Situated in sub alpine, high country south of Mt Cook and on the edge of the tussock grassland wilderness of the Mackenzie Country, Lake Ohau is known for its surreal beauty, its wild weather, its hot summers, and its overwhelming calmness and tranquility. Beech forests, red mistletoe, bell birds and tuis, rapidly changing light and shadows, and sparkling stars in the clear sky are much loved characteristics.

From the shores of Lake Ohau, awesome scenery can be observed in every direction. To the North, the grandeur of Mount Cook in the Southern Alps. To the North East, the iconic shape of the Ben Ohau Range and Ben Ohau. To the East, distant Twizel. To the West and South, the Barrier Range.

Lake Ohau Lodge is situated at the base of the Barrier Range with its skifield nestled high in the Range providing magnificent views of Lake Ohau. The personal approach at the Lodge and its skifield and the friendliness of the closest towns of Twizel and Omarama are characteristics of the high country hospitality of the central South Island.

Lake Ohau is popular for tramping and fishing. There is an extensive network of walking tracks and huts in the Temple, Ohau, Dobson, Huxley, Hopkins and Ahuriri Forests for trampers, photographers, and bird watchers with Lake Ohau, Lake Middleton and their tributary rivers and streams offering excellent salmon and trout fishing.