Wānaka to Queenstown: A Drive via Cardrona and Crown Range

(2 reviews)

Wanaka audio tour: Wānaka to Queenstown: A Drive via Cardrona and Crown Range

This is a 55.6mi driving tour

It takes an average of 120 mins to complete.

Wanaka

New Zealand

$7.99

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About the Tour

Ready to explore one of New Zealand’s most breathtaking drives, and discover the stories hiding behind the scenery? This self-guided audio driving tour takes you from Wānaka to Queenstown via the Crown Range, Cardrona, and Arrowtown. It’s a route packed with natural drama, rich history, quirky stops, and unforgettable views.

You’ll begin lakeside in Wānaka, with its glacier-carved shores and gold rush past. From there, the road climbs gently into the Cardrona Valley, where vineyards give way to rugged hills and tales of miners, mischief, and alpine spirits – both literal and distilled! We’ll stop at iconic spots like That Wānaka Tree, the Cardrona Hotel, the bra fence, and the stunning summit of the Crown Range, New Zealand’s highest sealed alpine road.

During this two-hour driving tour, you’ll have the chance to:

Listen to stories about Māori trailblazers, European explorers, skiing pioneers, and eccentric locals
Pass through Arrowtown, and cruise by world-class golf courses
Glimpse hot air balloons and hidden gems like Royal Burn
Hear about the creative transformation of Otago’s pastoral past

This isn’t just a road trip – it’s a journey through time, terrain, and character. So fuel up, hit play, and let the landscape, and the stories of Central Otago, unfold around you.

This tour can be taken separately or together with my other tour, ‘Queenstown to Wānaka: A Drive via Gibbston Valley and Bannockburn’. Combining the two tours makes it a circular route.

Tour Producer

David Downs

6 tours

Kia ora – I’m David Downs: writer, former comedian, CEO, and lifelong storyteller.

My career has zigzagged in the best possible way. I started out in comedy, writing and performing stand-up and television, learning how to find the human truth in any situation – and how to keep an audience leaning in. That instinct to connect through humour and story has shaped everything I’ve done since.

I’ve written several books, including memoir and business titles, often drawing on my own life – from building start-ups and working in technology, to facing cancer and travelling to Boston for life-saving CAR T-cell therapy. Story, for me, isn’t just entertainment. It’s how we make sense of challenge, change, and possibility.

Today, as CEO of New Zealand Story, I lead the team responsible for sharing Aotearoa’s story with the world. That means shaping how we present our country’s identity, values, creativity and innovation on the global stage. It’s nation-branding, yes – but at heart it’s still storytelling: who we are, where we’ve come from, and what we stand for.

Through my tours, talks and writing, I bring that same lens to the places around us. I’m fascinated by the layers beneath the surface – Māori history, early European settlement, hidden military stories, forgotten industries, and the quirky characters who shaped our communities.

If you walk with me – literally or through audio – you won’t just hear dates and facts. You’ll hear stories that connect past to present, and help you see Aotearoa with fresh eyes.

Preview Location

Location 41

Left onto Malaghan's Road

You’re now driving up Hunter Road and taking the next left onto Malaghan's Road.

This quiet rural road just outside Arrowtown, winds through classic Central Otago landscape. Rolling farmland, shelterbelts, and the ever-watchful mountains give the feeling of space and stabil... You’re now driving up Hunter Road and taking the next left onto Malaghan's Road.

This quiet rural road just outside Arrowtown, winds through classic Central Otago landscape. Rolling farmland, shelterbelts, and the ever-watchful mountains give the feeling of space and stability — a place rooted in history.

Once you're on Malaghan’s Road — this is where the story deepens.

The Malaghan family were among those early settlers, building their lives through hard work on the land. They became well known in the district, with deep ties to farming and the community.

Fast forward a generation or two, and we meet Len Malaghan, a descendent of those Arrowtown pioneers. Len didn’t stay on the land — instead, he made his name in business. In the mid-1900s, he purchased a small Auckland dairy company and turned it into one of New Zealand’s most beloved brands: Tip Top Ice Cream.

