Wanaka does not have a commercial airport. The nearest is Queenstown Airport, about 70 km south via the Crown Range road (one hour) or 120 km via the longer but lower-gradient route through Cromwell (about 1.5 hours). Queenstown has daily flights from Auckland, Wellington, and Christchurch, as well as some international connections from Sydney and Melbourne.
InterCity buses connect Wanaka to Queenstown, Christchurch (via Lake Tekapo), and Franz Josef on the West Coast. The ride from Queenstown takes around 75 minutes; from Christchurch, allow five hours. Driving is the most flexible option — rental cars can be collected at Queenstown Airport.
Wanaka Airport, 8 km north of town, handles scenic flights, skydiving, and some charter operations, but no scheduled services.