Lake Wanaka, South Island, New Zealand

5.0 (2.312 reviews) Spent More than 3 hours Ranking #2 in South Island Bodies of Water

Great in summer or winter

I came by during winter to go snowboarding in Treble Cone and Cardona. The town isn't very big but does have quite a few food options and is located across the road from the lake. The lake itself has multiple large parking lots around it, one around the town and another around that Wanaka Tree. Both areas also have playgrounds and lakefront access. You are able to swim in the lake but as it was winter I just walked around and enjoyed the sights around it. The snow-capped mountains surrounding the lake were beautiful. The lake had pebble surrounding it instead of sand and there are fish living in it, which you can spot from the jetty. There is a path that goes along the lake and it looks like they are extending it along the entire lakefront. The path is currently being made to connect the tree end of the lake to the town end. Definitely worth a stop just to enjoy the scenery. It might be busier in the hotter months when people come by to swim so it could feel more crowded.
South Island review images

Address

, Wanaka, New Zealand.

Website

http://www.lakewanaka.co.nz

Current local date and time now

Monday, May 06, 2024, 7:54

User Ratings

5.0 based on (2.312 reviews)

Excellent

80%

Good

18%

Satisfactory

Poor

Terrible

Reviews

5mischa642016 5:00 PM Dec 14, 2022
Calming, peaceful and relaxing
A pleasant stroll along the lake or pathway to the Wanaka Tree. A miracle from Nature. Great flora to see along the way. The calm lake and mountains. You can hire kayaks but we chose to walk around and sit and admire the views. Ample parking and swings nearby for young children too. We walked to the local shops and had a lovely lunch too.
4Rachael B 5:00 PM Sep 8, 2020
Cute little town and lake
Such a cute city to stop in for a few days. We stayed here 2-3 days during our trip and enjoyed the views driving around the lake to get to the town. If you are looking for good food, I highly recommend the meat pies from Doughbin (we ate here twice) and a Fitzpatricks Irish Pub has good live music, food and beer. If you have never had hokey pokey, you have to go to black peak gelato and get a bowl or cone of the hokey pokey. If you are looking for something chill to do, go visit thatwanakatree for some good photo opportunities at sunrise/sunset. If you are like us and want something more adventurous, check out what canyoneering trips are going out of Canyoning Wanaka. We did the Big Nige and had such a blast! If you are traveling with kids or want something unusual to do on a rainy day, Puzzling World is fun.