Lake Hawea

Hawea is about 141 square kilometres in area, over three hundred metres deep, and separated from Lake Wanaka by The Neck - a strip of land only about a kilometre wide where the two lakes almost meet, with a lookout on the highway giving both at once. Its colour is a deeper, more saturated blue than Wanaka's, and it is walled by steep mountains on the western side. The lake was raised about twenty metres in 1958 as part of the Clutha hydro scheme, which is why the shoreline has that bare gravel margin and why dead trees still stand in shallow water in places - it is not a natural level. Hawea township at the southern end has a beach, a campground and a store; the road north along the eastern shore continues to Makarora and the Haast Pass. The water is cold enough that swimming is brief, and the lake is used for fishing and boating.

What you actually see

• The Neck - the kilometre-wide strip between Hawea and Wanaka.
• The deep blue - a more saturated colour than neighbouring Wanaka.
• The raised shoreline - the bare margin left by the 1958 hydro lift.
• The mountain wall - steep slopes along the western side.

When to go

October to April. Mornings are calm; afternoon wind gets up on the lake. The Neck lookout works at any time and is a two-minute stop.

Honest expectations

The water is very cold year round. The raised shoreline is bare and gravelly rather than scenic up close. Hawea township is small with limited services. Wind builds through the afternoon.

Nearby

Wanaka is south; Makarora and the Haast Pass are north.