Puzzling World

Amusement center · Wanaka

Puzzling World

Amusement center · Wanaka

1

188 Wanaka-Luggate Highway, Wānaka 9382, New Zealand

Photos

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Puzzling World by PuzzlingWorld NZ (Atlas Obscura User)
Puzzling World by PuzzlingWorld NZ (Atlas Obscura User)
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Puzzling World by kissam
Puzzling World by PuzzlingWorld NZ (Atlas Obscura User)
Puzzling World by PuzzlingWorld NZ (Atlas Obscura User)
Puzzling World by Thomas Pilz (Creative Commons)
Puzzling World by kissam
Puzzling World by null
Puzzling World by null
Puzzling World by null
Puzzling World by null
Puzzling World by null
Puzzling World by null
Puzzling World by null
Puzzling World by null
Puzzling World by null
Puzzling World by null
Puzzling World by null
Puzzling World by null
Puzzling World by null
Puzzling World by null
Puzzling World by null
Puzzling World by null
Puzzling World by null
Puzzling World by null
Puzzling World by null
Puzzling World by null
Puzzling World by null
Puzzling World by null
Puzzling World by null
Puzzling World by null
Puzzling World by null
Puzzling World by null
Puzzling World by null
Puzzling World by null
Puzzling World by null
Puzzling World by null
Puzzling World by null
Puzzling World by null
Puzzling World by null
Puzzling World by null
Puzzling World by null
Puzzling World by null
Puzzling World by null
Puzzling World by null
Puzzling World by null
Puzzling World by null
Puzzling World by null
Puzzling World by null
Puzzling World by null

Highlights

Dive into Puzzling World in Wanaka, where a mind-bending maze, whimsical illusion rooms, and a cozy café create the ultimate family adventure.  

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Placeholder

188 Wanaka-Luggate Highway, Wānaka 9382, New Zealand Get directions

puzzlingworld.co.nz
@puzzlingworldwanaka

Information

Static Map

188 Wanaka-Luggate Highway, Wānaka 9382, New Zealand Get directions

+64 3 443 7489
puzzlingworld.co.nz
@puzzlingworldwanaka
𝕏
@puzzlingworld

Features

gender neutral restroom
restroom
crowd family friendly
crowd lgbtq friendly
crowd trans safespace
parking free street
wheelchair accessible parking lot
wheelchair accessible entrance

Last updated

Mar 13, 2025

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@atlasobscura

"New Zealand has been known as a land of magic thanks to the famous series of fantasy films shot there, but not many people know of the mystery and illusion gathered together at Puzzling World in Wanaka. The mystifying funhouse began as a single-story wooden maze built in 1973, but over its almost 50 years of continual operation the Landsborough’s attraction has grown into a veritable shrine to tricks, illusions, and fun. The maze itself was the world’s first to include overbridges in the design which link different parts of the maze together to create what the owners call a “3D Mega maze.” In addition to the sprawling maze the site features such odd ‘folly’s’ as a group of buildings splayed like a hand of cards or another, appropriately named ‘The Leaning Tower  of Wanaka’, tilted at a dizzying 53 degrees. There is also five Illusion Rooms, including the Hologram Hall, Tilted House, the Following Faces, which features impressions of famous faces which seem to follow you no matter where you move in the room, and the Sculptillusion Gallery which collects a wide variety of sculpted optical illusions and exhibitions.     Visitors can even take the “Psychic Challenge” while at Puzzling World, which rewards with $100,000 any psychic that can find two hidden objects on the site. But you don’t have to be a psychic to see that Puzzling World is likely to instil a sense of whimsy in even the grumpiest curmudgeon." - ATLAS_OBSCURA

24 Mesmerizing Mazes and Labyrinths
View Postcard for Puzzling World

Princely Alex Dcunha

Google
This place is must visit whether you are with a partner, alone or with family. It’s fun. I was here with my mum and even she enjoyed here. We ordered coffees and croissants with chicken/almonds and they were simply delicious. Overall a magical experience. 🖤💙

Fred Twum-Acheampong

Google
Really fun maze and intriguing exhibits! You can buy snacks and drinks inside, then enjoy a puzzle game at your table. There's plenty to do and see for kids and adults alike. The exhibits are nicely laid out and I especially enjoyed the tilted room. You should plan on staying at least a couple hours if you want to do the maze and see everything indoors.

