Discover Wanaka: lake, walks and cycling

You can focus on different interests in Wanaka: activities on Lake Wānaka, cycling, a challenging walk nearby, or cultural experiences in the wider Queenstown Lakes District. This lets you shape your trip around the activities that interest you most.

Local information

The Wānaka i-SITE provides local visitor advice, maps and booking services for experiences in Wānaka and beyond. The DOC visitor centre in Wānaka provides up-to-date information and local knowledge about recreational opportunities in Central Otago and the Tititea/Mount Aspiring National Park area.

For planning beyond town, nearby Wānaka Airport is also a useful point of reference: it is ten minutes from town and offers scenic and charter flights.

Walks, water and cycling

The Roys Peak Track, near Wānaka, is a challenging full-day walk with panoramic views of Lake Wānaka. Seasonal restrictions and conditions can change, so check the latest track updates before setting out.

You can hire kayaks and stand-up paddleboards on the lakeshore, and guided tours with experienced guides are also available. This gives you a choice between rentals and guided tours for activities on the water.

Cycling routes also vary in terrain and surroundings: Wānaka offers scenic road rides, challenging singletrack and mountain-bike trails in the high country and mountains. Guided cycling tours and heli-biking also take visitors to remote routes away from the usual tracks.

Experiences near Wanaka

Nearby Wānaka Lavender Farm offers walks through flower fields, and visitors can also meet the farm animals kept there. The seasonal appearance of the flower fields varies, so the time of year is an important consideration if you plan to visit.

In town, Puzzling World invites visitors to race through The Great Maze. This is a different way to spend the day than walking the Roys Peak Track or enjoying activities on the lake: here, the maze itself is the focus.

Queenstown Lakes District: regional context

The wider Queenstown Lakes District destination is home to three major lakes: Lake Whakatipu, Lake Wānaka and Lake Hāwea. They are used for boating, swimming and other water sports. This gives you an overview of the region and complements the information about specific offerings in Wanaka.

The region’s history can also be explored at dedicated sites. The Arrowtown Chinese Settlement is a Category 2 public historic site. It is the last relatively intact Chinese settlement remaining in Otago and commemorates the Chinese presence on the Central Otago goldfields. The Lakes District Museum features artefacts, photographs and films about the region’s Māori and Chinese settlers, as well as the pioneering gold rush. A visit offers insight into the history of Queenstown and the Southern Lakes district.

The Queenstown Lakes District offers walks of varying durations. The Ben Lomond Track is a challenging full-day walk from Queenstown, with 1,438 metres of elevation gain and panoramic views over Queenstown, Lake Whakatipu and the surrounding mountain ranges. The Queenstown Hill Time Walk starts on Belfast Street and takes two to three hours to return to the car park; highlights include the views and the Basket of Dreams sculpture. In comparison with the full-day Ben Lomond walk, this route has a shorter stated return time.

Discover more destinations: Arrowtown, Hawea Flat, Makarora, Gibbston, Lower Shotover, Kingston, Mount Nicholas, Moonlight.

For the wider travel overview: Queenstown Lakes District.