Puzzling World is a family-run visitor attraction on the Wanaka–Luggate Highway on the outskirts of Wanaka, in the wider Queenstown Lakes region. It combines a large outdoor maze, a series of illusion rooms, a puzzle centre, a café and a gift shop, and it has become one of the district's best-known attractions.
### History
The business began in 1973 when Stuart and Janis Landsborough sold their home to buy seven acres of land on the edge of Wanaka, then a town of around 800 people. Six weeks and 12,000 wooden planks later, the original one-kilometre maze opened in time for the 1973/74 summer holidays. It drew 17,600 people in its first year. Admission was 50c for adults and 20c for children.
Mini golf followed in 1975, and the first Puzzle Centre was established in 1978 with a single table and five puzzles. In 1983 the maze gained 500 metres of over-bridges, making it the first three-dimensional maze in the world. That concept travelled: between 1985 and 1988 Stuart designed a series of Super Mazes for Japan, the United States, Australia and Auckland's Rainbow's End.
An illusions gallery opened in downtown Wanaka in 1989 and moved to Queenstown a year later, before the exhibits were folded into the main site as the first illusion room, the Hologram Hall, followed by the Tilted House. The Leaning Tower of Wanaka, the Ames False Perspective room and the Hall of Following Faces were added around 1999 and 2000, and the Roman Toilets in 2001–02.
Stuart retired in 2004 and passed the business to his daughter Heidi and her husband Duncan Spear, who still lead it. The Sculptillusion Gallery opened in 2012, adding a fifth illusion room along with event space and a café offering. In 2023 the business marked its 50th anniversary with a community fun day, a VIP evening, two new illusion rooms, a new courtyard and garden space, and a 25-metre mural.
### Scale and recognition
Puzzling World served its four millionth customer in 2017–18 and states annual visitation of more than 200,000. In the inaugural Ignite Wanaka business awards it won both the tourism and supreme categories. The site displays Qualmark and Tripadvisor Travellers' Choice recognition, and publishes Chinese, Japanese and Korean language versions of its website, reflecting a significant inbound market.
### Groups, functions and MICE relevance
This is a genuinely MICE-capable attraction rather than a purely leisure stop. Published group offerings include wholesale and group rates for inbound operators and itinerary planners, school groups, team building, venue hire and birthday parties.
The team-building programme is built around the site's own assets, including an "A-maze-ing Race" through the Great Maze and puzzle-based challenges, which suits conference breakout sessions and incentive groups looking for something distinctive in the Queenstown–Wanaka corridor. For functions, the company states it has large indoor and outdoor areas suitable for hosting functions and community events, with the Sculptillusion Gallery used as event space.
### Practicalities and what is coming
Puzzling World opens every day from 9.00am with last admission at 4.30pm, and closes only on Christmas Day. Attractions can be booked individually or as a combo, and the on-site Think Tank Café and gift shop support longer group visits.
A further development is due to begin late in 2026. The published plan converts the back courtyard into a covered zone with rooftop viewing platforms, event rooms and dining areas, leading to a refurbished Roman Toilet block, and includes a five-metre-high hyper-realistic cherry tree created by local set designer Ryan Limmer. The added event rooms and dining areas should improve the site's capacity for conference and incentive functions once complete.
The attraction does not publish function room capacities or group maximums, so organisers should confirm numbers, exclusive-use options and catering directly.
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