Diamond Lake Wanaka

A gorgeous little lake, not to be confused with the Diamond Lake at Paradise Station, Glenorchy at the top of Lake Wakatipu. This beauty is signposted off the Mt Aspiring Road about 30 minutes from Wanaka township. There is a carpark at the turnoff, if the Diamond Lake Road is closed, with a 10 minute walk to the lake.

The track takes you to the left of the sparkling lake, which in winter can be used for ice skating. Past the lake, you soon climb up a series of steps built beside the towering slabs of rock on your left. As you climb, there’s a lovely view of the lake, the Motutapu River and its gorges. When you come onto the tussock areas, you can see the road into West Matukituki Station, Glendhu Bay and Mt Roy.

At the fork in the track you can either go to the Lookout (40 minutes round trip), or continue to Rocky Hill. We suggest keeping left all the way up, as the track is more varied and offers better views of the great rock faces carved by glaciers. It is also less steep. As you climb there are wonderful views of Black Peak, Fog Peak and, taking pride of place, Mt Aspiring with its snow-covered slopes and glacier. Descend the hill on the loop track.

Note: the track is narrow and drops away steeply on the lake side of the hill. Children should be supervised.

Image Credit: Pseudopanax