Wānaka's high country playground has something for every kind of traveller

Located just a 40-minute drive from Wānaka or over an hour from Queenstown along the Crown Range Road, Cardrona’s Snow Farm is best-known as NZ's first dedicated cross-country ski area, with 55 kilometres of groomed and untouched backcountry trails winding around the Pisa Alpine Conservation Area.

The self-propelling snow sport is just one of the activities on offer at the top of the 13km access road. In the colder months you can strap on oversized footwear for a scenic walk through snow, and push a high-performance sports car to the limit – on ice. There are tubes for kids, too.

For those who would rather sit back and watch the slipping and sliding in comfort, Snow Farm’s lodge has a bar, restaurant and viewing deck over the high country playground. There is something for every kind of traveller.

Forget the chairlift; this demanding style of skiing is where participants use their own motion to propel themselves up and down mountainous terrain. It is essentially hiking on skis.

Today, we’re heading away from the creature comforts of the lodge on an 8km round trip to one of Snow Farm’s backcountry huts. Thankfully a snowmobile is shuttling our luggage for the night.

Before embarking on the first leg to Meadow Hut we’re briefed on the basics of the sport. The heels of cross-country boots are free from the skis to assist with the basic kick and glide motion. The exaggerated lunging gait is said to be similar to ice skating – the difference being that you have two massive narrow planks hanging off your feet.

We’re shown the downhill posture which resembles someone sniffing their fingers while bending over. There’s a quick trial run with the poles across flat terrain before we’re off on the mostly downhill hut expedition.

The inverted grooves created by Snow Farm's cross-country grooming machine point our group in the right direction, although they don’t completely remove the possibility of face planting. The classic 'pizza slice' stopping technique comes in handy when trying to slow down, as does the 'abort and fall over' tactic.

When not dusting off snowflakes or recovering gear from deep powder, there were several opportunities to take a breath and soak in the white-coated peaks and valleys. The beauty of cross-country skiing is that you can set your own pace, and close to two hours later, we glide up to Meadow Hut for an evening around the open fire. The following day it was a far more demanding uphill slog back to the lodge.

UnderDog New Zealand’s Fleur Perano warned that the gang-line between my sled and pack of dogs should be kept tight at all times. Failing to do so, the sled has the ability to fishtail and the dogs will soon realise that they're in control.

She also warned that the dogs may creep close to the ledge of the trail, an instance in which to remain calm and just "keep going". Over the ledge? Apparently.

UnderDog New Zealand has been practising the northern tradition of dog-sledding in the Southern Alps since 2013 with a mixed kennel of Alaskan malamutes, Alaskan and Siberian huskies - all with different levels of cuteness and racing experience. UnderDog's winter trips now take place on ​Robrosa Station.

There was time to meet each member of the pack; from a bashful Siberian who wears socks at the start of the season due to sensitive paws to a large grey Alaskan with piercing blue eyes, famous for starring in a Taylor Swift music video. My team on this occasion was made up of the film star Dickens, Taku, Mckenzie and Dodge.

Announcing "ready" prepares the dogs to leave, and with a stern "let's go" they take off at a flying pace. "Woah" is the magic word to stop. Troublesome, it’s also the exclamation I use when being dragged by adorable pups at an incredible pace down icy trails.

We careen down steep trails which call for tip-toe pressure on the slide mat to keep the gang-line tight and remain in control of the team. During uphill sections some pushing is required to help the dogs. I regret my decision to ditch the gloves.

Snowshoeing is what a lot of people would consider walking on tennis racquets. The activity is a form of hiking that uses specialised footwear to create a larger surface area on deep, sinkable, often inaccessible terrain. The shoes have moved away from wooden-framed latticework.

The staff at Snow Farm’s gear shop tell me that the sport is an ideal warm-up for someone looking at getting into cross-country skiing. I feel confident having just come off the 8km trip to Meadow Hut.

Once strapped in, it was a quick entry onto the trails at Snow Farm. Much like cross-country skiing, the heel is free from the back of the snowshoe to assist with forward motion across the snow, and so you can cover distance and uneven terrain at quite the pace. Trekking poles are there to assist with balance, particularly over uphill sections and in deeper snow.

Fresh powder wasn't as prevalent on the farm’s upper trails as the earth crunched like dry crackers beneath my dominating slippers. Tackling the same icy terrain in everyday footwear would look more like someone creeping across a tightrope. This is as easy as putting one giant foot in front of the other.

Cross-country skiing experiences at , including trail access, gear rental and an introductory lesson, start from $88. Snowshoeing trail passes and gear rental starts from $50.

can sleep up to 20 people. Beds can be booked for $35 per person. Exclusive hire is also available. See:

operates on private backcountry trails at Robrosa Station . Drive your own team from $265 per person. See:

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