---
type: "Article"
title: "Stellar skiing in Cardrona Alpine Resort"
description: "Justine Tyerman sets a new tradition on her best day’s skiing ever at Cardrona Alpine Resort in New Zealand . . ."
resource: "https://travelmemo.com/new-zealand/cardrona-alpine-resort-skiing"
author: "Justine Tyerman"
publisher: "Travelmemo"
photo_count: 8
tags: ["Alps", "Resort", "Winter", "New Zealand"]
entities:
  - "https://travelmemo.com/ontology/places/new-zealand"
  - "https://travelmemo.com/ontology/places/alps"
  - "https://travelmemo.com/ontology/topics/resort"
  - "https://travelmemo.com/ontology/topics/winter-tourism"
  - "https://travelmemo.com/ontology/topics/culinary-tourism"
  - "https://travelmemo.com/ontology/topics/lake"
  - "https://travelmemo.com/ontology/topics/landscape"
generated: { by: "human:https://travelmemo.com/author/tyermanj", at: 2026-07-04T13:58:15+00:00 }
sources:
  - id: photos
    resource: cardrona-alpine-resort-skiing.md#photos
    title: "Original photography by Justine Tyerman"
    author: "human:https://travelmemo.com/author/tyermanj"
    last_modified: 2016-09-09
timestamp: 2026-07-04T13:58:15+00:00
---

# Stellar skiing in Cardrona Alpine Resort

> Cardrona Alpine Resort near Wanaka, New Zealand, offers world-class skiing with reliable snow, fast emergency response, and a festive mountain atmosphere that makes for memorable days on the slopes.

## Destination
Cardrona Alpine Resort, located near Wanaka in the South Island of New Zealand.

## Getting there
The resort road can require chains after heavy snow, but road crews work overnight to grade and grit it. A shuttle bus is also available. The author travelled to Wanaka by JUCY Casa Plus motorhome.

## When to go
The winter season begins around June 10. Late-season powder days in September can deliver exceptional conditions with uncrowded slopes and sunny skies.

## Why visit
Cardrona combines excellent snow quality, efficient ski patrol and mountain medical services, a lively base area, and sweeping panoramas of the Southern Alps and Wakatipu Basin. Fresh powder after a big dump creates some of the best on-piste and off-piste skiing in New Zealand.

## What to see
- **Queenstown Return cat-track** — A scenic glide along the Cardrona boundary with panoramic views of the Southern Alps and the entire Wakatipu Basin.
- **Captain's Basin** — A main skiing area served by the Captain's lift, with open slopes and a lively atmosphere on powder days.
- **Cardrona Hotel** — An iconic historic hotel at the base where skiers traditionally gather for glühwein beside an outdoor fire after a day on the mountain.

## What to do
- **On-piste and off-piste skiing** — The resort offers a wide variety of groomed and ungroomed terrain, including runs like Powder Keg.
- **Lunch at Captain's Café** — Pizza, chips and cider on sunny days; café staff famously wear 'Cardrona – promoting sick days since 1980' T-shirts.
- **Ski and boot fitting at Outside Sports, Wanaka** — Gear rental and expert boot fitting available; shops also in Queenstown and Te Anau with cross-location drop-off.

## Good to know
A new $10 million Doppelmayr McDougall's Express Chondola — the first cabin-style lift on a New Zealand ski area, combining eight-person gondola cabins and six-seater chairs — was introduced for the 2017 season, increasing lift capacity by 150 percent to 2,550 persons per hour. The resort has an on-mountain doctor and ski patrol for emergencies.

## Photos

```yaml
photos:
  - url: "https://travelmemo.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Cardrona-skiing.jpg"
    caption: "Our pristine, blue-bird day at Cardrona. Picture by Jen Houltham"
    keywords: ["Cardrona"]
    geo: {latitude: -44.8748, longitude: 168.9862}
  - url: "https://travelmemo.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Chris-Justine-Tyerman-Cardrona.jpg"
    caption: "Chris and Justine on a perfect day at Cardrona"
    keywords: ["Cardrona"]
    captured: 2010-08-23
    geo: {latitude: -44.8748, longitude: 168.9862}
  - url: "https://travelmemo.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Justine-Tyerman-mountain-Cardrona.jpg"
    caption: "The mountain had a huge smile on its face that day"
    keywords: ["Cardrona"]
    captured: 2016-09-03
    geo: {latitude: -44.8748, longitude: 168.9862}
  - url: "https://travelmemo.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Justine-Tyerman-rental-ski-car.jpg"
    caption: "Cold start to the day. Justine with her new Dynastars on loan from Kazu at Outside Sports in Wanaka"
    keywords: ["Cardrona"]
    captured: 2016-09-08
    geo: {latitude: -44.8758, longitude: 168.9622}
  - url: "https://travelmemo.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/lunch-Captains-Cafe-Cardrona.jpg"
    caption: "Lunch at Captain's Cafe"
    keywords: ["Cardrona"]
    captured: 2016-09-09
    geo: {latitude: -44.8608, longitude: 168.9567}
  - url: "https://travelmemo.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Justine-Tyerman-Captains-Basin-Cardrona.jpg"
    caption: "Justine heading to Captain's Basin"
    keywords: ["Cardrona"]
    captured: 2016-09-09
    geo: {latitude: -44.8594, longitude: 168.9502}
  - url: "https://travelmemo.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Queenstwon-return-Cardrona.jpg"
    caption: "Queenstown Return, the last run of the day"
    keywords: ["Cardrona"]
    captured: 2016-09-09
    geo: {latitude: -44.8587, longitude: 168.9445}
  - url: "https://travelmemo.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Cardrona-Chondola.jpg"
    caption: "The Chondola under construction"
    keywords: ["Cardrona", "Chondola"]
    geo: {latitude: -44.8748, longitude: 168.9862}
```