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The Cardrona Summer Bucket List

December 19, 2018
Jen Houltham
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Jen Houltham

There's so much to do at Cardrona in summer, so we've made you a list of "must-dos" for 2019!

Whether you're based in the Southern Lakes, or stopping off in Queenstown or Wanaka for your summer holiday, there's tonnes to see & do when you visit Cardrona in the warmer months. Tick these adventures off your summer bucket list before the end of March & make the most of our mountain playground!

PICNIC AT THE SUMMIT

family picnic with view of southern alps at cardrona

Take it all in & share it with a special someone... have a picnic at the top of the world! You can grab some food from The Lounge & head up to the top of the mountain for the ultimate lunch backdrop. The summit is a short 10min walk, or you can pop up to the Lookout just above the top of McDougall's & make the most of the picnic tables & a view over to the Southern Alps.

MOUNTAIN CARTING AT CAPTAIN'S

mountain carting in captain's basin at cardrona nz

If you're after a real adventure, book into a 2hr mountain carting session & explore the entire mountain with our cart trail out to Captain's Basin & back to the bottom of Whitestar Express. This trail is only open on the days that Whitestar runs, so check out our full opening hours before you book!  

PEAK TO PUB

mountain biking peak to pub at cardrona nz

The Peak to Pub is Cardrona Bike Park's iconic ride – 1200m of vertical descent from the top of the mountain all the way to the Cardrona Valley floor! The trail crew have done a heap of work on it for Summer 2019 & it's becoming one of the must-rides for the local bike community.  This year it's open to ride at any point from 1pm daily. The icing on the cake is finishing at the historic Cardrona Hotel & having a cold one to end the day!

TGIF

TGIF friday night mountain biking at cardrona bike park nz

Friday nights we're open late (till 8pm) & there's such a social vibe up here with all the locals & visitors riding the trails, carting, & having a cold one together as the sun starts to dip. The Lounge serves a wicked bbq every Friday night, & this year they've got a fancy pizza oven for delicious wood-fired pizzas!

STARGAZING & DINNER AT MEZZ

dinner at Mezz restaurant at cardrona alpine resort

One of the most unique experiences you can have at Cardrona this summer is alpine stargazing. This year we offer transport from Wanaka (or the bottom of the mountain if you're coming from Queenstown), & a package that includes a delicious 3-course menu in the Mezz. The stargazing tour will completely blow your mind as the night sky above Cardrona puts on a show that you view both with the naked eye & through our Celestron telescope.

Did we mention how good the food is?!

NIGHT IN THE APARTMENTS

studio apartment at cardrona alpine apartments

If you really want to have the mountain all to yourself, come up & stay the night in our alpine apartments. Have dinner in Mezz, watch the amazing show that is an alpine sunset, put your feet up, & stick around for some adventures the next day!

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About the Author

Jen Houltham

Jen is Cardrona's resident word nerd. She's out & about on the mountain most days; a big fan of carving groomed runs, powder hunting & laps through Lil' Bucks!

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