New Zealand
Mou Waho Island
A lake on an island in a lake — nature's Russian doll in the Southern Alps.
A lake on an island in a lake. Mou Waho Island sits in Lake Wanaka, and on its summit, Arethusa Pool holds water that has no right to be there — a body of water on a body of land in a body of water, nested like a geological riddle.
The island is a predator-free sanctuary managed by DOC, with buff weka and native bush that the mainland lost decades ago. The walk to the summit takes approximately ninety minutes and reveals a panorama of the Southern Alps reflected in both Lake Wanaka and the summit pool simultaneously. Guided boat trips from Wanaka are the only access — the island's ecological sensitivity limits visitor numbers strictly. The island was cleared of predators in the 1990s, and the regenerating bush now supports species absent from the lakeshore.
Solo
The guided boat trip places you on an island most people on the Wanaka waterfront don't know exists. The summit view — lake within island within lake — is worth the admission of incredulity.
Couple
The picnic lunch on the summit, overlooking two bodies of water with mountains in every direction. The concept itself — a lake on an island in a lake — becomes a private joke.
- A lake on an island in a lake — Arethusa Pool sits on Mou Waho in the middle of Lake Wanaka.
- The island is a predator-free sanctuary with buff weka and native bush that the mainland lost decades ago.
- The walk to the summit takes ninety minutes and reveals a panorama of the Southern Alps reflected in two bodies of water.
- Guided boat trips are the only access — the island's ecological sensitivity limits visitor numbers strictly.
Eco Wanaka runs guided boat trips with gourmet picnics on the island summit.
Return to Wanaka's Francesca's Italian for handmade pasta and Central Otago pinot noir.
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