Allen Suei

Google
It’s amazing how long this place has been built, very interesting 15 degree room, and lots of fun designs to be explored. The maze was big and hard to challenge, especially in the sunny day during summer, you get heat up really fast. Recommended to be one of the must visit spot, through Wanaka

Brie Liberty

Google
What an epic day with the children! My 8 year old loved the maze so much! The almost five year old was motivated while finding the four towers but then lost motivation as we couldn’t find our way out. We ran around the maze for a good 45 minutes. The illusions house was fascinating- the tilted room did make us all feel nauseous. We definitely could’ve stayed longer and they are already asking to go back. A fun interactive experience with the kids 👍

lilan priyashantha

Google
The puzzling world offers cool illusions and a great maze to entertain the minds of kids and adults alike. Conveniently located with ample parking, it also has a set of table puzzles and a gift shop and a cafe. Maze has two games - easy and hard difficulty levels, which is a good exercise for the mind and the body alike. Prepare to spend at least 2-3 hrs with a snack/ice cream break if you are going with kids.

Dr GP

Google
It's a great place for families but caters for all ages. The giant maze will stump most people, particularly if attempting the challenge of finding the 4 stations in order. Can easily spend over an hours. Luckily there are escape routes if it's simply too much. The cafe is well stocked and every dining table has puzzles to keep everyone entertained. We also loved going thru the illusion rooms. A great day out and very reasonably priced.

Jess Benea

Google
Lovely experience! I really enjoyed the illusions and fun puzzle activities. You can't visit Wanaka without seeing this place—it's definitely worth it! The people working here were so welcoming, offering great hospitality, which we've rarely experienced in New Zealand as non-locals. A truly warm and friendly atmosphere! Thank you for the wonderful experience. Highly recommend!

Goofy Pan

Google
Very cool to visit when you’re traveling with kids. A lot of fun we had when we were there! They also have a nice cafe with many puzzle toys for you to play with. Highly recommended

Melinda M.

Yelp
This place is completely worth the entrance fee. The maze was very challenging and a great teamwork/bonding activity, for both kids and adults. The illusion rooms are fun to see, especially the tilted room (soooo trippy and hard for your brain to figure out) and the room where people look bigger on one side. Great photo opps throughout.

Angelo A.

Yelp
Awesome place to visit! Fun puzzle and optical illusion themed attractions: Great maze - Outdoor maze that challenges you to locate the four towers at the corners of the maze. We were able to locate two of the towers before it started getting too cold for our 7 year old twins (we visited in winter). If it weren't for the cold, we would have definitely stayed out there until we completed the challenge. Sculpture Gallery - Display of various sculptural illusions. Our girls are young and don't have the greatest attention span, but they were thoroughly engaged here - going to each display, eager to see the illusion and know how it works. Ames Illusion Room - Cool room that alters perspective by making it look like someone is giant at one end of the room and tiny at the other end. The girls loved swapping places and seeing themselves "change sizes". Tilted House - Our girls LOVED this room (but it made me and wife almost throw up - seriously). The room/floor is tilted, but the walls are situated to make it look like it isn't, so your body is telling you one thing and your eyes/brain are telling you another = WEIRD. Gift shop and cafe with lots of fun puzzles on the tables to entertain you. EVERYONE had a great time. Would recommend to anyone, any age!

Arya K.

Yelp
SO MUCH FUN! The tilted room and the the room with the sculptures (part of illusions) was so much fun, we spent so long there just amused. Definitely recommend trying the cool puzzles at the entrance area, can keep you entertained for hours. The maze is super fun but difficult, nothing seems as it is - highly recommend going on a warm day so you don't freeze. The gift shop hold a bunch of fun things to buy - especially the crossword toilet paper!

Michael Y.

Yelp
Review for our trip from 12/2015. It was like the mystery spot where you can walk though rooms that create illusions to make water flow uphill and people defy gravity. The indoor exhibits take about 35 minutes to walk through and explore. The outdoor maze is really big and took my teenage kids 90 minutes to complete in its entirety. I got though 75% and my feet were done however it was definitely one of the best mazes (from a difficulty standpoint) that I have seen. We were there midday in the middle of their summer so we did need to take a frozen drink break-which the well stocked full service snack bar inside took care of nicely. The gift shop had lots of neat puzzle games and toys that made the trip complete! With the drive to and from Queenstown, it was about a 5 hour excursion. We had time to stop at a winery and bungee jump the same day and still be back in time for dinner!

