Mou Waho Island Tour: Explore Native Wildlife and Stunning Panoramas on Lake Wanaka

Embark on the Mou Waho Island Tour to discover native wildlife, stunning panoramas, and a unique island formation on Lake Wanaka. Join us now!

Duration: 3 hours, 15 minutes
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights
  • Wanaka Water Taxi and Wanaka 4x4 Explorer - We will meet you on the jetty. From here we will boat 15km up the lake to the scenic reserve, Mou Waho Island. Your skipper will inform you about the history and geology of the lake while cruising the sparkling waters of Lake Wanaka
What's Included
  • Landing and/or facility fees
  • 1.5+ hour freedom walk on the island
  • Extensive live commentary onboard
What's Not Included
  • Hotel pickup and drop-off
Additional Information

Come and join us on a trip to our favourite place on Lake Wanaka, Mou Waho Island.Where you can find an island, on a lake, on an island, on a lake, on an island on the sea! Mou Waho Island is a protected nature reserve and is home to many native New Zealand birds including the curious and flightless Weka. A short walk takes you to the top of the island…

Location
Wanaka Marina
Lakeside Road
We depart from the newer jetty with the silver bridge in the Wanaka Marina. Parking in the marina is on the sealed area only. If this is full, you can drive 200m past the marina to where the road splits and you can park on the left side of both roads right after the split.
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
4.9
(169 Ratings)
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Marshahf2496zi
Mar 25, 2025
Beautiful Waho Island - This was an incredible tour, one of the highlights of our trip to New Zealand. The driver/tour guide was excellent and informative. The island was exceptional with beautiful views and many opportunities to see the birds. I only wish we had more time on the island itself. We had a lovely walk, but there wasn't quite enough time to swim, which I would have liked to do.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Vacationer520626
Mar 23, 2025
Take this Tour! - The weather and the scenery were spectacular! Brent spent his time sharing interesting explanations of the glacier action, water source and wildlife. We had a pleasant trip to the island and time for a leisurely climb to the top of the Mou Waho island for a spectacular view of the lake and surrounding sites. Overall, well worth the time and cost!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Julie_t
Mar 22, 2025
Boat tour and island stop ideal for family - We really enjoyed the boat tour with all the information regarding the islands and conservation efforts. They gave us plenty of time to explore the area. We also lucked out with perfect weather.
Review provided by Viator
Elainerk1604ov
Mar 21, 2025
Island well worth visiting - Great day out. Island well worth visiting. It's not an easy walk but well worth it for the views. Boat operator was very informative and helpful.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Karen
Mar 14, 2025
Mou Waho day Trip - Went to Mou Waho with Wanaka Water Taxi. Stunning day to explore the island. We did a self guided tour on the island. We headed up to the Lookout, stopped at the island in the island … we didn’t swim there but lots of people were. We also got told about a side excursion in between the lookout and the swimming spot that took you out to the very coast… the views were incredible!! We took our own lunch and drink and sat there in paradise. I would fully recommend this trip. Take good walking shoes, food and drinks, sunscreen. The boat trip by Wanaka Water Taxi was very informative stopping at various points along the lake. We caught the 10am Taxi. It took about 40 minutes to get to our destination, 2 hours on the island, then back to Wanaka. Allow 3 to 3.5hrs in total.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Sherpa42126224423
Mar 10, 2025
Wonderful experience - A wonderful nature experience! Very interesting explanations about nature and wildlife by our friendly and competent skipper! And the island is definitely worth a visit! Stunning views from the top and an idyllic „pool“ on the Thyrwitt mountain! And - by the way - safe trip on the boat!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
H2282twandrewc
Mar 8, 2025
A really worthwhile trip which I would definitely recommend - A really great tour. Our guide whose name was Hannah was very helpful . We got so much more out of visiting the town by taking your tour. Especially appreciated the opportunity to have a swim on the lake on the island. That is really worth doing. One tip is that when you get to the path which leads down to the bathing place, it looks very intimidating and like there is nowhere to get into the lake. You can go right or left and I would recommend going right. It is a fairly steep path down but easy to get in and out when you get there. Very refreshing and a lovely swim
Review provided by Tripadvisor
David
Mar 7, 2025
A new happy place. - Skipper James was very friendly and knowledgeable. This helped make the trip to the island very enjoyable. Would highly recommend a visit, views were spectacular.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Michael_g
Mar 5, 2025
Lake Wānaka and the islands - The boat ride was fast but comfortable and the guide/driver gave a good commentary on the islands and the shore line. We had 1 1/2 hours to explore the island The climb was very steep and rough but well worth it for the view
Review provided by Viator
David
Feb 28, 2025
Fabulous trip - Wow what a fabulous trip. We had a great boat journey to the island during which the host shared interesting information and facts about the area. He also suggested following a second path to the other side of the island, pleased we did this as the views were amazing. The pool at the top is breathtaking although we didn't swim!. The time on the island is perfect. We were also lucky to have a close up encounter with a Weka bird. Would definitely recommend this trip
Review provided by Tripadvisor
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up to 12 guests
1 Adult
April 2025
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