Family-friendly Wanaka must be one of the best places in the world to grow up.
Living in one of the most pristine and picturesque locations in the world isn’t lost on even the youngest – even our labrador didn’t take the view for granted – he often just sat on the lawn and gazed out!
Potentially kids here could even have a distorted view of life, and could need to be taken out of this environment regularly to make sure that they stay in touch with reality. Hopefully our kids don’t ever take for granted the clean air they breathe, the alpine fed fresh water they swim in with the choice of both still and running water and the home grown vegetables they eat. Social norms for our kids mostly see both parents about for breakfast AND dinner. Crime isn’t something that needs to be considered especially when it comes to personal security – being able to have freedom to wander independently throughout the community in a blasé manner doesn’t have its repercussions.
Leisure activities are abundant, especially with choices that are able to be pursued as a family.
I sure wish that I’d been able to learn to water or snow ski as a child – I’d definitely be enjoying them more in my midlife if I’d had that amount of muscle memory!!!! Nothing is more fun than having everyone out there in the fresh air on a relatively even playing field having fun together. I love seeing it when there are three generations loving life together.
Precious memories are made in the great outdoors.
Our family-friendly back yard has a fantastic network of opportunities to spend overnights in huts or camping. A real local favourite is to keep caravans parked lakeside in the Glendhu camp ground for the first school term of the year – ducking out there for the weekends at the very least – before town got too big, kids even took the school bus from there during the week. Staying out there with heaps of local friends is magical. Water sports, fishing, campfires and just loving being back to the simple life surrounded by kindred spirits.
Team sports mostly involve practices only walking distance from schools – what a massive bonus for working parents. Being able to head off to farther afield ends of town to clubs, facilities and friends houses gives a real opportunity for independence.
Life doesn’t totally revolve around sports – there is a huge music and dance element to raising kids in Wanaka. There are four different primary schools and a central high school – all have excellent reputations. The high school is exceptional with accommodating students with extra curricular commitments.
Expats with families in Wanaka love the idea of getting a family pet.
Dogs especially are really common additions to the dynamic, and bring such positivity to family life. There are so many parks and greenspaces plus the beach to take the whole family, dog and all to.
Life is so nice and simple in Wanaka – being able to bike and walk everywhere or not having to be sitting in cars for extended periods of time and plan to be at A and arrive at B in time for what is planned, leads to a far less stressful life for the entire family.
Moving to Wanaka with children is one of the fastest ways to get immersed in the community.
Instantly there are lives crossing paths with other like minded families. Before too long you’ll be enjoying group experiences at the lake and have invitations around to share hospitality.
When you are considering moving to Wanaka with children we’d love to contribute to your wishlist of must haves in a property. Some neighbourhoods in Wanaka are real favourites for kids and aren’t necessarily the locations that you may automatically choose for yourselves. There are great reasons why you’ll be pleased to have had the discussion. It is all to do with leisure opportunities on the back doorstep plus convenience and access to schooling and preschools. Some houses also perform significantly better than others for families of different ages and stages too. As Wanaka becomes higher density some of the priorities that we consider important for families have become lost in the economics of the equation.