--- type: "Article" title: "Cardrona Alpine Resort, Wanaka, wins the vote…" description: "Ride the ‘Chondy’, Cardrona’s smart new McDougall’s Express Chondola lift – a chair and gondola combo - to the top of the mountain!" resource: "https://travelmemo.com/new-zealand/cardrona-alpine-resort-chondola-wanaka" author: "Justine Tyerman" publisher: "Travelmemo" photo_count: 15 tags: ["Alps", "Resort", "Winter", "New Zealand"] entities: - "https://travelmemo.com/ontology/places/new-zealand" - "https://travelmemo.com/ontology/places/alps" - "https://travelmemo.com/ontology/places/sydney" - "https://travelmemo.com/ontology/topics/resort" - "https://travelmemo.com/ontology/topics/winter-tourism" - "https://travelmemo.com/ontology/topics/air-travel" - "https://travelmemo.com/ontology/topics/lake" generated: { by: "human:https://travelmemo.com/author/tyermanj", at: 2026-07-04T13:57:46+00:00 } sources: - id: photos resource: cardrona-alpine-resort-chondola-wanaka.md#photos title: "Original photography by Justine Tyerman" author: "human:https://travelmemo.com/author/tyermanj" last_modified: 2017-08-27 timestamp: 2026-07-04T13:57:46+00:00 --- # Cardrona Alpine Resort, Wanaka, wins the vote… > Cardrona Alpine Resort near Wanaka, New Zealand, is a family-friendly ski destination celebrated for consistently groomed runs, sunny weather, and a warm, welcoming atmosphere that keeps skiers coming back day after day. ## Destination Cardrona Alpine Resort, near Wanaka, Otago, New Zealand ## Getting there Fly into Queenstown (Air New Zealand serves the route); hire a 4WD with chains and roof-rack from JUCY Rentals and drive to Wanaka. Rent ski gear locally from Outside Sports in Wanaka. ## When to go Visit in the lead-up to the Winter Games for world-class freestyle athletes in the terrain park without the peak-week crowds; waiting for a 'Snow-To-Low-Levels' forecast and booking last-minute can yield cheap airfares and perfect conditions. ## Why visit Reliable grooming producing wall-to-wall corduroy, bluebird days, friendly staff, and an unpretentious resort philosophy focused on fun rather than obstacles — plus the occasional overnight powder dump as a bonus. ## What to see - **Secret Shute** — Extreme-right boundary run offering untouched powder and solitude. - **Queenstown Return and Skyline track** — Scenic boundary traverse with views of the Southern Alps, Wakatipu Basin, and Arrowtown. - **Winter Games terrain park** — World-class freestyle skiers and snowboarders practise aerials on the slope below the Whitestar Express chairlift. - **Audi Quattro installation** — A car suspended in a perspex triangle below the Whitestar Express top terminal served as a jump feature and sponsor activation during the Winter Games. ## What to do - **Ride the McDougall's Express Chondola** — A gondola-chairlift combo (the 'Chondy') to the summit; relax in beanbags at the Vista Bar on top. - **Après-ski at the Cardrona pub** — Gluhwein and wedges with sour cream by the outdoor fire after skiing. - **Lunch at Captains Cafe** — Known for crispy-chorizo pizzas and chilled cider on the mountain. - **Drinks at The Lounge** — Sophisticated slope-side bar by the clock tower with an outdoor deck and a ski-in coffee window. ## Good to know Booking flights, car rental, and lift passes through cardrona.com, outsidesports.co.nz, jucy.co.nz, and airnz.com is recommended. Last-minute trips timed to snow forecasts can yield significant savings on airfares. ## Photos ```yaml photos: - url: "https://travelmemo.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/piste-Cardrona-Alpine-Resort.jpg" caption: "Perfect snow and weather conditions at Cardrona Alpine Resort" keywords: ["Cardrona Alpine Resort", "skiing"] captured: 2017-08-21 geo: {latitude: -44.8637, longitude: 168.9524} - url: "https://travelmemo.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/Cardrona-Alpine-Resort-snow.jpg" caption: "A perfect day at Cardrona Alpine Resort" keywords: ["Cardrona Alpine Resort", "skiing"] geo: {latitude: -44.8722, longitude: 168.9635} - url: "https://travelmemo.