Wānaka History

28/07/2026

Wānaka floods, 1999

Anne MacDonald moved to Wānaka in 1994 not knowing anyone but her sister, who had just bought Wānaka Wines and Spirits. In her Oral History interviews, Anne talks about the 1999 Wanaka floods which removed the labels from all the wine bottles in the shop.

To listen to her interviews, including clips about volunteering at Warbirds Over Wānaka, head to our website here: www.wanakahistory.org/our-storytellers/anne-macdonald

21/07/2026

Yachts racing on Lake Wānaka, c.1990s

In his interviews, Carrick Jones discusses the formation of the Wānaka Yacht club. He says there were about 6 or 7 who would meet on Thursday nights around 5.30 to have a race around the lake.

To listen to the clip and Carrick’s other interviews, head to our website here: www.wanakahistory.org/our-storytellers/carrick-jones

14/07/2026

Cardrona ski field, August 1978.

A survey by the Mt. Cook Co. in 1954 found that Mount Cardrona had potential as a commercial ski field. The land was being farmed but was proving to be unproductive and unprofitable. John Lee purchased the land for the ski field in 1970.

One of John’s motivations was to encourage a tourist village around the original goldmining township of Cardrona, which had been seeing a declining population. He was not a skier himself, and relied on his wife, Mary Lee, and others to explore the terrain in winter. The original access road formed in 1972 proved too steep, so they relied on walking and helicopters for transportation.

In 1977, a 200m rope tow driven by a seven horse power motor was installed in the main basin. It could be moved around the mountain to test different locations. During the weekends, 30-40 people would drive to Helicopter Flat to be lifted to the tow by chopper.

If you'd like to learn more about the history of the area, head to our website here: www.wanakahistory.org

Cardrona Alpine Resort, NZ

07/07/2026

50 Years of Treble Cone! These photos by David Jaquiery capture the official public opening of Treble Cone, 14 August 1976. The field had opened to the public on the 3rd of July. The speaker was Minister of Lands, Venn Young.

Treble Cone Ski field was the result of vision, immense effort and touch-and-go financing started in 1968 by Dunedin Businessman Murray Raffills, Park Ranger Ray Cleland, Leaseholder of Cattle Flat Station Rod Aubrey, helicopter pilot & businessman Tim Wallis, and Don Ross formerly of Ross & Glendinning Wool Mills. Many others joined their vision to make Treble Cone a reality.

The field opened with 4 sketchy rope tows, no groomer and a double A-frame base shelter with very basic facilities. Even constructing the road was an epic endeavour, completed by Ken Harliwich’s crew through the summer of 1975-76. The season ended early with a $4000 loss, but spurred greater investment and a drive to improve the facilities.

Treble Cone Ski Area

To view more images from our past, head to our website here: www.wanakahistory.org/maps-images

30/06/2026

Luggate Post Office, 1960.

The Luggate Post Office was situated near the Luggate Flour Mill. It came from Macetown in 1922. Later it was moved to opposite the Albion Hotel.

To view other pictures from our archives, head to our website here: www.wanakahistory.org/maps-images

29/06/2026

Click below to read about all the hard work our team of dedicated volunteers do to preserve history in the Upper Clutha!

Thank you to Volunteer South for sharing our story for 'The Big Shout Out' this June. It's a wonderful time to celebrate volunteers across the country, and we're so pleased to be involved.

Read the full story here: https://volunteersouth.org.nz/news/upper-clutha-history-society-volunteers-celebrating-their-community

📖 Every community has stories worth preserving — and volunteers are making sure they're never forgotten.

For more than 40 years, the dedicated volunteers of the Upper Clutha History Society have been collecting, preserving and sharing the rich history of Wānaka and the Upper Clutha. From digitising archives and writing local stories to recording oral histories, their passion is helping safeguard the region's heritage for future generations.

Today, we're sharing their Volunteer Celebration Story and celebrating the incredible people whose time, passion and dedication keep local Wānaka History alive.

👉Read their full story here and discover why preserving the past matters more than ever:
https://volunteersouth.org.nz/news/upper-clutha-history-society-volunteers-celebrating-their-community

Volunteering New Zealand

23/06/2026

Tarras School, 1978.

Helen Pledger grew up on Bendigo Station and attended Tarras School. In her Oral History interviews, she tells us how she learned about the planets, arithmetic, and every capital of the world. She remembers about 60 pupils attending the school at the time, and the many parents who worked on the surrounding farms.

To listen to her interviews in full, head to our website here:
www.wanakahistory.org/our-storytellers/helen-pledger

16/06/2026

Wanaka Hotel gardens, c.1930-35

The Wanaka Hotel garden was initially developed by Celia Russell and developed by later owners of the second Wanaka Hotel.

To read about the history of the hotel, head to our website here: www.wanakahistory.org/stories/wanaka-hotel

Hotel

09/06/2026

The SS ‘Makarora’, 1901-1909

This image shows a group of locals greeting the SS ‘Makarora’ with tourists and freight on board at the Makarora jetty.

To see more images of lakes, rivers and boats, head to our website here: www.wanakahistory.org/lakes-rivers-boats-gallery

02/06/2026

Winter, c.1940

Winter view across the intersection of Ardmore Street and what is now Lakeside Rd, looking towards Roys Peak.

To see more pictures from our past, head to our website here: www.wanakahistory.org/maps-images