Lake Ohau - holiday activites and surrounding areas

Walking, hiking, tramping, and climbing

• Skiing in MacKenzie
• Twizel Te Manahuna area
  and Mackenzie Basin routes
• Tekapo Walkway
• Aoraki/Mt Cook National Park
• Hiking New Zealand provides a full range of hiking options from small group, 10-day Hiking Safaris, which involve camping and overnight hikes, to the guided Ball Pass Alpine Trek and Milford Track.
• NZhike.com (winner at the NZ Tourism Awards three years running) provides small group, 10-day hikes combining camping and overnight hikes into New Zealand's best wilderness areas.

Fishing and hunting

• Fish and Game - Trout and Salmon Fishing

Skiing and/or snowboarding

• Snow fields in New Zealand
• Lake Ohau snow field

Ice Skating

• Lake Tekapo and Twizel

Hot Tubs / Hot Pools / Spas

• Omarama Hot Tubs, Omarama
• Alpine Springs Hot Pools, Tekapo
• Alpine Springs Day Spa, Tekapo

Bird watching

• Black Stilts at Twizel
• Tuis
• Bellbirds
• Red Mistletoe at Lake Ohau

Gliding

• Glide Omarama
• Southern Soaring, Omarama

Rowing, kayaking, and sailing

• Sailing, kayaking, and water sports - Lake Middleton
• Rowing -Lake Ruataniwha, Twizel is an international rowing venue (Maadi Cup)

Wining, dining, cooking, shopping and services

• Clay Cliffs Estate, Omarama (Pinot Noir/Pinot Gris)
• Central Otago Vineyards via Lindis Pass.
• High quality local produce (e.g., lamb, cervana venison, apples, apricots, peaches, nectarines and freshwater crayfish from Central Otago, NZ yams and kumara, strawberries from Waimate, NZ tamarillos, fresh salmon from Benmore, Mt Cook Salmon Farm and High Country Salmon.
• Shops for tourists at Mt Cook (Hermitage), Omarama and Tarras stock NZ clothing (especially, merino and possum) and commercial souvenirs.
• The Swordmaker of Ohau lives in Lake Ohau Alpine Village. He totally handcrafts extremely fine swords from recycled wood. The swords are authentic replicas of sword types used in the medieval period. Each sword is unique, a one-off, finished to the highest standard for display as a beautiful and decorative piece of art. While you are staying at Ohau House, visit the swordmaker and see his swords at 21 Ohau Drive.
• Twizel and Omarama are the closest towns for buying provisions. Both towns have supermarkets, garages for petrol, cafes, restaurants, hotels and shops for tourists. It is possible to purchase local wine and also dine at Clay Cliffs Estate in Omarama. On State Highway 8 between Twizel and Ohau House, fresh salmon can be purchased at Benmore Salmon Farm. At Lake Ohau Lodge (5 km from Ohau House), it is possible to dine with house guests.
• Medical and Pharmacy Services are available at Twizel

Driving time within approximately one hour

• Lake Ohau region - Lake Ohau skifield, Northern Lake Ohau and Temple Valley, Ben Ohau Range and Northern Lake Ohau, Twizel, Omarama, Claycliffs, Lindis Pass, Lord of the Rings filming locations at Lindis Pass and Misty Mountain, Ben Ohau Station), Mt Cook, Lake Tekapo

Driving time within approximately two hours

• Waitaki Valley, Kurow, and Oamaru
• Central Otago: Tarras, Cromwell, and Wanaka
• Lord of the Rings filming locations

Driving time within approximately three hours

• Queenstown
• Arrowtown
• Timaru
• Geraldine
• Lord of the Rings filming locations - Arrowtown, Queenstown and Glenorchy

Driving time within four hours

• Christchurch
• Dunedin
• Haast