Photo: Pedro Szekely from Los Angeles, USA · CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons
The Wānaka Tree
The lone willow standing in the shallows of Lake Wānaka, and the most photographed tree in the country.
The willow began life more than 70 years ago as a fence post meant to keep stock from wandering, and it took root in the lake edge. It became famous after a photograph of it won New Zealand Geographic's photograph of the year in 2014. The walk out to it is flat and easy, starting from the Wānaka Watersports carpark. Sunrise and sunset are when most people come with a camera.
Highlights
- New Zealand's best-known tree, straight out of the water
- Flat, easy lakefront walk from the watersports carpark
- Prime spot for sunrise and sunset photographs
- No cost and no booking
Good to know
- Location
- Roys Bay lakefront, Lake Wānaka
- Start point
- Wānaka Watersports carpark
- Distance from Wānaka
- 1.7 km walk from the Wānaka Watersports carpark
- Track length
- 1.7 km
- Grade
- Easy
- Cost
- Free
- Family-friendly
- Yes
Visiting from Sundale
The tree stands on the Roys Bay lakefront, and the foreshore is a five minutes' walk from the park gate at 217 Wānaka–Mount Aspiring Road. Most people take the short drive or ride to the Wānaka Watersports carpark and walk the 1.7 kilometres along the water from there. The ground is flat the whole way.
Sunrise and sunset are when the light is best and when everyone else arrives, so allow a little longer than the walk itself if you want a clear frame. Take a warm layer for an early start, because it is cold by the water before the sun clears the ranges. There is no cost and no booking.
Come back for breakfast in the communal kitchen, or carry on the ten minutes into Wānaka town for coffee. In summer the seasonal swimming pool is a good way to fill the middle of the day once the morning light has gone off the lake.
Stay nearby
Questions
Do I need to book or pay to see the Wānaka Tree?
No. It stands in the open on the Roys Bay lakefront, there is no cost and no booking, and you can walk out at any hour.
How long does the walk take?
It is 1.7 kilometres from the Wānaka Watersports carpark on flat, easy ground. Allow a comfortable half hour there and back, plus time for photos.
Is it suitable for young children?
Yes. The route is flat and graded easy the whole way, which makes it one of the simpler outings with small legs or a pushchair.
Sources
- Start point Wānaka Watersports carpark, 3 minutes, 1.7 km, easy grade; fence post origin over 70 years ago; 2014 New Zealand Geographic photograph of the year — source
Nearby
More things to do.
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
Your Wānaka basecamp
Make Sundale your base.
Cabins, studios, motels and soft-grass camping, five minutes from the water and close to everything above.