James S.

Yelp
Absolute blast! We were on our honeymoon and it started to rain so we decided to check this place out. They have so many exhibits that are interactive. Some of our favorites were the hall of faces, the seat that defies gravity, and even the floor art in the restrooms! If you have kids you should definitely take them here. They would have a blast. We skipped doing the outdoor maze but didn't feel like we missed out on much especially since it was raining. There was more than enough indoor experiences to enjoy! 10/10

Leslie S.

Yelp
We had a great time here!! I'm surprised there is nothing even remotely close to this place in the US. Basically it's all those fun eye illusions and tricks turned into sculptures that you can interact with! The price is fair $16 for the museum and $16 for the maze or $20 for both. The maze is definitely not worth $16 but for only $4 extra if you have never done a maze before, this one is worth trying! The best room by far was the illusion hall where if you enter thru one door you look tiny and if you enter thru the other door on the opposite side of the room you look giant! It makes a great photo and video opportunity! The museum won't take you more than about an hour. It seemed the maze was more for kids to run around and get their energy out but for my husband and I we were over it after about 15 minutes. It was a good walk tho :)

Carlo L.

Yelp
A great place to visit when going to or leaving Wanaka, it's worth it to take the combo pass which includes the sculpture illusions and maze, and is perfect for anyone regardless of age. I am close to thirty and found it very interesting and fun.

Priscilla M.

Yelp
My partner and I made a stop here on our drive from Queenstown to Christchurch. It was definitely a fun stop for us - we loooove puzzles so it was cool. There were two options: 1. Illusion Rooms 2. Great Maze It was $16 for one or $20 for both. We were pressured for time, so we did the Illusion Rooms which were fantastic. Some of them I had seen, others I had not. But regardless it was still a good time. We took about half an hour in there which meant we had enough time to do the Great Maze. Instead of paying another $16 they allowed us to pay an extra $4 for the combo. The Great Maze Classic Challenge took us about 30 mins. There was also a cafe and in the dining area they had different puzzles on the tables for people to play with while they were relaxing. If you have kids this would be especially fun for them!

Rain B.

Yelp
Good Fun! everyone entertained for a few hours! This was really good fun and parts were very weird! The maze was good we split up into two groups and did the four corners challenge, needless to say we lost to the younger group! The illusions rooms were good as were the tilted rooms. The cafe was excellent and the gift shop gave us great ideas for Christmas. Spent a few hours here and worth every penny We were all adults, never too old!

Qype User (Afonel…)

Yelp
I remembered Puzzling World with affection from my first visit, 16 years ago. To my delight, when I visited again earlier this year, I found it just as amusing as an adult as I did as a child. The giant 3D maze (it includes bridges as well as a traditional flat maze) is good fun, and the illusions rooms are genuinely surprising. My only quibble with the place is the price it's $15 to visit the maze and the illusion rooms, which is ok if there's only two of you but can get quite steep if there are more. Still, I think it is worth it, and it makes for a great way to pass a couple of hours.

Jim P.

Yelp
It was more special the first time, 10 years ago or so. It's looking and feeling very dated. But it's still good for kids.

Joshua O.

Yelp
Great place for families with young children (although the adults may also get fascinated with it!). Be prepared to be dazzled with the numerous optical allusions in Puzzling World. Some of them may make you dizzy! The outdoor maze is certainly not for the fainthearted and impatient visitor. A café inside provides visitors with snacks and beverages as well as "puzzling" blocks for visitors to unscramble. This is quite a popular tourist attraction in Wanaka so the road to this place may be packed with cars. Be sure to bring your camera along and take pictures, especially at the Leaning Tower of Wanaka.

Keith E.

Yelp
Let your senses be confused. Worth spending a few hours trying all the different things to do. How quick can you get out of the maze? I loved the optical illusions, made you think how we see life and all that surrounds us.

Qype User (Jia…)

Yelp
Had fun at this amusement park. The maze is enjoyable, the hologram hall, hall of following faces, ames room, tilted room and puzzle cafe are all amusing and entertaining. The roman-style toilet is a great spot for snap shots. Had a great time there. Would recommend this place.