Scenic Island and Mountain Nature Tours

Fantastic morning

We arrived on a blustery day, but a quick visit to the i-Site put us on the track of Wanaka Water Taxis. I managed to book a tour to Mou Waho for the next day. What an amazing place! Brent picked us up from the new jetty bang on time, and provided interesting and engaging commentary on the way. He left us plenty of time for the (strenuous) walk up to the lake and lookout point. As the island is almost vermin-free, the native bird life is amazing. If you can spare a half day, this is a must - or combine it with A 4×4 experience run by the same company. The brochure gives specific times, but you can ring/email for a tailor made excursion. Where else can you see an island in a lake on an island in a lake on an island in the ocean? (Truly Special, and Weka too!)

A perfect trip to a perfect place.

Last night the wind howled through. This morning calm and crystal clear. Took the trip to the island in the lake, on an island in a lake on an island in the sea. Calm waters, magic reflections, and amazing views. Commented by others- the skipper has an in-depth interest in the people, the history, and the geology of the area that really made this trip something else. Thanks

Great value 

Amazing views! Very friendly nice driver who knows a lot about Wanaka and surroundings. Great value for money.

Excellent Trip!

Perfect low key morning to a beautiful island - easy for most people Boat driver was knowledgeable and safety conscious - made trip much more than a water taxi transfer with lots of info and comment Island is amazing for its scenery - remember to walk through picnic area to beach to see the Weka.

Great Relaxing Day!

The skipper was great. He told us about the history of the lake and surrounding areas while on the boat. He didn’t come on the island but gave us a time to meet. I liked this as how we enjoyed the island wasn’t dictated by the group. We could walk at our own pace and decide how long we wanted to spend at each viewpoint or on the benches on the path. There were only 7 of us on the tour (3 couples and 1 single) so the island felt quite secluded and untouched because we weren’t sharing the path with many others and we all went at a different pace. Of course the island itself is beautiful and the scenery is amazing. With all that said, it was a great way to spend the morning and I highly recommend it.

We all had big smiles on our faces after such a great experience!!

My family and I had the pleasure of a fantastic trip to Mou Waho Island. We had a range of ages (2-77 years) with a range of physical ability, and whilst the walk was a steep gradient up we all managed to reach the lake with enough time to enjoy the beauty. Brent our captain was knowledgeable and friendly, the Weka even friendlier! As a local I will be recommending this trip to all our future visitors. Thanks Wanaka Water Taxis, we all had big smiles on our faces after such a great experience!!

Mou Waho was a highlight of my trip to New Zealand's South Island.

We decided to take a water taxi to Mou Waho after seeing the difference in price between the taxi and guided tours to the Island. Not only did we save a lot of money, but also got to explore Mou Waho at our own pace. The water taxi driver gave as a history of Wanaka and the lake on our trip to Mou Waho, he was very informative and as professional and equipped as any 'guide'. I highly recommend going to Mou Waho to see the lake on the island on the lake on the island surrounded by a sea and two oceans. The walk goes though beautiful medium density bush with plenty of birds and wetas. The views from the top of Mou Waho are sublime. The wekas are friendly and cheeky, make sure you lockdown your food and don't feed them!

Thank you guys for making my visit to Wanaka so special

Today I went on The Ultimate Mountain & Lake Adventure with tour guide Rob & Krystle what an adventure it was, it was truly amazing and enjoyable I would recommend this trip to anyone, thank you guys for making my visit to Wanaka so special x

What an experience!

What an experience!! Absolutely fantastic! Started out with a 30 minute scenic boat ride to a very secluded and private farm. Gorgeous scenery and a lovely boat ride. Then the trip was amped up, with a 4x4 tour of the farm. Definitely a thrilling ride to the top. Loved our guide, Charlie, who was very informative and ready to talk about anything we were interested in. Learned a lot about farming in New Zealand. Picnic lunch was so fresh and delicious! This is a great tour, and it’s a small family run business. You will not be disappointed. I think the only thing I would change, is a “catchy” name to attract more people to this awesome adventure.

Truly a fantastic experience

From a great boat ride on Lake Wanaka, up through Steveson's arm and driving up the side of Mt. Burke, what an exciting ride.A gourmet picnic over looking Mount Aspiring Park, truly a fantastic experience. Krystle & Rob both very experienced and a big part of our day.

