Lake Hawea

15km north of Wanaka village is Lake Hawea, the smallest of the three alpine lakes in the Otago region (30 km, area 140 sq.km). Highway 6 runs along the west side of the lake on its way to the Haast Pass. The village of Lake Havea, at the south end of the lake, occupies the site of a Maori village that was attacked and destroyed in 1836.

The damming of the lake under the Clutha River hydroelectric scheme in 1958 raised the water level by around 20m. The water stored in the lake serves as a reserve supply in winter, when the catchment area of the Clutha River is blocked by ice.

The lake, which offers good trout and salmon fishing, is 410m deep, so that its bed is 64m below sea level.