealand because there are virtually none!
The surrounding mountains are quite something of a backdrop.
Before you head out to Wanaka lavender farm, you’ll enter reception through the shop and cafe. Definitely stop and have a quick look around here.
Wanaka lavender is a quaint little farm just 10 minutes outside the centre of Wanaka that is well worth a stop. It has a great cafe filled with delicious treats that are of course filled with lavender flavoured cakes, scones, herbal teas and more. It’s quite delicious, to be fair, try their macaroons!
When is the lavender in bloom?
Wanaka lavender tends to bloom in the latter half of summer, so usually from late December on towards end of January.
The best time to visit lavender farms in New Zealand tends to be around January!
Depending on the farm, they’ll then note when the lavender is in full bloom, and each variety of lavender will bloom at slightly different times, so you’ll get a nice period where lavender is available to see over different weeks and months.
Lavender Shop
The lavender shop at Wanaka Lavender farm is also something quite spectacular. They have a tonne of different creams and balms infused with different types of lavender. Their lip balms are really good too, what with the local beeswax and varying lavender plants found across the farm, you can’t go wrong with these natural products.
They also sell a variety of lavender products like scented lavender bags, candles and even lavender honey!
If you prefer, leave the browsing until after you’ve had a stroll around the farm.
Wanaka Lavender Fields
They have plenty of different lavender fields and various display gardens for you to walk around it, and I was pleasantly surprised to find that they didn’t have too many tourists. The fields and gardens are large enough to accommodate quite a number of guests and there’s still plenty of room for everyone.
Whether you turn left or right out the pathway from the entrance, you’ll get to different lavender fields, so no matter which way you go it’ll be a good choice.
If you turn left, you’ll be able to enjoy some gardens that are neatly manicured and set up in a circular formation with some shrubs and various lavender plants. If you turn right through the entrance to the hedge, you’ll end up in the first lavender farm. If you shoot across the pathways, you’ll be able to get a spectacular view of the mountains in the background.
Walk a little further along and you’ll come across the farm animals and the famous purple door.
These lavender fields are thicker, luscious and a deeper vibrant lilac colour, so make for excellent photographs.
The purple door itself opens up onto a a field of lavender with beautiful views of the mountains!
Farm animals
Don’t forget that Wanaka has a tonne of farm animals that are super cute, including some resident llamas and alpacas. A lot of their farm animals come to retire at Wanaka lavender which is a lovely touch. They have
- llamas & alpacas
- goats
- pigs
- chickens
- horses
- deer
- lambs
- bees
Wanaka Lavender farm Entrance fee & price
From December – March, the prices are as follows:
- $15 Adult 16+
- $7.50 Child 5-15yrs
- Free Infant 0-4yrs
From April – November, the prices are:
- $7 Adult 16+
- $3.50 Child 5-15yrs
- Free Infant 0-4yrs
Opening Hours
It’s open daily from 9-5pm!
Where is Wanaka Lavender farm?
Address
36 Morris Road, Wānaka 9382, New Zealand
How to get there?
Frankly, the best way to get there is by car as it is far out from the main cities of South Island!
Map
Make sure to save the location to google maps so you know where you’re going! Sometimes signal can be a bit patchy in the mountains!
Queenstown to Wanaka Lavender
We drove from Queenstown to Wanaka Lavender farm and it took around 1 hour 10, which is good going I reckon!
South Island Weather
Here is the average weather on the South Island by each month. The South Island of New Zealand experiences a diverse climate, with the west coast receiving high rainfall and the east coast being drier and cooler.
Seasonal temperatures vary widely, from warm, sunny summers to cold, snowy winters, especially in the mountainous regions.
South Island Weather in January
Average temperature: 15°C (59°F)
Average rainy days: 8
Average daylight hours: 15
Average sunrise time: 6:15 AM
Average sunset time: 9:30 PM
South Island Weather in February
Average temperature: 14°C (57°F)
Average rainy days: 7
Average daylight hours: 14
Average sunrise time: 6:45 AM
Average sunset time: 9:00 PM
South Island Weather in March
Average temperature: 12°C (54°F)
Average rainy days: 8
Average daylight hours: 12
Average sunrise time: 7:15 AM
Average sunset time: 8:15 PM
South Island Weather in April
Average temperature: 9°C (48°F)
Average rainy days: 9
Average daylight hours: 11
Average sunrise time: 7:45 AM
Average sunset time: 6:45 PM
South Island Weather in May
Average temperature: 6°C (43°F)
Average rainy days: 10
Average daylight hours: 9
Average sunrise time: 8:15 AM
Average sunset time: 5:30 PM
South Island Weather in June
Average temperature: 4°C (39°F)
Average rainy days: 11
Average daylight hours: 9
Average sunrise time: 8:30 AM
Average sunset time: 5:15 PM
South Island Weather in July
Average temperature: 3°C (37°F)
Average rainy days: 11
Average daylight hours: 9
Average sunrise time: 8:30 AM
Average sunset time: 5:30 PM
South Island Weather in August
Average temperature: 5°C (41°F)
Average rainy days: 11
Average daylight hours: 10
Average sunrise time: 7:45 AM
Average sunset time: 6:00 PM
South Island Weather in September
Average temperature: 7°C (45°F)
Average rainy days: 10
Average daylight hours: 12
Average sunrise time: 6:45 AM
Average sunset time: 6:30 PM
South Island Weather in October
Average temperature: 9°C (48°F)
Average rainy days: 9
Average daylight hours: 13
Average sunrise time: 7:15 AM
Average sunset time: 7:45 PM
South Island Weather in November
Average temperature: 11°C (52°F)
Average rainy days: 8
Average daylight hours: 14
Average sunrise time: 6:00 AM
Average sunset time: 8:30 PM
South Island Weather in December
Average temperature: 13°C (55°F)
Average rainy days: 9
Average daylight hours: 15
Average sunrise time: 5:45 AM
Average sunset time: 9:15 PM
Quick links
| Here’s everything I use when I travel abroad: Tours – Compare tour prices on Viator and Get Your Guide Hotels – I always use Booking as the more hotels I book, I get a higher Genius discount. I also compare prices on Expedia. E-Sims – purchase an e-sim with Airalo on your phone so you can make calls and have mobile data abroad! There’s no need to remove your current sim card! Travel insurance – don’t ever go on vacation without travel insurance, you never know when you might need it! Travel essentials – have a look at a full list of travel essentials that I use, including the best power bank! |
Have a look at some of my other Aotearoa / New Zealand travel guides for things to do in North Island and South Island!
Amazing Glamping spots in South Island
Onsen hot pools spa, Queenstown
Full disclosure! Some of the links here are affiliate links, meaning I get a small commission from every booking made. This is at no extra cost to you. It helps keep me writing and sharing my travel guides free of charge to you 🙂 Thank you for your support! Read our affiliate policy here.
