Wanaka Water Taxi & 4x4 Explorer — Local services in South Island

I had been wanting to go to Mou Waho Island on Lake Wanaka for many years and finally got the opportunity to go with Jason and the team from Wanaka water taxi. We had a fantastic day! Right from the start Krystle was super helpful and replied quickly to my enquiries via email. The day started out sunny and calm and our boat driver Jason was very knowledable and friendly and gave us a lot of information and stories about the local flora, fauna, geology and history. He is a long-time local and you could tell he was truly passionate about the area and we felt safe and well informed throughout the whole trip.

Once on the island we had an hour and a half to explore. There was plenty of time to walk up the hill to Arethusa pool where we went swimming in the refreshing water, and then we continued up to one of the high points on the island where we had lunch and enjoyed the truly amazing views of Lake Wanaka and the surrounding mountains. The track was easy to follow and there was plenty of shade walking in the regenerating native forest. The island has been cleared of introduced pest species and we saw a number of weka, bellbirds and other native bird and insect species. We were also fortunate enough to see (and hold) a native gecko which Jason found and showed us.

This trip is great for families, my 5 year old daughter was able to walk the whole way by herself and was thrilled to see the weka and gecko.

Thanks again to Krystle and Jason for a wonderful day out on Lake Wanaka and Mou Waho island!

grwonderfulday out on Lake...

Incredible experience taking the boat up Lake Wanaka to Mou Waho Island. You take a 30-45 min boat ride with a small group (we had 10), cruising close to a few islands and hearing about some of the local history. It can be a bit wavey in the second half of the ride away from the protected waters near Wanaka, but that's part of the fun & adventure! The island is stunning, and has a moderate 2.6km (roundtrip) hike to the peak of the island and a small lake. Has to be one of the only places you can view an island in a lake on an island in a lake (on an island in the ocean, no less!). You're given 1h45min to explore while the boat leaves, more than enough time to leisurely make it up and back to down the to the beach, but not too much time that you would get bored or want to go back. The views are STUNNING, and the island is also full of the endangered, native Buff Weka (a flightless bird) that are not very scared of humans and very cool to see. Boat ride back is less bumpy (or was for us anyways, because the wind was at our back) and a bit quicker without the stops. Takes ~3 hours total and is certainly time well spent! Free parking for four hours at the marina works well too....

The Wanaka Water Taxi Explorer was a fun filled 3 hour adventure that from the get go took advantage of the stunning views of Lake Wanaka. I advise to be there on time, although Kyle (the taxi guide) will wait to make sure you don’t miss out on any fun (he did that for me even though I was already in the boat...another story). Not a lot of parking near the marina as it is reserved for boat owners (especially during the busy summer months) so I advise to arrive well ahead of time to find off street parking. The ride is about an hour to Mou Waho Island with various stops on the way to show you the adventurer various things including the deepest point of Lake Wanaka. Lord of the Rings filming locations are also pointed out on the way! You will even enjoy the local history, the guide is very knowledgeable and will be able to answer any burning questions you might have. The wildlife is low key amazing where you can get up close to the weka (what I called KJ, Kiwi Jr). They are very inquisitive and love to mingle (food helps). Mou Waho Island is stunning. It is not for the unfit, it has steep hiking areas with a trail that should theoretically take 40...