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All New Zealand Wanaka Puzzling World

Puzzling World

New Zealand's epic shrine to all things puzzling.

Wanaka, New Zealand

Added By
Erika Kissam
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Puzzling World   kissam
The 3D Maze   kissam
The Leaning Tower of Waneka   kissam
The Tumbling Towers, Puzzling World   PuzzlingWorld NZ / Atlas Obscura User
The Great Maze, Puzzling World   PuzzlingWorld NZ / Atlas Obscura User
  Michael Reinhardt / Atlas Obscura User
Puzzling World, Wanaka   Thomas Pilz
Leaning Tower of Wanaka, Puzzling World   PuzzlingWorld NZ / Atlas Obscura User
Following Faces, Puzzling World   PuzzlingWorld NZ / Atlas Obscura User
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About

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.

Related Tags

Roadside Attractions Mazes Collections Intriguing Environs Optical Oddities Ecosystems
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Added By

kissam

Edited By

PuzzlingWorld NZ, lakshinimendis, Michael Reinhardt

  • PuzzlingWorld NZ
  • lakshinimendis
  • Michael Reinhardt

Published

September 2, 2013

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Sources
  • Duncan Spear - Marketing & Operations, Puzzling World
  • http://www.puzzlingworld.co.nz/
  • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Puzzling_World
Puzzling World
188 Wanaka-Luggate Hwy
Wanaka, 9382
New Zealand
-44.697464, 169.161705
Visit Website
Get Directions

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