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A typical summer day in Lake Hāwea starts with a jog, walk or ride along the Gladstone Track, followed by a dip in the glacial waters and a good cuppa – all before 10am.
Fifteen minutes up the road from Wānaka, Hāwea is a small township with its own lake, pub and store, and a real community feel. It works well as one of your Wānaka day trips, and just as well as a base for a few nights.
Here’s how we spend our summer weekends, and how you can too.
Start the day at Mo’s coffee caravan, the go-to for an early flat white before a swim or a hike. Grab a toastie or something from the cabinet while you’re there; the baking goes fast.
Hāwea Store & Kitchen is the heart of the township. Downstairs it’s a café and grocer where you can stock up for a picnic or a few days at camp. Upstairs, the restaurant and bar look out over the lake, and on a long summer evening it’s hard to find a better seat for dinner.
For a pint with history, head to the Hāwea Hotel. This pub has outdoor seating right above the lake and pours local b.effect beers on tap. Get there before the sun drops behind the ranges and settle in for dinner or drinks with a view.
Lakeside, The Camp runs food trucks and an outdoor bar through the warmer months, with Good Joe coffee in the morning and wood-fired pizza and burgers later on. For something with a bit more punch, Wingin It is a permanent food truck on Longview Drive, run by best friends and chefs Rav and Deep. The menu pairs crispy fried chicken and loaded burgers with Indian-inspired curries, a mix they call “Desi Roots, Kiwi Streets” – we just call it delicious.
Picnicking on the foreshore? Take every bit of rubbish home with you. Our local birdlife and the lake will both thank you.
Lake Hāwea is fed by snowmelt, so that first dip will take your breath away even on the hottest summer day. Locals swim straight off the foreshore in front of the township, where the shingle shelves gently and there’s room to lay out a towel. Wander along the Gladstone Track towards Johns Creek and you’ll find your own patch of lakeshore to swim from. The water temperature does increase as summer goes on, but it’s never what you would call “warm”.
To see the lake from the middle, bring a kayak or stand-up paddleboard and get out early, before the afternoon breeze picks up. If your craft has been on another lake or river, give it a Check, Clean, Dry first to keep didymo and other freshwater pests out of our waterways.
Then there’s The Secret Sauna, a wood-fired sauna right on the lakeshore at The Camp. Book a session for hot and cold therapy, with the lake as your cold plunge. It’s a good way to recover after a day on the hills.
If you’re after a big climb, our guide to the best Hāwea hikes has all the details you need. The Isthmus Peak track rewards you with views over both Lake Hāwea and Lake Wānaka, and Breast Hill is a serious tramp with 360-degree views. Isthmus Peak closes from 20 November to 20 December for fawning, so check DOC for the latest track status.
For something gentler, the Hāwea River Track follows the river from the lake dam down to Albert Town through open farmland and plains. Walk it or ride it, one way with a pickup or out and back. The swing bridge at the end is a hit with the kids, and Pembroke Patisserie is just a short bribe further.
Keep an eye out for walkers with heavy packs too. Te Araroa, the 3,000km trail that runs the length of Aotearoa, passes right through Hāwea, and summer is peak season for through-hikers.
If there’s one thing to plan your visit around, it’s a Sunday at The Camp. From the start of December until April, the Summer Sessions bring live music to the lakefront, with food trucks, local brews and the whole community out on the grass. Bring a picnic blanket, grab a pizza and stay until the band packs down. It’s the kind of afternoon that turns into evening.
The Camp is Hāwea’s classic spot for camping near Wānaka, right on the lakeshore. Choose from powered and unpowered sites, caravans, tiny houses, cottages, cabins and glamping bell tents, so whether you’re a family with a tent or a couple after a bit of comfort, there’s an option that fits.
For somewhere with a bit of history, rooms at the Hāwea Hotel put you a short wander from the bar and the waterfront. If you opt for a room with a balcony, you’ll wake up to uninterrupted views of the lake.
For a little luxury, Lake Hāwea Station is a working high-country farm, New Zealand’s first certified Climate Positive farm, and a pick on Condé Nast Traveler’s 2023 Gold List. There’s a seasonal treat from the station’s kitchen waiting when you arrive, and you can ask to watch the working dogs muster or book a guided stargazing session.
Wherever you stay, the evenings are part of the experience. In midsummer it isn’t properly dark until after 10pm, and once it is, the stars over the lake are something else. For more Hāwea accommodation, head to our accommodation page.
Hāwea rewards those who slow down. Spend a morning on the water, an afternoon on the trails and an evening on the deck, and you’ll understand why so many of us call this lake home over summer.
