Things to do in Wānaka
Lake & water
Lake Wānaka is the reason most people come. The Wānaka Tree is an easy 1.7 km walk to the willow standing in the water. Paddle Wānaka hires kayaks and stand-up paddleboards by the hour. Eco Wānaka Adventures runs the Mou Waho Island Nature Tour, and Lake Hāwea is the quieter lake just up the road.
The park sits five minutes' walk from the Lake Wānaka foreshore, which is the part guests notice first. That makes an early morning at the water simple, before the wind gets up and before the day trippers arrive. Town is about ten minutes away when you want a coffee afterwards.
Paddle Wānaka runs daily from 9am to 5pm in summer, shorter hours in April and September, and closes May to August, so the water season has an end. The Mou Waho tour takes 3.5 to 4 hours and suits all ages and fitness levels. Pods and boats suit couples; camp sites suit anyone with their own kayak.
Lake Hāwea
A quieter lake 15 minutes from Wānaka, on the road north towards Makarora and the West Coast.
An easy scenic 15-minute drive from Wānaka as stated by Lake Wānaka Tourism
Mou Waho Island Nature Tour (Eco Wānaka Adventures)
A boat cruise across Lake Wānaka to a predator-free island reserve with a lake of its own on top.
3.5 to 4 hoursAll ages and fitness levels
Paddle Wānaka
Kayak and stand-up paddleboard hire straight off the beach at Roys Bay on the Wānaka lakefront.
1, 2 or 3 hour hire
The Wānaka Tree
The lone willow standing in the shallows of Lake Wānaka, and the most photographed tree in the country.
Easy
Questions
Before you head out.
Can we hire a kayak in winter?
No. Paddle Wānaka runs 9am to 5pm daily over summer, October to March, drops to 10am to 4pm in April and September, and is closed from May to August.
Is the Mou Waho island tour suitable for children?
It is listed as suitable for all ages and fitness levels. Allow 3.5 to 4 hours, and note the 3 km of walking on the island is uneven in places.
How far is the walk to the Wānaka Tree?
The walk is 1.7 km and graded easy. It is family friendly and follows the lakefront, which is a five-minute walk from the park to begin with.
Stay at Sundale
A base five minutes from the water.
Your Wānaka basecamp
Make Sundale your base.
Cabins, studios, motels and soft-grass camping, five minutes from the water and close to everything above.