Wanaka, New Zealand

Wanaka, only 55km northeast of Queenstown as the crow flies but an hour and a half by road, once languished in the shadow of its brasher southern sibling. Thanks to a similar combination of beautiful surroundings and robust adventure activities, it is now one of New Zealand's fastest-growing small towns, with extensive recent developments and new housing subdivisions popping up everywhere. Wanaka is situated at the point where the hummocky, poplar-studded hills of Central Otago rub up against the dramatic peaks of the Mount Aspiring National Park. It commands a wonderful spot on the shores of the willow-girt Lake Wanaka, with the jagged summits of the Southern Alps as often as not mirrored in its waters.