Lake Wanaka is the gateway to Mt Aspiring National Park, which is set within the Te Wahipounamu South West New Zealand World Heritage Area. The park, Lake Wanaka and the surrounding areas are pristine environments encompassing a diverse range of habitats and wilderness areas.
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Lake Wanaka is surrounded by native shrubland, featuring Kanuka, Manuka, Kohuhu and a range of Coprosma and Olearia species. Mount Aspiring National park is a mountainous terrain; valley walks take visitors over pastoral farmland, through beech forests, alpine tussock grasslands and snowfields. Southern, Red, Mountain and Silver Beech varieties are all represented within the park.
A myriad of native New Zealand and introduced birds and animals grace this exquisite terrain.
Ten of the fifty one species of native birds that inhabit the areas around Lake Wanaka are classified as rare.
These are:
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Other species of note include the long tailed bat, numerous native fish and abundant invertebrates including 400 species of butterflies and many lizards.
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