Scenic Highlights

Top Lake Wanaka scenic highlights

With mountains on all sides, and two perfect lakes at its centre, Lake Wanaka is outrageously scenic in any season. Hike, drive or fly to viewpoints for panorama appreciation.

Selected highlights at a glance

Cardrona Valley to the Crown Range

The 25 kilometre scenic drive up the Cardrona Valley leads through historic gold fever country to the marvellous Cardrona Hotel (1868), now a restaurant. Descendents from the gold rush still live in the valley as farmers. Today Cardrona Valley is a place for horse trekking, hiking and skiing. The Cardrona Alpine Resort is known for its dry snow, wide slopes and steep chutes. Nordic skiing at the Waiorau Snow Farm is an inspired way to enjoy the winter landscape.

Cardrona Valley merges with the road over the Crown Range which, at 1121 metres, is the highest main road in the country. It's the quickest way to get to Queenstown and the views are incredible. The green waters of the Kawarau River can be seen snaking their way along their course far below.

Mount Aspiring National Park

Mount Aspiring National Park, just a short drive from Wanaka, has some of New Zealand's most scenic walks. From Wanaka, the drive up the Matukituki Valley towards the park offers tantalising glimpses of the high peaks and glaciers. Treble Cone Ski Area is passed on the left and, further up the valley, remnant wetlands on either side of the road are home to a number of native wading birds.

The pinnacle of the park is Mount Aspiring/Tititea, rising elegantly from its flanking glaciers to 3027 metres. It's a peak much loved by climbers and photographers. You don't have to be a mountaineer to enjoy the delights of the park (although any one of a dozen world-class local guides can help you to achieve a summit); it's just as satisfying to hike through the park's open valleys, or fly overhead and gaze down on the glaciers, golden river flats and forested ridges.

Within the park is the Rob Roy Glacier, a massive glacier beginning high above on Rob Roy Peak - 2,606 metres. After gentle trekking for around 2½ hours, the glory of the Rob Roy Glacier comes into sight.

Mount Iron and Mount Roy

Mount Iron (because it resembles an iron) is a local landmark. It rises abruptly from the gentle slopes that lead away from Lake Wanaka. A remnant of past glaciation, Mount Iron now offers a spectacular vantage point from which to view the surrounding valleys, peaks, rivers and lakes. A circular walking-track leads through tussock and manuka shrubland to the flat-topped summit. Horse-treks are also available in the area.

Mount Roy is just a few minutes' drive from Wanaka, yet rises to over a thousand metres. It offers an exhilarating full-day walk. A zigzagging track leads up through thick golden tussock until the airy ridge to the summit is reached. From the top, there are sweeping views across the inlets and islands of Lake Wanaka and up to the shimmering peak of Mount Aspiring/Tititea.

The beginning of a 340 kilometre river

The mighty Clutha River is Lake Wanaka's primary outflow, which accounts for its impressive width and speed. It is the longest river in the South Island and was thoroughly dredged during the gold rush days. Fly fishing, rafting, kayaking and jetboating are a few ways to enjoy the Clutha's scenery.

Over the pass and far away

The road over Haast Pass is only 160 kilometres long, but it took over 30 years to carve out of solid rock. It runs past lakes Wanaka and Hawea, through golden tussock-covered hills, then winds over the great divide of the Southern Alps to the rainforests, waterfalls and rivers of the west coast. The contrast between the east and west landscapes is extreme.

The pass was first used by Maori on their way to the pounamu (jade) rivers of the coast, but it was named after the first European to make the crossing. It took Julius von Haast and his party over four weeks to complete the journey, after being shown the start of the trail by Maori.

A tale of two lakes

Wanaka and Hawea are two of the most beautiful lakes in New Zealand. They were gouged out of solid rock by the actions of glaciers and are separated by a narrow isthmus. Lake Wanaka is more than 300 metres deep and Hawea is even deeper. The lakes, which are dramatically blue, are fed by melt water from snow fields and glaciers.

The mountains surrounding the lakes rise to over 2000 metres, and in winter they are powdered with snow and ice. Deciduous trees planted at the lakes' edges put on a spectacular show every autumn.

As with other inland South Island lakes, Hawea and Wanaka were in mythology dug by the chief Te Rakaihautu. Using his mighty ko (digging stick) he gouged out the inland lakebeds, forming mountains from the spoil.