Discover with me 6 Stunning Lakes of South Island, New Zealand
When you think about New Zealand’s South Island, we can only picture mirrorlike reflection, clear blue skies, snow-capped mountains and perennial lakes that emerge from the glaciers.
The purest natural landscapes one can ever experience, where natures are in absolute sync with the surroundings and each element of it hums a unique melody.
My experiences were no different than others, here showcasing 6 picturesque and stunning lakes of the South Island, from Queenstown to Dunedin to Wanaka.
#Lake Wakatipu
Lake Wakatipu which is beautifully nestled in the South Alps offers the perfect postcard picture.
Flying Tip :The view before the flight lands in Queenstown airport, which takes you over the South Alps, overlooking the Milford Sound on your right. So make sure you grab a seat on the right side of the aircraft.
Travel Tip: To get the best view of the Lake Wakatipu, keep following the road till the end of the Lake, you will find several lookout spots to stop by.
One of them is the Seven Miles Track, a beautiful stretch that takes you through a circuit walk around the lake.
Travelling with kids: Queenstown is amazingly kids friendly and the whole stretch of Lake Wakatipu has plenty of stopovers and play areas to rest and enjoy the swim, specially in summer.
#Lake Te Anau
The scenic drive from Queenstown to Te Anau is amazingly scenic, there’s numerous stopovers and every corner takes you to a picturesque stopover.
Travel Tip : While driving towards Te Anau, the scenic drive comtinues for almost 20-30 kms.
If your planning to drive to Milford sound, its always a good idea to have a stopover at Te Anau, a small cosy town with amazing cafes and coffee option.
As we were travelling with a 6-year-old, we decided to have a pullover at the Te Anau town, near Lake Mistletoe, yet another beautiful place to explore.
Travel tip : While entering Te anau, make sure to fill up your petrol tanks as there will be no petrol station at Milford sound.
There’s a beautiful Alpaca farm, while you stop to re-fill your tank, the food isnt that amazing to talk about but the farm is.
#Lake Marian
Lake Marian is an alpine lake in a beautiful hanging valley.
located on the route towards Milford sound, this place offers a spectacular series of waterfalls. Nestled perfectly amidst the Fiordland National park, the track to the waterfall is soothing.
Travel Tip: The swingbridge is just 1 km from the car park and offers plenty of paking space too for campers and family.
Carry a jumper as even in warmer weather this place can get a bit cold while you venture inside the National park.
#Lake Wiola
Continuing our scenic drive from Te Anau to Dunedin, we stumbled upon another glacier lake.
Lake Wioala is a gorgeous Lake overlooking the Southern corner of the Otago region, a beautiful Peninsula region which is full of natural wonders and albatross bird watch sanctuary.
Travel Tip: The Otago peninsula unlike Mornington peninsula of Victoria offers perfect eco-tourism travel destination.
Make sure you book yourself a tour of the royal Albatross and enjoy the rugged coastlines at sunset.
The ramatic coastlines of the Otago peninsula is best expericed on road, while you drive from the Dundedin city towards the Taiaroa Head (where the Albatross centre is located)
#Lake Dunstan
Our penultimate stopover was at Cromwell at the Lake Dustan, a small and picturesque town which speaks a lot of New Zealand’s natural beauty.
The entire scenic route from Dunedin to Wanaka offers a couple of picturesque towns worth the stop, but I would highly recommend to pull over ar Cromwell.
Travel Tip: There are 2 ways to travel from Dunedin to Wanaka, but if you wish to have a scenic drive then take the route that takes you through the towns of Milton, Lawrence and Cromwell.
#Lake Wanaka
Our ultimate stop was Lake Wanaka, in the South Island New Zealand is one of the islands hidden gem.
From the beautiful lavenders to the mirror lakes, we managed to experience everything at Wanaka and guess what like always, I found a hidden gem too!
- Lake Wanaka, New Zealand
Travel Tip: If you’re planning to stay at Wanaka, i would recommend staying at Lake Hawea, which is 15 kms off Wanaka.
Lake Hawea is an easy 15 min scenic drive from Lake wanaka, the hotel Lake Hawea offers lake facing dinning experince and stay.
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Travel Tip: Before you leave don’t forget to drop by the Wanaka Lavender farms, a true floral extravaganza against the Southern Alps.
Kids love to explore the Lavender farms along with the animal farm located along with that.