Wish there were six stars for this one!

The absolute highlight of our New Zealand adventure! So much fun for the entire family. Charlie was so knowledgeable and was the perfect guide for the trek. The picnic on the mountain was nothing short of spectacular. It was very personal - not one of the big boats with hundreds of people. Sheer perfection.

Life time experience

This is one of our best experience in South Island on mountain top on 4W drive and getting close to the southern alps and lake wanaka.. most scenic view from the top of mountain.. with wine and cheese from the top was cheery on the cake..

Thanks to Charlie for being extremely professional and knowledgeable to help us educate on the history.

My favourite tour in NZ!

I did the afternoon 4x4 Explorer tour in October with my partner and a couple of visiting relatives, and it has by far been my favourite tour which I've done in NZ to date (and it was the highlight of our relative's trip!). From start to finish the experience was top class and felt very exclusive - you're almost guaranteed not to see another person on Mt Burke as no other companies have concessions to run tours here. The views as you head up the mountain are extraordinary, and I learnt more about the history of the area during this tour than I have in the 10 months that I've lived in Wanaka. Concluding the trip with wine and cheese while taking-in the surrounding views was pure magic, and this is a tour which we'll be talking about for a long time! Charlie was excellent and definitely deserves all the credit which he receives.

An experience words can’t capture!!

What a perfect day my husband and I had starting with a peaceful boat ride on the lake with Derek and Charlie to a farm that only Wanaka Water Taxi had access to. Our guide and driver Charlie, carefully drove us up a bumpy dirt/rock road up a mountain through the farmland while telling us all about the interesting history of the area and the farm we were on. We stopped at various view points to take in the BREATHTAKING views of lakes and surrounding mountains. Topping it off was a viewpoint Charlie took us to at the top where he left us alone to enjoy it. It was so beautiful I was crying!! When we went back to him, a picnic was set up with wine and cheese which we enjoyed with him and the spectacular views. Just as we finished storm clouds were approaching so Charlie made sure we got back before any storm but luckily one never reached us. No words can describe the experience we had that day. All I can say is that it was PRICELESS!!! What was even better was that it was private! MUST DO IN WANAKA!!!

Amazing trip!

Although we live locally, having parents over from the UK enabled us to 'act the tourist' and see more of what is in our own backyard! And what a treat it was! A great trip on Lake Wanaka on the Wanaka Water Taxi, landing on Stephenson's Arm, and then travelling by 4x4 vehicle onto farmland not able to be accessed otherwise. This is a must do trip - the views are amazing, looking over the lake and surrounding mountains; Charlie, our Guide was very informative and pleasant, the picnic was lovely, and the weather made it a stunning day. Whether you are visiting Wanaka, or if you live locally like us and don't have a boat, you have to do this trip - it's food for the soul!

Best Tour By Far!

If you're looking for something with a "WOW" factor, Wanaka Water Taxi gives it in Spades! This was our best tour in NZ. Fortunately it was a private tour. The excitement began with their coming to the aid of an overturned kayak and ended with a drive to the Cinema Paradiso so we wouldn't miss our movie. Charlie was amazing from start to finish. The boat ride was fun and everything you would expect in a speed boat. The 4x4 ride was controlled and cautious yet white-knuckled in places. The sceneries of the Lakes and the Southern Alps from the top of the mountain were amazing. A definite must do!

Awesome!

What a thoroughly wonderful trip we had, loved it! An exhilarating boat trip,followed by a 4x4 ride to beat them all. Vieuws all around and never ending foto opportunities, all presented with a lot of local knowledge. And followed by a more than splendid picnic that beat our expectations. A tour run by wonderful people who give their all. Well done.

Fantastic time on Lake Wanaka & Mou Waho Absolutely loved it. Friendly skipper who was very informative. Hike up to the lookout on Mou Waho was beyond our expectations! 5*

Fantastic! Funny old review seeing as we couldn't do the trip because of the weather. I've given it a 5 star because they called me within minutes of making the booking for the following day to ask us if we could make it that day as weather was great, but the next day would be awful. Offered a refund on the spot without me even asking. The weather did turn out to be a real shocker the next day and regrettably we could not do it. A shame as I'm sure it would have been fab. What a friendly and accommodating team.