Wanaka’s "wonderful world of weirdness"
Mogens Johansen discovers a fascinating world of illusion and amazement.
A woman is lying on the grass with her legs pointing straight up in the air. Close by, a man appears to be pointing aimlessly into the sky and another seems to be covering his head as he is about to be crushed by something.
All three have one thing in common; they are having their picture taken at The Leaning Tower of Wanaka trying to make it look as if they are balancing it, holding it or being crushed by it.
Unlike the Leaning Tower of Pisa, this tower was deliberately built this way, it leans at an astounding 53 degrees and balances on only one corner. It is the dramatic entry statement to Puzzling World which, as its website states, is a “wonderful world of weirdness”.
It is one of Wanaka’s most popular attractions and it really is weird and wonderful. The Leaning Tower and the Tumbling Towers are there for all to see as you drive into Wanaka and there always seems to be someone outside taking pictures, so I have a quick look to see what all the fuss is about. That quick look ended up being a couple of hours.
Inside, there are some very entertaining illusion rooms full of visual trickery, I begin my journey into the weirdness walking through the Hologram Hall which is full of clever 3-D holograms before entering one of the most popular rooms, The Tilted House.
The floor slopes upwards, a pool table is mounted on the wall and when a young girl rolls a ball on the table it seems to be rolling uphill, much to her amazement.
The next room is octagonal with 168 faces, including those of Albert Einstein, Winston Churchill, Mother Teresa, Nelson Mandela, Vincent van Gogh, Abraham Lincoln and Ludwig van Beethoven, and they follow your every move.
I look into the Ames Room and watch as kids appear to outgrow their parents just by crossing the floor thanks to some clever visual tricks and a sloping floor.
The last and largest space is the Sculptillusion Gallery; a giant tap with water flowing out of it appears to be the most popular but my favourite is a sculpture of two kids sitting on what seems to be a floating bench.
In the cafe/gift shop the tables are full of people testing their grey matter on various puzzles and last, but not least, just when you think you have seen it all prepare to be amazed by the Roman toilets — don’t miss it.
Mogens Johansen was a guest of Air New Zealand and Lake Wanaka Tourism.
FACT FILE
For more information, see puzzlingworld.co.nz.
Air New Zealand has daily flights between Perth and Auckland with its new Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner. airnewzealand.com.au or 13 24 76.
Wanaka is about a one-hour drive from Queenstown Airport via the Crown Range and Cardrona Valley.
Alpine ConneXions runs multiple daily bus services between Queenstown and Wanaka. alpineconnexions.co.nz.
For more on visiting Wanaka, see Lake Wanaka Tourism at lakewanaka.co.nz. The Cardrona Hotel is at cardronahotel.co.nz.
