mountain bike, dogs, QLDC 20min – 1km                                        Eely point is a popular, sheltered boating and picnicking area. From Wanaka town follow the lake shore to the right, past the marina, and on to Eely Point. Carrying on round the point for another five minutes takes you to Bremner Bay, a good family swimming spot.

Regional Map information

Diamond Lake  lookout, picnic, no dogs, no bikes Rocky Mountain Summit Track return 3hrs – 7km Follow the 4WD track from the carpark, climbing to the lake where the circuit track is marked. Another track winds up to a lookout above Diamond Lake. Beyond here, there’s a choice of the Lake Wanaka Lookout, off to the [...]

Skyline Route   tramp, no bikes, no dogs 10-11hr – 19km                                                          This challenging tramp begins with the track to Roys Peak. From the peak, follow the ridge line over Mt Alpha and descend through snow tussock to a 4WD track. Then follow the poled route to the Cardrona Road, 10 kilometres from Wanaka Town. This [...]

 Mount Iron Walk   lookout, dogs, no bikes, DOC 1.5hr return – 4.5km                                          Mount Iron is an impressive, glacier-carved, 240-metre rocky knoll. From its summit a great panorama unfolds: Lakes Wanaka and Hawea, the Cardrona and Upper Clutha Valleys and all the surrounding peaks; many of them in Mount Aspiring National Park in the west.

I see that two “adventure athletes” – Darren Blackhurst and Chris Dagg – covered the 49Km from Wanaka to Macetown along the Te Araroa trail in 7hrs 25minutes.  That is an amazing effort, and it was not just them that were impressive – they only won by a couple of minutes, and about 34 teams [...]