Featured Activities
It’s no secret that Kiwis love their coffee. And visitors to Wānaka love to partake in our caffeinated obsession. But did you know that New Zealand discards up to 295 million single use cups per year?
Coffee drinking is virtually a national pastime in New Zealand. We’re known the world over for our excellent brews and we enjoy consuming the black elixir as much as we enjoy serving it. Coffee carts and cafés abound in Wānaka, Albert Town, Cardrona and Hāwea; ask any local which is their favourite and you can be sure of an answer before they’ve had time to draw breath.
The fact is: we’re as proud of our coffee here as we are of our region itself and an ever-growing movement is connecting these two elements in the form of SUCfree Wānaka.
Like all good things in our town, SUCfree Wānaka was born from a conversation. At a time when it was estimated that 1 millions single-use cups (SUC) were going to landfill from Wānaka and the surrounding area every year, hospitality business owners decided to take matters into their own hands.
With the help of Plastic Free Wānaka and Wastebusters, the SUCfree campaign began, raising awareness around the problem of single use cups whether compostable or not (in a region where we don’t currently have the facilities to compost them), and promoting reusable alternatives.
To make it a SUCfree holiday you can choose to either sit (we all know a coffee tastes better when you get to actually sit and enjoy it), BYO with you or borrow a cup!
Some cafés have joined loan lending schemes, working with companies like Chunky or Again Again, that allow customers to borrow a takeaway cup for a small deposit (just $3!) and then return it to any participating café around the country for a refund or keep the cup forever. Others have established their own mug libraries for their customers to enjoy, giving fun and vibrant mugs from Wastebusters a new life on the streets of Wānaka.
Wānaka has ten outlets that are completely 100% SUCfree (such as Fedeli/Federal Diner, Cardrona Alpine Resort and Big Fig below), where you can borrow a cup through lending schemes or a mug library.
You can find a full list of single-use cup free cafes below (*cafes that are 100% single-use cup free).
74 Ardmore street, Wānaka.
50 Cardrona Valley road, Cardrona.
105 Ardmore street, Wānaka.
60 Anderson road, Wānaka.
Cardrona Valley road, Cardrona.
41 Sir Tim Wallis drive, Wānaka.
100 Sir Tim Wallis drive, Wānaka.
82 Anderson road, Wānaka.
47 Helwick street, Wānaka.
3 Cliff Wilson street, Wānaka.
1 Capell street, Hāwea.
33 Cappell steet, Hāwea.
121 Ardmore street, Wānaka.
42 Brownston street, Wānaka.
51 Brownston street, Wānaka.
82 Sir Tim Wallis drive, Wānaka.
155 Ardmore street, Wānaka.
20 Alison avenue, Albert Town.
28 Helwick street, Wānaka.
1/99 Ardmore street, Wānaka.
18 Helwick street, Wānaka.
94 Ardmore street, Wānaka.
71 Ardmore street, Wānaka.
Mt Aspiring road, Wānaka.
34 Anderson road, Wānaka.
Lot 600 Longview, Lake Hāwea.
Unit 3/97 Sir Tim Wallis drive, Wānaka.
72 Ardmore street, Wānaka.
2 Motatapu road, Glendhu Bay.
54 Sargood drive, Wānaka.
The first step to change is education! If you are keen to learn more about the SUCfree movement check out our videos below of three local Wānaka cafes that are changing the way we think about single-use cups, for good!