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/Elephant-skiing-Cardrona.jpg" caption: "You see some strange sights on a bluebird day at Cardrona" keywords: ["Cardrona Alpine Resort", "skiing"] captured: 2017-08-22 geo: {latitude: -44.862, longitude: 168.9571} - url: "https://travelmemo.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/ski-jump-world-top-skiers-snowboarders-Cardrona.jpg" caption: "The world’s top skiers and snowboarders competing at the Winter Games at Cardrona" keywords: ["Cardrona Alpine Resort", "skiing"] captured: 2016-08-13 - url: "https://travelmemo.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/world-top-skiers-snowboarders-Cardrona.jpg" caption: "The world’s top skiers and snowboarders competing at the Winter Games at Cardrona" keywords: ["Cardrona Alpine Resort", "skiing"] captured: 2016-08-13 - url: "https://travelmemo.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/winter-games-skiing-Audi-Quattro.jpg" caption: "A competitor at the Winter Games skiing across the top of the top of the Audi Quattro" keywords: ["Cardrona Alpine Resort", "skiing"] captured: 2017-08-27 geo: {latitude: -44.8722, longitude: 168.9635} - url: "https://travelmemo.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/Chris-Tyerman-4WD-JUCY-rental.jpg" caption: "Chris with our 4WD JUCY Rental" keywords: ["Cardrona Alpine Resort", "Chris Tyerman", "skiing"] captured: 2017-08-22 geo: {latitude: -44.8722, longitude: 168.9635} - url: "https://travelmemo.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/dynastar-ski-gear-Outside-Sports-Wanaka.jpg" caption: "Great ski gear from Outside Sports in Wanaka" keywords: ["Cardrona Alpine Resort", "skiing"] captured: 2017-08-22 geo: {latitude: -44.875, longitude: 168.9639} - url: "https://travelmemo.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/winter-sunrise-Lake-Wanaka.jpg" caption: "Winter sunrise at Lake Wanaka" keywords: ["Cardrona Alpine Resort", "skiing"] captured: 2017-08-23 geo: {latitude: -44.8722, longitude: 168.9635} - url: "https://travelmemo.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/new-Cardrona-chondola.jpg" caption: "Cardrona's new Chondola, a gondola-chairlift combo - in operation" keywords: ["Cardrona Alpine Resort", "skiing"] geo: {latitude: -44.8722, longitude: 168.9635} - url: "https://travelmemo.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/Cardrona-chondola.jpg" caption: "Cardrona's new Chondola, a gondola-chairlift combo - in operation" keywords: ["Cardrona Alpine Resort", "skiing"] geo: {latitude: -44.8722, longitude: 168.9635} - url: "https://travelmemo.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/Justine-Tyerman-Cardrona.jpg" caption: "Justine in skiers' heaven - fresh snow and sunshine at Cardrona" keywords: ["Cardrona Alpine Resort", "Justine Tyerman", "skiing"] captured: 2016-09-09 geo: {latitude: -44.8729, longitude: 168.9569} - url: "https://travelmemo.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/Bria-Luke-Cardrona-Whitestar-Express.jpg" caption: "Bria and Luke, the friendly lifties at Cardrona's Whitestar Express. Love those T-shirts" keywords: ["Cardrona Alpine Resort", "skiing"] captured: 2017-08-22 geo: {latitude: -44.8752, longitude: 168.9633} - url: "https://travelmemo.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/Kelly-Spiers-Cardrona-loves-you-t-shirt.jpg" caption: "Cardrona is all about fun. Staff member Kelly Spiers entertaining kids in her Cardrona Loves You T-shirt" keywords: ["Cardrona Alpine Resort", "skiing"] geo: {latitude: -44.8722, longitude: 168.9635} - url: "https://travelmemo.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/winter-flying-in-Queenstown.jpg" caption: "Flying in and out of Queenstown is breath-taking. Beneath the wing is Aorangi-Mt Cook and the Southern Alps" keywords: ["Cardrona Alpine Resort", "skiing"] captured: 2017-08-23 ```