Under Len’s leadership, Tip Top became a household name. Hokey pokey, goody goody gum drops, jelly tip — these weren’t just frozen treats; they were part of the Kiwi summer. But Len’s success wasn’t just commercial. He and his wife Annette believed in giving back.

When Len died in 1967, he left a generous bequest from the Tip Top business to support medical research. That legacy led to supporting the Malaghan Institute of Medical Research, based in Wellington — a world-class, independent biomedical research centre that still bears his name today.

And what a legacy it’s become.

The Malaghan Institute is now New Zealand’s leading medical research facility focused on the human immune system. Their work spans cancer immunotherapy, infectious diseases, allergy, gut health, and more. Their scientists are exploring how to train the immune system to fight disease — using the body’s own defences instead of relying solely on drugs or surgery.

One of their most exciting breakthroughs is in CAR T-cell therapy, a cutting-edge cancer treatment that reprograms a patient’s immune cells to hunt and destroy cancer. Once only available overseas, this therapy is now being delivered in New Zealand thanks to Malaghan’s work — and - fun fact - I personally had this treatment. Now I work as the Ambassador for the Institute.

What makes the Malaghan Institute unique is that it’s independent and non-profit — not run by government or big pharma. It’s powered by philanthropy and the belief that a small country like New Zealand can still lead in global medical innovation.

So as you drive this quiet rural road bearing the Malaghan name, you’re passing through the roots of a story that stretches far beyond these hills — from high-country farming, to frozen desserts, to breakthroughs in how we understand and treat disease.

It’s a reminder that great ideas don’t always start in big cities. Sometimes they begin right here — where the paddocks meet the sky, and where family, ambition, and generosity come together to change lives. Read More

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How VoiceMap Works

Focus on your surroundings, not the screen

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Follow a route with turn-by-turn-directions

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Major Landmarks

Cardrona
Cardrona Bra Fence
Cardrona Hotel
Crown Range Summit
Arrowtown
Arthurs Point
Queenstown
Frankton
Coronet Peak
Queenstown Airport

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Getting There

Route Overview

VoiceMap tours follow a route from a set starting point. It’s how we give turn-by-turn directions and tell a story greater than the sum of its parts.

Start location
Roys Bay 59 Wanaka Mount Aspiring Road, Wānaka 9305, New Zealand
Total distance

89km
Final location
Frankton, Queenstown 9300, New Zealand
Distance back to start location

47km

Directions to Starting Point

The tour starts near the famous Wānaka tree, on the shoreline of Lake Wānaka. Head to the carpark by the Wanaka Watersports Facility.

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Tips

Places to stop along the way

Plenty of places to stop - at least, you'll want to stop in at the Cardrona Hotel, stop for photos at the top of the Crown Range, then also in Arrowtown and Queenstown. Take your time and enjoy - the drive time is only around 90 mins, but with stops, allow 2 to 2.5 hours.

Best time of day

Best done during daylight hours. This can be done at all times of the year, but in winter, check the weather conditions on the Crown Range and do not attempt the tour if there is snow and ice on the summit, unless you have chains on you car.

Precautions

Drive carefully - this is a stunning drive over New Zealand's highest sealed road, but the road does wind down and has some tricky corners.

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“This app has become my go-to app for audio tours. I pretty much use it for every trip and it works wonderfully. I highly recommend VoiceMap for travelers to truly experience cities.”

App Store Review

“Great app. walk around at your own pace, stop where you want, move on or speed up when you want. Read the script before you go or during the commentary, speed it up or replay it. Repeat the tour whenever you like.”

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Last Updated

24 Oct 2025

Questions and Reviews

5 / 5

2 Ratings

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Wānaka to Queenstown: A Drive via Cardrona and Crown Range

About the Tour

Tour Producer

David Downs

Preview Location

Location 41

Left onto Malaghan's Road

How VoiceMap Works

Major Landmarks

Cardrona

Cardrona Bra Fence

Cardrona Hotel

Crown Range Summit

Arrowtown

Arthurs Point

Queenstown

Frankton

Coronet Peak

Queenstown Airport