Lake Hawea

A place of vivid beauty, mountainous extremes and legendary fishing spots, Lake Hawea is an outdoor adventurers’ paradise

Located an easy scenic 15-minute drive from Wanaka and on the road to Makarora and the West Coast, Lake Hawea is an ideal self-drive day trip or place to stay on your South Island journey. 

Grab a road bike and do the Lake Hawea loop. You can even walk or mountain bike off road to Lake Hawea from Wanaka! 

The track to Isthmus Peak will reward you with views to rival the more popular Roys Peak track but without the crowds. Or try the gentle lakefront walk to Johns Creek. 

The mountains that hug the east, west and northern shores are cragged, rugged and jaggedly weathered, and hold secret pockets of some of the country’s finest fly fishing.

Lake Hawea is a favoured spot for wind surfing, paragliding and kite surfing.  Also, boating, fishing, swimming, kayaking, and generally lazing about on the beach.

And don’t fret about food and somewhere to stay! There are several places where you can stay for the night and dine out.

Discover the best of our region by following the scenic highlights photo tour. 

Hawea Webcam

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Driving to Wanaka Explore the Region

Driving to Wanaka

Driving on the South Island roads of New Zealand is a great way to experience the region, with relatively quiet roads and some of the most amazing scenery right outside the window.

Major car and campervan hire companies are all located at Christchurch, Dunedin and Queenstown airports. There are also a number of rental car companies based in Wanaka.

How to get to Wanaka

Explore the Region

Wanaka is unique and captivating; it inspires you to discover, and gives you the freedom to explore.

Located in the stunning alps of the South Island, New Zealand, visitors from around the world are drawn to the Wanaka region by its outstanding beauty.

Explore Wanaka

  1. Mount Aspiring
    National Park     54 min
  2. Christchurch 5 h 14 min
  3. Ashburton 3 h 56 min
  4. Geraldine 3 h 19 min
  5. Tekapo 2 h 17 min
  6. Mt Cook 2 h 6 min
  7. Twizel 1 h 39 min
  8. Omarama 1 h 21 min
  9. Franz Josef 3 h 32 min
  10. Fox Glacier 3 h 6 min
  11. Haast 1 h 43 min
  13. Cromwell 39 min
  14. Queenstown 1 h 4 min
  15. Milford Sound 4 h 34 min
  16. Te Anau 2 h 52 min
  17. Dunedin 2 h 52 min
  1. Mount Aspiring
    National Park     54 min
  2. Coronet Peak
  3. The Remarkables
  4. Cardrona
  5. Treble Cone
  6. Snow Farm
  7. Heli Skiing
  8. Heli Skiing
  9. Makarora 50 min
  10. Lake Hawea 1 h 7 min
  12. Wanaka Airport 11 min
  13. Luggate 13 min
  14. Tarras 27 min
  15. Cromwell 39 min
  16. Arrowtown 53 min
  17. Queenstown 1 h 4 min
  18. Queenstown Airport 59 min
  19. Matukituki Valley 51 min
  20. Raspberry Creek 1 h 6 min

Flights to Wanaka

Getting to Wanaka is easy - click on your city to see how close you are to Wanaka. It’s a short, scenic 60-minute drive to Wanaka from the closest international airport, where you will find all major rental car companies and scheduled bus services that provide transport to Wanaka throughout the day.

Queenstown Airport is serviced daily from all major New Zealand airports as well as over 40 flights a week direct from Australia.

How to get to Wanaka